On a recent trip, my dive buddy and I were with a group of less experienced divers. Our dives were always very short and after about 25 to 30 minutes of rushing around in a tight pack, we were meandering around below the boat in relatively shallow water seemingly waiting for people to do their safety stops and exit the water. We consistently exited the water with 1800 to 2000 psi. This was not pleasant. When after a few dives like this, I had had enough, I raised the issue. I was told by the divemaster that some of the other less experienced divers were running dangerously low on air, so the DM had decided to get the whole group shallow and close to the boat early. Hard to blame him for that.
This was one issue. The other was that the DM was banging his tank constantly to point out what seemed like every and anything. This, I know, some people like. We, however do not. We prefer few such abrupt distractions.
Fortunately, we were able to be moved to another group with more comparable experience levels, and a DM who knew this. Our dives were always 60+ min, the pace was slow, and we were left to wander off and find things and point them out to each other on our own. The DM would make some noise once in a while to point out something very special, or to get us back together to move to another area.
So, with another trip upcoming, to Cozumel, and Roatan in the not too distant future, I wonder if some advice can be offerred to anyone interested, including of course myself, on how best to deal with or avoid such situations. Do certain dive ops cater more generally to experienced divers? Do certain dive ops, volume allowing, make concerted efforts to group divers of comparable skill levels? Should you find yourself in a situation that limits your enjoyment, is there a suggested protocol to try and remedy the situation?
We were all beginner divers. I remember not so long ago, being the one running low on air myself, surely to the detriment of the experienced divers present, so no offense intended to anyone.
This was one issue. The other was that the DM was banging his tank constantly to point out what seemed like every and anything. This, I know, some people like. We, however do not. We prefer few such abrupt distractions.
Fortunately, we were able to be moved to another group with more comparable experience levels, and a DM who knew this. Our dives were always 60+ min, the pace was slow, and we were left to wander off and find things and point them out to each other on our own. The DM would make some noise once in a while to point out something very special, or to get us back together to move to another area.
So, with another trip upcoming, to Cozumel, and Roatan in the not too distant future, I wonder if some advice can be offerred to anyone interested, including of course myself, on how best to deal with or avoid such situations. Do certain dive ops cater more generally to experienced divers? Do certain dive ops, volume allowing, make concerted efforts to group divers of comparable skill levels? Should you find yourself in a situation that limits your enjoyment, is there a suggested protocol to try and remedy the situation?
We were all beginner divers. I remember not so long ago, being the one running low on air myself, surely to the detriment of the experienced divers present, so no offense intended to anyone.