As many other poster have said there is a sometimes blurry distinction between being overly protective towards divers and nonchalance. An experienced guide is a true professional in this respect and will also occasionally make mistakes.
Slates can make communication much easier, but you can really only properly communicate pre-dive and post dive after an incident involving confusion and potentially hurt feelings etc.
"POT" DMs (product of Thailand) are usually fairly useless at assessing the experience of guests as it usually exceeds their own.
Talking to divers is the key to avoiding most problems and increasing satisfaction. With experience you can read between the lines and learn a lot about the paying guest. This is why I really dislike having to switch groups or divers suddenly showing up- it throws the dynamic of the group in to the air. Language barriers also are a real hindrance to effectively communicating your personal style in planning/leading guided dives.
I personally don't like divers ascending earlier than the group as now there is an unknown factor. Safety stops (while usually not mandatory under PADI standards) are universally accepted as being a good thing. If a minimum 3 min safety stops becomes a 4 or 5 min safety stop, that only makes a good thing better.
Slates can make communication much easier, but you can really only properly communicate pre-dive and post dive after an incident involving confusion and potentially hurt feelings etc.
"POT" DMs (product of Thailand) are usually fairly useless at assessing the experience of guests as it usually exceeds their own.
Talking to divers is the key to avoiding most problems and increasing satisfaction. With experience you can read between the lines and learn a lot about the paying guest. This is why I really dislike having to switch groups or divers suddenly showing up- it throws the dynamic of the group in to the air. Language barriers also are a real hindrance to effectively communicating your personal style in planning/leading guided dives.
I personally don't like divers ascending earlier than the group as now there is an unknown factor. Safety stops (while usually not mandatory under PADI standards) are universally accepted as being a good thing. If a minimum 3 min safety stops becomes a 4 or 5 min safety stop, that only makes a good thing better.