Anyone else ever...

[Halthron]

...feel like they needed to stay around and help out one of the DMs while on a dive?

I was recently diving with an outfit I had never dove with before. One of the dives was with a fairly large group so there was the primary DM who was doing a good job of herding people and seemed to be a decent diver. Then, there was the assistant who seemed to be a trainee. His job was to follow along behind everyone and make sure no one got missed. Once I noticed how the guy was diving (angled, some bicycle kicks, etc.) I started to keep an eye on him, which was good because he started to have problems with a mask flood. I drifted over to him ready to assist if it looked like he needed it and made sure he was okay when it was all done.

So, anyone else been on a dive where they felt they were babysitting a DM?

 

[TSandM]

I didn't feel as though I was babysitting him, but on a dive we did in Maui, the DM appeared to be having some type of equipment issue shortly after descent. I wasn't close to him, and wasn't sure what the issue was, but I swam over to him and when I got there, he was getting out of his BC. I asked him if he was OK, and he said yes, but I stayed by him until he was back in his gear and clearly doing fine. As far as I could tell, no one else on the dive even noticed he had an issue.

 

[h90]

well I was diving my 13th dive and there was a very strong currency, some had troubles, but I did fine.

On the second location (so my 14th dive) the Divemaster told me he go with the assistant and the more difficult people one way and I (OW 14th dive, place I was never before) lead the second group. Everyone quickly agreed, noone asked me.

Actually very calm and easy warm/not deep place, but for sure not the recommended way to do it.

 

[Guba]

I've been asked BY a divemaster to help ride herd on groups with lots of new divers. In that respect, I was "helping" a divemaster. However, I've been fortunate in not having to actually assist a DM with his own equipment/diving issues.

 

[Tigerman]

well I was diving my 13th dive and there was a very strong currency, some had troubles, but I did fine.

On the second location (so my 14th dive) the Divemaster told me he go with the assistant and the more difficult people one way and I (OW 14th dive, place I was never before) lead the second group. Everyone quickly agreed, noone asked me.

Actually very calm and easy warm/not deep place, but for sure not the recommended way to do it.

Not recommended? Maybe so. However, two divers is better than one and I guess it was a learning experience for you as well?
If I needed help in any way, I wouldnt care if the diver had 14 or 1400 dives as long as he was able to help me..

 

[Canadian.Diver]

While diving in Aruba , the first dive we did was a dive down to a couple DC 8 (airplanes) wrecks toward the end of the dive the dive master disappeared ,the current was amazingly strong (it pulled the mask from my face) and divers were scattered all over the place at 80 ft. My wife and I who had the most experience (determined by the pre dive briefing) gathered everyone together acended did a 3 min safety stop then surfaced , I inflated my safety sausage to signal the boat which surprisingly was being driven by our missing dive master. It appears that he was the only crew member that knew how to drive the boat so he left us to go get it. There was never any mention in the dive briefing that he would be doing this or of the super strong current. Needless to say when we got on the boat I let him know what was on my mind.

 

[Meng_Tze]

On a boat dive one time there was a class and some other paying custs. I would stick with my buddy and do our thing.

Everyone over board, some of the class are on the bottom on their knees waiting for the instructor. Others (I didnt know they were the other paying custs) joined them. So there you have a circle of divers on their knees waiting. They all looked like students to me. With all the commotion, we missed the reef. Everyone giving the shoulders 'I dont know' signs. I look up and see instructor working with one diver to get her down. She apparently had some issues. No DM in sight.

So we decide to bring the group up since they were doing their OW cert dives. We give the 'up' signal and some yo-yo to the surface, we tag along and grab some that seem to be going up too quickly.

Three other divers tell us 'NO way, I am going THAT way and swim off in the murky waters alone, each in a different direction. I think they wanted to find the reef. Who knows.

Everyone back at the surface, DM is still getting ready...... Inst. decides that the woman needs to sit it out and he proceeds with the class. Buddy and I do our own thing and all is well..... except for those 3 divers.... nowhere to be seen. Not on the reef. I write note to Inst and ask about 3 divers... he counts his students and gives me the 'okay'. Okay what? I dunno.

