Accepting Responsibility for Your Own Safety

[FPDocMatt]

In another thread, someone complained about a DM who didn't do enough during the dive to help the divers. Then several SB members criticized the OP for not accepting responsibility for his own safety. Then I said that I was happy on my recent scuba trip to have a DM who watched out for us. Then someone said I wasn't accepting responsibility for my own safety.

So I thought I'd start a new thread about this whole issue.

And the point I'd like to make is that this discussion is pretty silly. Here's why:

The typical discussion goes something like this:

The DM took care of us.
Why do you need taking care of? You're not accepting responsibility for your own safety.
So what are you saying? I shouldn't have a DM with me to make sure I don't do something stupid?
I'm saying you shouldn't do something stupid in the first place.
So does that mean I shouldn't have a DM with me?
You just shouldn't expect him to do your job for you.
I agree that I should take responsibility for my own safety, but in the end, as a new diver, I'm going to darn well have a DM with me who will watch out for my safety. I know that I'm not qualified to do so. There are situations that could arise that I wouldn't be able to handle. And I know that my risk of getting decompression illness is less if someone with more experience is with me.
If you're not qualified to watch out for your own safety, then you shouldn't have been certified.
Okay, so what are you saying, I shouldn't be diving? I should go back and take Open Water and Advanced Open Water and Rescue and Nitrox all over again?
Certification cards don't mean anything. They're not worth the plastic they're printed on. You need more experience. You shouldn't have gotten all those certification cards in the first place.
Okay. While I'm getting more experience, is it okay with you if I hire a DM to watch out for my safety?
If you do that, then you're not accepting responsibility for your own safety.

Does that pretty much sum up the discussion?

 

[IanBrit]

If you're not qualified to watch out for your own safety, then you shouldn't have been certified.
Okay, so what are you saying, I shouldn't be diving? I should go back and take Open Water and Advanced Open Water and Rescue and Nitrox all over again?

Call me old fashioned but if a diver has that range of cards, they should be competent and confident in the water and able to dive without a DM. The exception would be if the diver is in a new location and using the DM as a guide, not a crutch. Personally if someone with a rescue card feels they need a DM with them to dive safely, then that cert should not have been granted in the first place.

 

[mala]

you will know when you dont need a dm.

keep diving.

 

[Doc Harry]

Does that pretty much sum up the discussion?

No, I think that point of the discussion was something else.

Specifically, the point of the discussion was that the divers had expectations of the DM that were not communicated to the DM. And that the divers refused to pay for the services of dive guide.

 

[EastEndDiver]

If someone with a Rescue Certification can't keep themselves out of trouble I dread to think what would happen if they tried to rescue someone in a REAL emergency situation.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

I know the thread the OP is talking about, and he's pretty much going to get the same responses here. The problem is confusing a hired DM, with a boat that puts a dive guide in the water. If you feel like you need this personal attention you need to go out and hire a personal dive guide and let them know you need that attention. If you're on a boat with a DIVE GUIDE their main responsibility is to guide you through the area point out things that you may miss. Since in the past the OP has stated that he dives alone, so I can see a reason for going on guided dives for assuring you will have a buddy and get to dive. But that's as far as it goes. I for one don't want to pay the extra cost of someone diving with me for 2 dives, if I can get 4 guided dives for the same price.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

An interesting part of the discussion tends to be the geographic location of the participants.

I.E. in some areas like FL and HI, the ratio of tourist divers who really need a DM to keep them from doing stupid things is pretty significant. In areas where there are few tourist divers (i.e. cold water), the boat DM is less active and may not even be in the water. On SB of course, we have divers from everywhere, with every level of experience and sometimes we forget to account for this.

Regardless, the goal of every diver should be that he is completely responsible for his own safety. The first step if recognizing you need training, the second is you need experience. How you get these can vary. Diving with a DM is one way.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

An interesting part of the discussion tends to be the geographic location of the participants.

I.E. in some areas like FL and HI, the ratio of tourist divers who really need a DM to keep them from doing stupid things is pretty significant. In areas where there are few tourist divers (i.e. cold water), the boat DM is less active and may not even be in the water. On SB of course, we have divers from everywhere, with every level of experience and sometimes we forget to account for this.

Regardless, the goal of every diver should be that he is completely responsible for his own safety. The first step if recognizing you need training, the second is you need experience. How you get these can vary. Diving with a DM is one way.

Don't know about Hi, but in Fla there are very few Dive Ops that actually put guides in the water, you may find more when drift diving, but not in other areas. You'll find more guides in the Caribbean and other areas where tourist is the makes up most of the economy, And IMHO 1) I think they are there for some since of safety, 2) they don't want the bad press if divers from a certain country get lost.

 

[Wookie]

Yes, you may hire a DM to look after you. That's what DM's do. No, you should not expect a dive guide to fulfill that role. Dive guides have other responsibilities than looking out for one diver. If you need a DM to look after you, by all means, hire one. Be prepared to pay for their charter too.

 

[wedivebc]

Matt, if you are certified OW, AOW, Rescue and nitrox and you believe you have less chance of getting DCS if you are with a DM you should definitely look at getting a different instructor.

You may feel this discussion is silly but I feel if the training we provide to new divers is not preparing them to confidently and safely conduct dives without guidance then the dive training industry is letting you down and that is a aterrible shame. What is most shameful is you have lowered your expectations to the point where this seems OK with you.