Boat Crew Setting Up Gear?

[wedivebc]

I taught an AOW to a couple I had never met before. They had logged about 50 dives so when we got on the boat and they were just looking dumbfounded at me and at their gear the story came out. They had logged all their dives on tropical resort boats and had never set up their gear since their open water training. Needless to say I had my hands full. The boat skipper said I really earned my fee that weekend.

 

[Charlie99]

Well I have almost a ritual I go through in an exact order. I even check the tank for a hydrostatic inspection as well as looking at the o-ring, sniff the air. I have to breathe twice through my octopus and then make sure it is secured correctly. Check my weight releases, etc. My console has to be slipped under the elastic waist strap on top of my cumberbund in just the right place. Then I like to meditate a minute and compose myself and visualize the dive. It's probably overkill, and perhaps neurotic, but I feel confident and secure about my gear in the water. And when you're about to make the deepest dive of your diving career, I wanted to be sure everything was ok.

A pre-dive ritual is a really good practice. Perhaps what you need is another, shorter, ritual that you use before jumping off a pier

Seriously, a shorter ritual for last minute checks of just the essentials can be very useful.

The PADI BWRAF just didn't work for me, and after walking to the exit gate with no fins on, forgetting to set my computer to the right nitrox mix, etc. a few times I developed my own mnemoic / ritual that covers the important things. My Friends Are Way Cool -- Mask, Fins, Air (valve on, breathe from reg while watching SPG needle for fluctuations, breathe octo, put ear against BCD inflator to hear a puff while putting a little burst into the BC), Weights, and Computer (on; mix check, NDL check). After getting a camera and then leaving on the boat for a couple dives, I added a stutter to c-cool, and now it's camera and computer. It all takes just a few seconds and gets done immediately before getting into water of any depth.

Blind trust is bad, but you are already trusting the boat to drop and pick you up and that it won't sink; and you are trusting that they don't have odorless carbon monoxide in the air. Checking the hydro is a bit over the top compared to these other things. OTOH, I have rejected dive ops after simply looking at the poor condition of their boat and figuring that poor maintenance of the boat may be an indicator of sloppiness in other areas also.

 

[munkispank]

I don't like anyone else touching my stuff either- I have been on a few boats where I was treated with hostility byt he crew for insiting on doing my own gear- and one in Hawaii where they take you gear bag off you before you get on the boat and set up you gear onto assigned tanks for you whilst you are still standing on shore. I really didn;t like that. I went and took it all off and put it back on to my own standards.

On another note though- I was glad to let my instructor for my AOW switch out my tanks for me between dives whilst I was feeding the fishies in 6 ft waves :O
Even I will drop my fussy standards when I am green

 

[Firefyter]

I'm probably gonna be real unpopular for saying this, but that's never bothered me before, so here goes. Really people, some of you need to get over yourselves. This ain't rocket science, and most of these guys have been setting gear up for years. They are trying their best to provide good service to you, the paying customer, and make your trip as relaxing as possible. You really need to ease up with the attitudes and just enjoy the trip. I'm not saying jump in the water without looking at your gear or checking your tank. It doesn't take but a minute to look everything over, and you don't run the risk of offending or alienating the boat crew by doing so. One of my favorite sayings is "Trust, but verify." Let these guys earn their tips by carrying and setting the gear up, look it over and make sure everything's ok, and just have fun. Or not, it's your choice, but it works for me. I'm sure Christi will back me up on most of this, as will several others that dive in Coz and surrounding areas. Just my .02.

 

[TheRedHead]

From what I can tell, if you rent the gear from them then they will probably want to go ahead and set it up for you.


Depending on which dive shop in the Keys you go through, your DM may not even be suited up and in the water.

If I've learned anything from my meager experiences it would be exactly what questions need to be asked before hand (is the dive led by a DM, will the DM even be in the water, buddy assignments incl. the odd-man-out situation, rent-a-dive-buddy availability, how/when/if bouyancy checks will be done, etc.).

I've never seen a DM suited up in the water in the Florida Keys. It's usually pull up to the spot with a 40 minutes or 500 PSI admonition, and the pool is open, kiddies. A lot of those reefs are less than 30 feet deep. There are usually many dive boats in the area. I don't really see anyone needing a DM in the water unless they are a complete booby.

 

[TheRedHead]

I'm probably gonna be real unpopular for saying this, but that's never bothered me before, so here goes. Really people, some of you need to get over yourselves. This ain't rocket science, and most of these guys have been setting gear up for years.