Dive over, we are back on board. Except 2 of the three divers..... No one knows. Only then do I find out that they were just ordinary paying custs and doing their oan thing, like my buddy and I. Yet, they are nowhere.


One pops up under the boat, the other drifted out.

Then I get slack from DM that I am not a DM and should not interfer, I only confused matters..... 'Xcuse me?' DM is on the boat, class and custs are in the water. Inst. is busy with student who has issues....... what am I confusing?

Since then......

Only if a diver is in trouble will I help the diver. If the group is in disarray..... DM's problem.

 

[Meng_Tze]

On a boat dive one time there was a class and some other paying custs. I would stick with my buddy and do our thing.

Everyone over board, some of the class are on the bottom on their knees waiting for the instructor. Others (I didnt know they were the other paying custs) joined them. So there you have a circle of divers on their knees waiting. With all the commotion, we missed the reef. Everyone giving the shoulders 'I dont know' signs. I look up and see instructor working with one diver to get her down. She apparently had some issues. No DM in sight.

So we decide to bring the group up since they were doing their OW cert dives. We give the 'up' signal and some yo-yo to the surface, we tag along and grab some that seem to be going up too quickly.

Three other divers tell us 'NO way, I am going THAT way and swim off in the murky waters alone, each in a different direction. I think they wanted to find the reef. Who knows.

Everyone back at the surface, DM is still getting ready...... Inst. decides that the woman needs to sit it out and he proceeds with the class. Buddy and I do our own thing and all is well..... except for those 3 divers.... nowhere to be seen. Not on the reef. I write note to Inst and ask about 3 divers... he counts his students and gives me the 'okay'. Okay what? I dunno.

Dive over, we are back on board. Except 2 of the three divers..... No one knows. Only then do I find out that they were just ordinary paying custs and doing their oan thing, like my buddy and I. Yet, they are nowhere.


One pops up under the boat, the other drifted out.

Then I get slack from DM that I am not a DM and should not interfer, I only confused matters..... 'Xcuse me?' DM is on the boat, class and custs are in the water. Inst. is busy with student who has issues....... what am I confusing?

Since then......

Only if a diver is in trouble will I help the diver. If the group is in disarray..... DM's problem.

 

[ClayJar]

I've never needed to step in to assist a DM (or instructor) underwater. I *have* finned over to some obviously inexperienced unescorted divers in a spring to help the guy work through a problem (although I was glad when they scrubbed the dive -- I practically had to break out my lift bag to handle his slipping weight belt, and he was *not* a weight-belt-compatible shape, but that's another story).

Anyway, while I've not felt the need to step in to help any dive professionals with whom I've been diving, there have been *several* times when I've been soloing that I have felt the distinctly unpleasant feeling of knowing that I'd better nonchalantly observe for a while. It is not my place to interfere with an instructor's class, but it would not be ethical to me to see something that could indicate a potentially serious situation and not stand ready. I'll just casually move to check out other interesting rocks while keeping the corner of an eye on the potential problems.

The percentage of observed DM/instructor dives that I have been uneasy about has certainly been low, but as I'd indicated, that still adds up to several cases that triggered my personal potential incident alert. Perhaps my sonar is set to too sensitive a level, but I find nothing wrong with listening to it and adding a little variety and managed stress to my dives.

 

[ams511]

Once while in Hawaii I dove off a cattle boat. I never been to that site before and was told the depth was 60-70 feet. The current was stronger than I was used to and was blown off the deck. I decended to where the hull blocked the current and then checked my depth gauge. I was at 120 feet and called the dive. After a long safety stop I came up on deck before the other divers took off my gear. When the other divers began to surface the DM was busy and not paying attention to another diver that surfaced about 100 feet off the boat yelling for help. I remember him looking at here while talking Japanese to some guy who just came up. The DM seemed confused and made no effort to help. I put on my fins and grabbed the buoy and swam out to bring her back. The rope on the buoy was too short so I needed to tow her back to the buoy so she could be hauled in. She was panicked because the group left and she was out there alone. I think I had 10 logged dives at the time, including the cert dives. I never went on a boat that holds more than 12 divers again.