Hi Ron and I can see why this was fustrating to you but its just part of the issues with group diving, tolerating other divers. But this is not “independent diving.”
There are different procedures for different locals. Sometimes dictated by law, sometimes by the dive environment and sometimes by common practice. What works well in some places would not fly in others.
Just as FYI, here is a typical south Florida dvie on the boat I frequent...
Eric and I arrive at the boat and we carry our gear on board and start putting it together. The crew comes around to ask dive plans and preferences, hunting, reef or wreck. We head to the dive site and one of the crew does a briefing. Then the captain drops one or more groups. There is always one group with a guide that drags a buoy with flag. This group does the reef or wreck. They drift dive as a loose group along the reef line. Depending on their experience and comfort level they may stick with the guide or they may venture off on their own. Everyone is required to carry a safety sausage and the boat will loan one if needed. As each person in this group reaches their limit in gas or NDL they start their ascent, make a SS then surface to be picked up by the boat. If they surface away from the dive flag and boat they inflate their sausage, watch boat traffic and await pickup. The guide continues until the last of the group is ready to ascend or the max dive time is reached.
The hunters are dropped separately, either before the group or on another part of the reef. They may dive as buddies, or more likely, they dive solo. When they are ready or max time they shoot a DSMB, ascend to SS then surface for pickup. The captain could potentially make 20 or more stops for divers but in drift diving they are all going to be along the drift line from where they are dropped.
