Basic Instruction

[hantzu701]

I just spent the last two weeks diving in the Bahamas and Key Largo.

If you are a newbie diver, PLEASE get proper instruction and experience BEFORE you go on your next tropical trip. While you can go diving with just your OW certification, basic skills such as neutral buoyancy, buddy skills, or underwater navigation will make your trip much more enjoyable and comfortable. Dive every opportunity that you can - even if it is just in the pool!

I saw so many divers who were kneeling on the reef to clear their masks, who couldn't underwater navigate their way back to the boat, and who were simply were poor buddies. Twenty divers in kicking up the sand will diminish the visibility and experience. Kicking the coral, harrassing the wildlife, or leaving your buddy will not make you friends on the dive boat.

If you are an experienced diver, adopt a newbie and invite them along on your dives. We can do better as a dive community!

Hantzu

 

[Scott M]

If you are an experienced diver, adopt a newbie and invite them along on your dives. We can do better as a dive community!

Hantzu

You might be on to something here. The "Adopt a Newbie" program. Tax deductable of course

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Ahhhh.... you gotta love the WWW (no offense to people who dive in warm water and posess good dive skills).

 

[MikeFerrara]

I just spent the last two weeks diving in the Bahamas and Key Largo.

If you are a newbie diver, PLEASE get proper instruction and experience BEFORE you go on your next tropical trip. While you can go diving with just your OW certification, basic skills such as neutral buoyancy, buddy skills, or underwater navigation will make your trip much more enjoyable and comfortable. Dive every opportunity that you can - even if it is just in the pool!

I saw so many divers who were kneeling on the reef to clear their masks, who couldn't underwater navigate their way back to the boat, and who were simply were poor buddies. Twenty divers in kicking up the sand will diminish the visibility and experience. Kicking the coral, harrassing the wildlife, or leaving your buddy will not make you friends on the dive boat.

If you are an experienced diver, adopt a newbie and invite them along on your dives. We can do better as a dive community!

Hantzu

All you need to do is look around this board and see how many time that I've been told things aren't as bad as I say to know that you must also be wrong.

The rest of the dive worls insists that it's ok to clear a mask so we must be wrong and in need of an attitude adjustment.

One of these days I'm going to start a collection of quotes like yours and send them to some of the agencies packaged with my collection of video and photographs.

Hope you enjoyed the trip anyway

 

[DORSETBOY]

Would also be a good idea for those who dont dive all year round, eg. holiday divers, to undertake scuba reviews more regularly. At the moment most reputable operations wont take out a diver if they havent dived within the last 6months without a SR. Personally, I'd like to see that standard shortened considerably.

I think it's a great idea for people to help eachother out and pass on good practice, I dont think this would be fair though if for example somone had paid several hundred quid for a liveaboard trip and then they were expected to pair up with an inexperienced diver.

I've been out on a liveaboard (as a customer) with a mixed group mainly of ow and aow but almost exclusively with less than 15 dives a piece each prior to going out. I was surprised when after the first 2 dives the operation considered it to be ok to send buddy pairs out without direct supervision.I realise that people have to take responsibility for their own diving but surely not after having accumulated so few dives? The dm and instructor meanwhile stayed on the boat and sunned themselves on deck.

 

[grazie42]

I don´t think a scuba reviews should EVER become compulsory...
Every diveop is entitled to make its own rules of course but really! I don´t really see how an SR would help with anything if the basic problem is that full courses aren´t enough to teach people how to dive...of course I´ve never done one so maybe I should shut up...
Starting with a one or a few easy dives after an extended SI is not a bad idea though and something I tend to do...(even if I try harder to avoid extended SI´s)