It was a bit unnerving having your feet put into fins and mask adjusted for you. That's taking it a little too far. We had our gear taken away and were dressed like babies. However, I'll admit that having someone take my BC at the ladder and haul it up for me was nice. I didn't have to stagger up the ladder with a lot of lead. The dive cost $195.00 and we were served a banquet for lunch and treated like royalty. It was the most spectacular diving and the wall was the most beautiful thing I've seen underwater. I would die to go back to Belize.

I set up my own gear in Cozumel. We were on a 6-pack with 8 divers and 1 DM and captain. The DM was kept busy trying to get everyone weighted properly. It must be the current as I need more weight to descend, as did everyone. That was only a $69.00 dive.

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
most of these guys have been setting gear up for years.

Unfortunately the key word is "most" and not all.
It's not unusual to get a temporary crew member thats being doing it for only a week.

We had a major argument last year with the crew member on a small launch smoking while changing gas tanks for the outboard while my wife & I were kitting up at the dive site 10 miles out to sea and the DM was down below tying us on to the wreck.
There were just the 4 of us.

The guy wouldn't believe me when I told him it was dangerous but he got a real rocketing when we got back to the shop and I complained to the LDS owner.

 

[Iruka]

Kind of adding on to what Firefyter said, here the customers generally set up their own gear, but the DMs/guides are usually watching to see who needs help....whether they know it or not, ha ha. Since tips are generally not an issue (Japanese are the main clientele, and they don't tip...just isn't done in Japan) WHEN we set up gear for the customers it's usually because they don't know how to do it (common) or they just prefer that we do it for them. Most DMs would be content to talk to the other DMs/friends on the boat, so if everyone is happy to set up their own gear, that's great! After everyone's gear has been set up, before we gear up, I'll walk down the "line" of tanks, making sure air is on, BCD strap is tight, inflator hose is hooked up, that sort of stuff. I've seen many divers who don't know "which way is on" for the air...(I tell them, stand behind the tank & pretend the valve is a motorcycle throttle...faster = on, slower = off)....they'll just turn it "whichever way it ain't" before the dive. I've seen divers try to attach their inflator hose back INTO the first stage...on the burst disk.

Anyhow, DMs should be aware that some customers prefer to set up their own gear of course, but those who do it in advance aren't trying to annoy you....if they ask about it, a polite "I'm fine" should be enough...and I can't think of any excuse for a DM doing it if a (competent) customer wishes to do it themselves. The DM can always check that the gear's set up ok on the ride to the dive site. I know some people get upset if someone else touches their gear...but remember, the DM/guide (generally) has liability if someone is injured...so we can't just ASSUME that all the gear is set up okay...maybe for someone who's really opposed to the gear being examined, have that person show that the air is on/inflator works, whatever.

Well, off to work now.

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
After everyone's gear has been set up, before we gear up, I'll walk down the "line" of tanks, making sure air is on, BCD strap is tight, inflator hose is hooked up, that sort of stuff.
..snip..

Now that's one of the things where I have a personal preference and I would get upset. I know the pros and cons of this have been discussed in other threads but I like to set up my gear and then close the air. By the pressure drop during the trip out I know what leaks I've got. If I get back to my kit and find somebody has turned it back on I don't know.
Turning my air back on is a major item in my pre-dive check, as is watching my SPG for a pressure drop while I fill my BC and test my regs, so I'm not going to forget it.

 

[Jim Baldwin]

When I get on a dive boat and the DM wants to setup my gear I tell him that I've got it and at the same time look around the boat and say "They're some folks on here that need your help much more than me."

If they keep on I tell them that I'm also a Divemaster and had rather set up my own gear. That usually goes the trick.

There is one operator in Cozumel that I use and when I get on board he insists on taking everything out of your dive bag including folding up your wetsuit. I get a bottle of water sit down beside my rig and watch him set it up. After he is finished I simply double check and make sure that everything is exactly in its place and working properly. With only four people on board it's something I can live with.

Jim
Louisiana

Hi All:

Just returned from a cruise to Cozumel, Roatan and Belize. Diving was great, but I hated the cruising. We dived with Hugh Parkey's in Belize and while I feel they were a top notch dive operation, I was uncomfortable handing over my gear for the crew to assemble. They literally strapped on your BC, stuck your fins on your feet and even pulled the stray hair out of your mask before you back rolled into the water.

It made me feel a bit uncomfortable as I have always assembled my own gear. Couldn't do the normal buddy check had to spend several minutes going over my gear before I could descend.

While it was easy and convenient, I just didn't like it. It violates everything I learned in OW class (no buddy checks, not checking your own gear). Is this normal for travel diving?