Buddy Dive - bad attitude?

[redacted]

I agree, the issue is not the weight. The issue is the dive ops and the divers responsibility to work together to avoid problems. If a diver needs an unusually high or low amount of weight, then that is what they should have. But I believe the dive op would be remiss to not question unusual weight requests and 24# (or 2# from a larger diver) is an unusual request. Questioning such a request is not automatically condescending. Divers refusing to help the dive op understand the need is just asking for problems. The OP seems to think that "he is an instructor" is sufficient explanation. It is not. 24# would be perfectly reasonable for a larger diver in a 5mm suit and that could have been the end of it. Even a 3mm suit with a very large diver might get in that ball park. Or, like me, the diver may have been picking up weights for more than himself. All easy to explain. But if the attitude is that the op needs to provide whatever weight is demanded and questioning the need is unacceptable or condescending then we may find ourselves in a thread like this. If the OP showed the same attitude in the dive op as shown here, I have to wonder where the real problem lies.

And, yes, I care about what other divers around me are using for weights. Over and under weighted divers on a boat may affect all the divers on that trip. Even when shore diving, over-weighted divers can impact the dives of others. I, for one, am glad the op puts some effort into avoiding such problems.

 

[ScubaSteve]

To be fair though, we do not know and will never know (from an unbiased source) if Irene was truly being rude or simply misunderstood or if maybe the OP/friend just got offended. Based on history and the somewhat overwhelming support BD and their employees get, I would suspect it is more likely a misunderstanding or that the OP/friend simply got offended when questioned. But, people do have bad days/weeks and not matter how good their intentions, sometimes it does slip and impact the customer so that may be it as well. Reality is.....we will never know for sure because every party is a biased party.

I agree, the issue is not the weight. The issue is the dive ops and the divers responsibility to work together to avoid problems. If a diver needs an unusually high or low amount of weight, then that is what they should have. But I believe the dive op would be remiss to not question unusual weight requests and 24# (or 2# from a larger diver) is an unusual request. Questioning such a request is not automatically condescending. Divers refusing to help the dive op understand the need is just asking for problems. The OP seems to think that "he is an instructor" is sufficient explanation. It is not. 24# would be perfectly reasonable for a larger diver in a 5mm suit and that could have been the end of it. Even a 3mm suit with a very large diver might get in that ball park. Or, like me, the diver may have been picking up weights for more than himself. All easy to explain. But if the attitude is that the op needs to provide whatever weight is demanded and questioning the need is unacceptable or condescending then we may find ourselves in a thread like this. If the OP showed the same attitude in the dive op as shown here, I have to wonder where the real problem lies.

And, yes, I care about what other divers around me are using for weights. Over and under weighted divers on a boat may affect all the divers on that trip. Even when shore diving, over-weighted divers can impact the dives of others. I, for one, am glad the op puts some effort into avoiding such problems.

 

[designbysue]

Questioning such a request is not automatically condescending. Divers refusing to help the dive op understand the need is just asking for problems. The OP seems to think that "he is an instructor" is sufficient explanation.

I never said that "he is an instructor"was the explanation. That NEVER was even stated the entire time we were on Bonaire - I just mentioned it here as an afterthought when so many kept slamming the amount our weight rather than the original post. As I stated, the diver did explain that this was the amount of weight he needed (and he was not aggressive in his response) when questioned and the BD staffer would not accept this answer nor stop agressively stating that he would be banging into the reef. You keep assuming facts not in evidence.

 

[redacted]

To be fair though, we do not know and will never know (from an unbiased source) if Irene was truly being rude or simply misunderstood or if maybe the OP/friend just got offended. Based on history and the somewhat overwhelming support BD and their employees get, I would suspect it is more likely a misunderstanding or that the OP/friend simply got offended when questioned. But, people do have bad days/weeks and not matter how good their intentions, sometimes it does slip and impact the customer so that may be it as well. Reality is.....we will never know for sure because every party is a biased party.

True. But had to OP, in post #10, provided an explanation like "he is wearing a 5mm suit", I would be wondering what has gone wrong at BD rather than thinking that much of this problem may have been brought on by the diver(s).

The later explanations of "he is an instructor" and his body may just be different reinforced my doubt. If it were not for fat tissue and other floaty things divers use, all divers would likely be able to descend, even in SW, with no added weight. Fat, with a density of about .9 (with SW at 1.03) requires roughly 1 lb of lead to neutralize that buoyancy to allow descent. 24# of lead, with no other explanation, is pretty extreme. Like Oly said, a 400# diver.

EDIT: In response to the above post, unless the diver looked to be 400#, I tend to agree with the BD staffers response of not accepting that answer. (And there is still no indication any neoprene was involved.)

 

[ScubaSteve]

......and the BD staffer would not accept this answer nor stop agressively stating that he would be banging into the reef.......

