Boat crew setting kit up

[Zippsy]

I wonder how many of the "don't touch my junk" crowd insist on cooking their own food in a restaurant, piloting the commercial plane they are on, packing their own parachute in the air force and operating on themselves in the hospital?

 

[fire_diver]

I wonder how many of the "don't touch my junk" crowd insist on cooking their own food in a restaurant, piloting the commercial plane they are on, packing their own parachute in the air force and operating on themselves in the hospital?

This is simply trollish posting.

 

[TSandM]

A business is usually well advised to competently provide customers what they want and not impose upon customers what they don't want. I suggest you train your boat crews accordingly and give your customers the option.

I think this nails it.

For some people, the weight and bulk of tanks and gear is a big negative of diving. They LIKE having the crew manage the heavy stuff, especially on a rocking boat. If you are finding your customers expect this service, then I would train the staff. How hard is it to teach folks to set up gear properly? They don't have to know how to dive it.

I would still, in my briefing, emphasize that the diver is responsible for checking all the equipment and making sure everything is properly done and working. (This is where I think those valves with the green and red open/closed indicators would be worth their weight in gold.)

 

[Zippsy]

This is simply trollish posting.

Your post or mine? I was serious although I had to use several analogies to try to cover all the angles.

 

[azchipka]

I would just assume the boat crew not touch my gear. What is really annoying is when I am in the tropics know the boat crew are told by the shop to setup gear and I ask them not to touch mine then they set it up anyways. Last trip I was on I had a 2nd stage damaged by one of the boat crew when they where setting up my equipment after being asked not to touch it.

My preference is the operations that ask me if I would like them to do it. This keeps me happy and everyone who doesn't want to do it themselves.

 

[RTee]

Your post or mine? I was serious although I had to use several analogies to try to cover all the angles.

Good try with your analogies...as long as you were able to convince yourself with them that's the most important thing but they fell a bit short for me.

Amazingly enough, people who do have the financial means will fly their own airplanes to their vacation spot vs sitting in the back of a commercial one. Others have no choice either they don't have money to own and operate their own airplane or simply do not know how to fly....in fact if I was to endorse your analogy it would be to ask somebody with no qualification to do the servicing and the walk around (pre-flight inspection) of the helicopter I am about to fly .....not of fat chance of that happening...even less if this was my own helicopter.

I know of restaurant where you bring ...and drink your own wine, BBQs where you cook your food to your own liking and that does not make the host a bad one...just a considerate one.

In fact, let me extrapolate your train of thought ...if you were going to host me at your place then I should assume being subjected to some form of assistance if I ever need to go to the bathroom and having no choice in the matter.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I wonder how many of the "don't touch my junk" crowd insist on cooking their own food in a restaurant, piloting the commercial plane they are on, packing their own parachute in the air force and operating on themselves in the hospital?

... but divers are (supposedly) trained to set up their gear ... so your analogies would only hold for those who have taken cooking lessons, flight lessons, skydiving lessons, and gone to medical school ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[The Chairman]

The boat crew we use are not divers and they have no training in kit set up..they are primarily boat crew/ fishermen and Butanding interaction crew.

In regards to your crew, may I suggest the following:

• Don't let non-divers assemble gear.
• Train your crew and turn them into divers. This will help them spot those who are incompetent.
• Train your crew in Nitrox and Gas Blending. They will understand the importance of proper mixes.
• Train your crew as O2 providers.
• Train your crew in First Aid.

In addition, I would suggest the following

• Allow those of us who wish to assemble our own gear do so.
• Record depths, time and pressures after every dive.

 

[Zippsy]

RT, I know you are trained to wipe your own arse but are you telling me that you would refuse someone else helping you out. Okay, so the analogies aren't perfect but the point is there. As noted previously, I'd prefer to set up my own gear but if someone making their living off helping customers says they want to set it up for me, I'm happy to let them keep their job and I'll check my gear after they do. It takes me about 15 minutes for me to set up my gear exactly like I want it and I can save some of that time by only checking it. That means I get to the front of the massage queue faster, or the beer fridge first, or bed, whatever. I am not about to crack some poor guys hand for doing his job.

OP, feel free to touch my junk, I am quite sure I can catch any problems before I hit the water.

ewwwww, another one..... Do you guys refuse the help of bellhops in hotels???

 

[compton384]

(This is where I think those valves with the green and red open/closed indicators would be worth their weight in gold.)

Whether or not you have your crew set up the gear, you said they have been trained to help divers into the water and you also said that many divers have gone in with their tanks closed... I don't even think you need these indicator valves. Why not instruct the crew that when they're walking a diver to the edge of the boat, they put a hand on the valve and check that it's open? Embarrassing as it is, I'll admit that I did this once- I turned everything on and checked the pressure, etc during my surface interval and then closed it again. When I went to get everything ready at the end of the si, someone was talking to me and then sort of rushed me off the boat and I just completely forgot I hadn't turned it back on, but it was the practice of that particular crew to put a hand on the valve and make sure it's on while they're walking us over..

As far as setting up the gear, I'm completely happy and capable of setting it up myself, but if the boat crew is supposed to do it, I don't mind letting them.