Boat Diving rules/hints

[FinnMom]

Remember to detach your gear from the railing/rack/boat before securing it to your back.

Before stepping into water take a long puff on your reg watching your SPG. It should not move. If everybody did this there would be several less dead divers.

Yes, but do this before you ever rise from your gearing-up seat!
Start with a good long look at the mouthpiece to see that it is whole, undamaged and securely attached.
Next take 3 (THREE) long puffs while watching your pressure gauge. Reason: If your tank valve is less than fully open you should see some movement of the needle. Repeat the inspection, puffing & watching sequence with reg #2.
Now check that your BCD inflates (just a bit is enough for testing)... and then deflates.
If wearing a drysuit, repeat the same => inflates? deflates?
If you have lights, make sure they work.
Only now are you ready to stand up and think about moving toward the exit.
At home too, make this your standard "before standing up and walking to the water"-routine.
When you get really advanced you can add fluff like always remembering your weight belt, mask, camera ect. If you can float & breath the rest is details


If entering the water by rolling (like from a zodiac), it's very important that you roll BACKWARDS.
Otherwise you'll still be in the boat :-D

 

[TSandM]

Only one other person has mentioned it, so I'll reiterate: Listen to the briefings. There should be a boat briefing, that will tell you how they plan to get you into and out of the water, where the fire extinguishers are, where the flotation devices are, and where oxygen is on the boat. Ask questions if you don't understand something. The crew is familiar with their procedures, and following them makes life easier for everybody.

Listen to the site/dive briefing. This will tell you the topography of the site, the proposed depth, the expected dive time, and procedures -- whether you have to stay with a guide or whether you are on your own, for example. You need to know if the boat is anchored and you must return to it, or if it will cast off and do a live boat pickup. You need to know if the boat is looking for marker buoys (in which case you either need to have one or stay with whoever does).

The rest of boat diving is mostly common courtesy. Keep your belongings tidy. If you are new and slow to gear up, start early so you don't delay the group.

One major tip: DO NOT -- DO NOT ALLOW ANYBODY TO DENY YOU THE TIME FOR A BUDDY CHECK. Of course, it's a good idea to make sure you have enough time to do it so everybody else isn't all ready to get in the water and staring at you. But crew will sometimes apply pressure to make somebody abbreviate or omit gear checks. They're a standard (if rarely observed) part of diving, and you should do them.

 

[nolatom]

Ask questions. Much better than guessing.

Much said about getting back on the ladder in one piece. My experience: Get both HANDS on the ladder rails first, THEN feet. Try doing the opposite and you may be flipped over in the worst place, ie under the ladder.. So HANDS GRIP FIRST, then they will steady you while you get your feet onto the rung. Not vice-versa.

There, i said it twice twice;;

 

[FM1520]

Mask stays on and reg stays in until you are on the boat and walking toward your seat. Only exception is if there is a problem in the water that needs to be communicated to crew on board immediately.

Different opinion: at the end of the dive and on the surface, reg comes out and is clipped off and mask comes off. Usually my dive buddy and I are chatting about the dive and leisurely waiting for our turn to go up the ladder.

 

[RJP]

Different opinion: at the end of the dive and on the surface, reg comes out and is clipped off and mask comes off. Usually my dive buddy and I are chatting about the dive and leisurely waiting for our turn to go up the ladder.

As a dive boat crew member I can tell you that I see at least one person per charter fall off the ladder, get splashed by a wave, etc. We tell them to keep all gear in place until they're back on the boat, but there's always someone who knows better. It would be funny to watch them desperately try to retrieve their reg - especially if they've dutifully clipped it off - if I didn't know that I'd have to jump in to save someone's ass one out of ten times.

Me? I keep my reg in until I'm off the boat, in the parking lot, and have the rest of my gear loaded back in my car.

Ok, I really only keep my reg in until I'm back in my spot on the boat. But you get the idea...

:d

 

[TMHeimer]

Take a "dry" bag and put it in the dry area.
Take a trimmed down "Save a Dive" kit (spare mask, o rings, straps, etc.).
Remember where the anchor line is during the dives.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Tip the Crew!!! They're keeping you safe, not keeping your drink full and bringing you ketchup.

 

[RJP]

Tip the Crew!!! They're keeping you safe, not keeping your drink full and bringing you ketchup.

Addendum: Please don't ever set foot on a dive boat if you intend to rely on the crew to keep you safe.

 

[Freewillow]

I have found it useful to keep your regulator in your mouth and mask on your face while exiting the water, e.g. on the ladder. Diver have been known to fall off or thrown off by a sudden rise. I read on ScubaBoard how one lady was thrown with such force she did a one and a half flip in the air before hitting the water...she said she was thankful to have had her regulator still in her mouth when she hit the water.

Very correct. The implication of this is that if you are in the water, go to the ladder, only if it is free and you can ascend. If somebody is climbing on the ladder, STAY AWAY from it! As Olbear is saying, it can happen that the guy/girl climbing it, falls backwards and falls on YOU. :depressed::depressed::depressed:

 

[Texasguy]

Don't forget to have fun. With so many "rules" and checks it is easy to forget why you are there. Find a way to relax and have fun, it should be a pleasure, not work.