Just a question. Did your friend think to invite the BD staffer on a dive to prove her wrong? I think I personally would have waited all of about 10 seconds before I said that. There is no better a checkout dive than when you are being checked out. I know she would have said no but it might have conveyed the confidence that she wanted to see (pure speculation on my part).

 

[ScubaSteve]

But don't assume we are getting the whole truth OR the whole story from the OP. There are three sides to every story and only one of them is the truth. The other two are biased versions only. Like I said, we will never know.

I personally do not suspect a problem at BD......if there was one I suspect it was an anomaly.

True. But had to OP, in post #10, provided an explanation like "he is wearing a 5mm suit", I would be wondering what has gone wrong at BD rather than thinking that much of this problem may have been brought on by the diver(s).

The later explanations of "he is an instructor" and his body may just be different reinforced my doubt. If it were not for fat tissue and other floaty things divers use, all divers would likely be able to descend, even in SW, with no added weight. Fat, with a density of about .9 (with SW at 1.03) requires roughly 1 lb of lead to neutralize that buoyancy to allow descent. 24# of lead, with no other explanation, is pretty extreme. Like Oly said, a 400# diver.

 

[redacted]

I am quite sure we are getting only a part of the story from the OP. While the OP refuses to say, I'm pretty sure we must be dealing with a reasonably large diver and quite a bit of neoprene and a totally avoidable and unnecessary encounter.

 

[designbysue]

True. But had to OP, in post #10, provided an explanation like "he is wearing a 5mm suit", I would be wondering what has gone wrong at BD rather than thinking that much of this problem may have been brought on by the diver(s)

I have not replied with the specifications as this post was originally a question of other's experience at BD. but there are a few who just can't get over the weight my buddy dives with. What he wears never came up in the exchange at the weight window. The staffer never asked "What are you going to wear?" We were not dressed yet to dive but rather were getting our gear ready for a dive later that day, so she had no way of knowing and just jumped to the conclusion that he couldn't possibly use that much weight. If the staff were as considerate as they should have been, rather than of an immediate response of "you will be crashing into the reef," if she had questioned him why he needed so much, what was he planning on wearing, and perhaps a suggestion that she watch him on his check out dive would have been much more appropriate.

My original question was - have others noticed a change in the attitude of the dive staff at Buddy. It is that simple. As I have stated before, I am willing to accept that we just hit a couple of bad experiences and move on. That was the reason for my question.

 

[redacted]

I have not replied with the specifications as this post was originally a question of other's experience at BD. but there are a few who just can't get over the weight my buddy dives with. What he wears never came up in the exchange at the weight window. The staffer never asked "What are you going to wear?" We were not dressed yet to dive but rather were getting our gear ready for a dive later that day, so she had no way of knowing and just jumped to the conclusion that he couldn't possibly use that much weight. If the staff were as considerate as they should have been, rather than of an immediate response of "you will be crashing into the reef," if she had questioned him why he needed so much, what was he planning on wearing, and perhaps a suggestion that she watch him on his check out dive would have been much more appropriate.

My original question was - have others noticed a change in the attitude of the dive staff at Buddy. It is that simple. As I have stated before, I am willing to accept that we just hit a couple of bad experiences and move on. That was the reason for my question.

This was the first incident you cited in your original posts. It is clear to me the divers could have avoided it but, for some reason, chose not to. I suspect this got you off on the wrong foot and you and your group suffered the consequences in some less that friendly attitudes from the rest of the service staff.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have been to Bonaire and BD a number of times and have seen some edginess towards tourists on a number of occasions in various places on the island. Sometime it was brought on by the tourists and occasionally not. It is my impression they are a proud people and are not about to put up with too much crap to get your $$$. I rather enjoy it.

I have seen marginal service and I have seen exceptional service at BD. The latter outweighs the former for me.

 

[paulw]

I cant really answer the question of "noticed a change" but I just returned from my first trip to Bonaire and stayed at Buddy and I will be glad to give my observation but I would like to say I believe that how much lead a diver needs to dive is what they need and each persons perception is their reality and I think the OP is trying to decide if what he felt was reality.
I was very happy with the staff and found them very helpful but I will admit I was looked at funny and questioned when I ask for some 1lb weights, when I told the person at the counter I wanted them for trim weights I was told sorry we just don't have any so I was OK with that. My only complaint or concern was this, I dove nitrox all week and when I picked up tanks and checked the pressure and 02% the pressure usually showed in the 3100 range and when I hooked up to my computer it would really be around 2750 to 2800. Please understand that wasn't an issue to me, my concern was if their pressure gauge was off that far was the 02 tester correct. I don't believe it was an issue but it did give me something to consider. I enjoyed my trip and if I return to Bonaire I will stay at Buddy Dive again.