Before every dive two important questions need answering: Who are the new divers and who are the experienced? The divemaster must know for sure so that buddys can be assigned accordingly. In order to make the divemaster's job a little easier, here are some guidelines to help tell the difference between new, experienced, and very experienced divers.
The new diver has a wet suit that is color coordinated.
The experienced diver complains about the fact that wet suits seem to shrink with age.
The very experienced diver seems to have more patches than suit.
The new diver wears a bathing suit to the dive site.
The experienced diver changes there, behind a towel.
The very experienced diver doesn't use a towel.
The new diver doesn't know any of the really good gossip.
The experienced diver knows most of the really good gossip.
The very experienced diver is the subject of the really good gossip.
The new diver is always willing to do a night dive.
The experienced diver is always willing to lead a night dive.
The very experienced diver is always willing to lend an underwater light.
The new diver worries about the water being too cold during the dive.
The experienced diver worries about the shower being too cold after the dive.
The very experienced diver hopes that the water is cold enough to properly chill the wine.
The new diver dreams of diving somewhere in the Caribbean.
The experienced diver dreams of being an instructor somewhere in the Caribbean.
The very experienced diver has a favorite room in a favorite hotel on a favorite island.
The new diver logs maximum depth and bottom time.
The experienced diver logs who slept with whom.
The very experienced diver logs: "See dive number 355, Feb 68."
The new diver uses too much lead.
The experienced diver uses just the right amount of lead.
The very experienced diver has forgotten how much lead is on the belt.
The new diver rinses his gear after every dive.
The experienced diver rinses his gear at the end of the trip.
The very experienced diver goes for a fresh water dive the following weekend.
The new diver empties an 80 cu ft tank in 20 minutes at 30 feet.
The experienced diver empties a 71.2 cu ft tank in 50 minutes at 70 feet.
The very experienced diver does two dives per fill.
The new diver chases about looking for marine life.
The experienced diver chases about photographing marine life.
The very experienced diver always finds lots of marine life quite close by.
