This has been an interesting thread, from several perspectives.
scuba lawyer:
One time crossing the equator in the Galapagos it was 2 a.m. and a few of us got towed in the tender behind the mother ship with cigars and brandy at the ready while singing songs to King Neptune and watching the universe unfold above us.."
I have to admit, THAT experience is one that I would love to have! It sounds fantastic.
tursiops:
The problem with cigar smoking is the smell of the smoke and the lingering stench in the area where it was smoked and on the smoker afterwards. Cigarette smoking is considerably less of a problem.
scubadada:
Though I would prefer no cigarette smoking, I fully realize that the practice is still very common, probably more so outside the US, and that a specific smoking area largely mitigates the intrusion for nonsmokers. Cigars are a whole different story, I would hope there was not cigar smoking on any liveaboard I was on.
From the general discussion, I would say that opinions diverge rather sharply on this issue. Personally, I find the stench of cigarettes to be FAR more lingering, and offensive than the smell of a cigar. Yes, I realize the question that started the thread was about cigars, on live-aboards. But, multiple posts have addressed the broader question, and that has widened the interest, and application of the thread.
I don't have any NEED to smoke a cigar to enjoy a dive experience, or any other kind of experience for that matter. If given the opportunity, I WILL smoke a (good) cigar - usually accompanied by an adult beverage appropriate both for the occasion and the cigar. And, I find that I have an occasion to do so maybe 4 times a year at most, sometimes, none. It has been my experience that the majority of cigar smokers fall into the same category - they don't need to smoke - whereas cigarette smokers more commonly manifest an addictive behavior.
Ultimately, all of us should determine, in advance, what the rules and conditions are for any planned vacation experience, and not presume. If I spent a lot of money to go on a vacation, and found myself in an environment where cigarette smoking was allowed, and pervasive, I would be upset - with MYSELF, for not asking about that possibility, in advance. I would not make life miserable for the cigarette smokers who were doing what the rules and conditions clearly allowed, or label them as 'selfish' or 'rude'. Quite possibly, they chose that particular vacation opportunity specifically because the rules and conditions would allow them to enjoy their cigarettes.
Operators should decide what market segment they wish to appeal to, and set the rules and conditions to appeal to that market segment, and make that decision public. If an operator wishes to appeal to a market segment that includes cigarette smokers, for example, that is their choice. I will patronize another operator that chooses not to. But, I will hold no ill feelings toward the operator who chooses to market to cigarette smokers. What WOULD engender ill will would be for the operator to be ambiguous about whether smoking was permitted, or to absurdly suggest that designated smoking areas somehow would completely segregate smoke - cigars or cigarettes, it wouldn't matter. It is not possible to segregate smoke, or at least it is not financially practical.
