Boat Crew Setting Up Gear?

[sharky60]

almost all dive ops i've used set up your gear for you, although it is still your responsibility to make sure every thing is ok. a lot of times your in a small boat and doing a buddy check before you roll off the side is very hard. I guess that is another reason to do reasearch before you go and make sure you have a good dive op and not just someone that's in it for the money.
I'm very glad to hear that safety was instowed in you during your taining though, I've run across a lot of new divers in the past few years that it seems like they were just taught to clear and keep breathing and that was just about it. I learned to dive over 20 years ago on an island in the middle of the Pacific with the nearest deco. chamber 3000 miles away, so safety was drilled into us.
just remeber your paying these people, that makes you the boss, so if they try and rush you, you take charge and tell them your going to do your safety checks first then enter the water.

 

[SeaJay]

I did NOT go through nine months of indentured servitude and training to get coffee.

Why did you go through "nine months of indentured servitude? That's not a requirement for DM. I don't have to do that for my DM cert.

Maybe you have the money for your own boat where you control everything on board. Most of us don't and have to get charters.

Here's the plan: Stop giving your time away for free. Work an extra 5 hours per week, and you'll be able to afford a boat of your own.

...Or you can charter, and do it with a captain that understands that you want to be left alone to make your dive.

Charters normally have mixed groups of divers. DM's fulfill a role in these groups when they are around.

Simple solution: Don't dive with those groups.

My largest issue with a DM was with a very experienced and good DM actually. She is a cave diver as well. She insisted on taking care of my buddy (a newbie) which in effect left me solo diving.

Yikes.

See why NOT having a DM would be safer? See why you don't dive on cattle boats? Why would you want to risk your dive - and your life, even - because someone else wasn't "squared away?"

Still my fault, I paid to go on the boat.

Yeah - pffftttt - 'guess you won't be doing that again, hunh?

I won't do so again,

Well, there ya go.

...but I would recommend them to other divers. I simply had a personality conflict.

Like that's an excuse... So what if it was a "personality conflict?" You won't put up with it when a waitress has a "personality conflict" with you, and you won't put up with it when a taxi driver has a "personality conflict" with you - why would you put up with it with any other service that you've paid for?

That is cool, but that boat doesn't work for me. I like other operators that allow me to act more independently.

...That's how I feel about it, too - when I charter.

 

[SeaJay]

I beg to differ; Southerners are not rude; they may be scornful, but never overtly rude. No, I'm not from Mississippi, but from the big city in the Delta where all the blues singers go to sing about being from Mississippi. Elvis came here and made a record. He was from Mississippi.

Susan

...So are you a Southerner?

...And I don't know that I could say "all Southerners" are one way or the other - isn't that a little prejudiced?

 

[Walter]

Actually, SeaJay is rather pleasant. He's fun, has never grown up (I don't think he wants to), enjoys diving and is quite good at it. I've had the pleasure of meeting and diving with him twice. He comes across much better in person (I'm told I do as well).

 

[TheRedHead]

Yeeee Doggieee! Youze from Tupelo?

Think harder, Mempilot (you must work for Fedex). There are no record companies in Tupelo. There are no divers in Tupelo. Elvis left Tupelo and went to Mem____ , and made a record at Sun Studios.

My aunt, however, is from Yazoo City and if she were on your boat, she would mess with your gear and tidy up your boat and neither you or SeaJay could do anything to stop her. You would say, "Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am," and you would be polite. You have no idea how a 78 year old woman from Mississippi can invoke feelings of shame and repentance in even the most hard-hearted, scruffy, curmudgeons.

Bugtussle is in Oklahoma, not Tennessee. There is also a Bugtussle in Texas now.

 

[The Kraken]

You tell 'em bout it, Miss Red . . .

. . . and you boys mind yore manners!!!

 

[TheRedHead]

...So are you a Southerner?

...And I don't know that I could say "all Southerners" are one way or the other - isn't that a little prejudiced?

Of course, I'm a Southerner. I've found most Carolineans to be exceedingly polite in the Elizabeth Dole sort of way. Most southerners are not overtly rude, but may be covertly rude in a way that's scornful. The exception to the rule are the Southerners from eastern Arkansas. My great aunt Kate was from Mississippi County, Arkansas. She was a pistol. The character of Granny Clampett was surely based on her. She looked just like her too.

http://www.trexlersouth.org/I197.html

She was my aunt only by marriage, of course.

Yes, you are right, not all Southeners are polite. But, SeaJay, you are cranky in a very Yankee sort of way. No offense intended.

 

[TheRedHead]

You tell 'em bout it, Miss Red . . .

. . . and you boys mind yore manners!!!

It's Yew, Cracken, not you. And you're supposed to be from Georgia where everybody says, "How're YEW?"

 

[SeaJay]

Thanks, Walter. Shhhh... You're giving away my secrets.

My aunt, however, is from Yazoo City and if she were on your boat, she would mess with your gear and tidy up your boat and neither you or SeaJay could do anything to stop her.

Oh yes... I know people like that. I'm related to half the ones in this county.

I can't believe that y'all think that it's rude to tell a DM to leave your gear alone.

If you came out of your house one morning and saw some guy leaning on your car enjoying a cigarette, would you not consider that rude? Would you not politely tell him to get off of your car? Would you not explain to him that if he didn't, you'd let your dog Bruno outside?

I view it the same way - it's not ME being rude here. The DM that assumes that he's got a better idea of how my gear should be assembled than me - and worse yet, helps himself to manipulating it - should have Bruno let loose on him. Don't toucha my stuff and I won't breaka your fingers. Simple.

Why is that rude? Why is it NOT rude to reach out and manipulate someone's gear? What would he do if I decided to do that to his gear?

I can just see it now... Just before the DM jumps in the water, I reach over and "open" his valve. Yeah, that'd go over well.

 

[SeaJay]

Yes, you are right, not all Southeners are polite. But, SeaJay, you are cranky in a very Yankee sort of way. No offense intended.

Yikes. I gotta work real hard to let that insult go.

I'll just chalk it up to the fact that you're from Memphis. You don't know no better.

Apparently you're not familiar with the Lowcountry.