Disturbing trend in diving?

[NW Dive Dawg]

I dove the rule of 120 for over 2 decades, and we guessed at our depth. Red ribbons never fail!

As for SPGs, I dove with J-valves instead. No bladder, either.

I dove with J-Valves also....but once SPG's became a viable option it was a no brainer to move forward with the tech.

I also grew up as kid using dead reckoning and chart plotting to navigate the ocean outside the Golden Gate... Then they came out with Loran C and I thought that was the cats pajamas. Then they came out with GPS and that was the cats tuxedo. Point being that if the electronics ever failed, I still had some basic manual nav skills that might pay off.

As far as the topic of relying on a DM goes, what if the DM has a heart attack and dies? What does this group of totally reliant snowflakes do then?

I get following a DM. It can be totally relaxing sometimes to just kick back and generally follow the group. But I still monitor my computer and my compass to confirm that the DM is not putting me somewhere I don't want to be.

 

[Soloist]

Scubaboard just seems to be full of people complaining that other people don’t dive like they do. Scuba diving isn’t that dangerous, and within NDLs with a DM it’s not that difficult. Some people just want to do a few dives and look at pretty fish. They don’t want to be skilled, and they’re willing to pay a professional to keep them safe when they’re on holiday, just like people pay tandem skydiving instructors or mountaineering guides. That’s their business. Mass tourism keeps the diving industry alive - no tourism=no dive shops, no dive manufacturers, no boat operators. And I’m ok with that.

Exactly! We are all a bunch of opinionated bloviating elitists preoccupied with divers being properly equipped, trained and self reliant for their own safety and those around them. I feel shame. By the way, what's NDL???

Thread 'Insta-buddy DECO Diver: What’s NDL?'

May 26, 2019

I’ve been reluctant to post this incident, but considering the concerns raised by the Accidental DECO and mild panic in a non tech certified diver. thread it’s relevant. The intent of this post is not to embarrass, impugn or criticize, but rather further the discussion, awareness and edification.

I have been very fortunate to have only ever had one dive buddy. It’s either her or “no-buddy” since we are both avid solo divers. However, I did have an insta-buddy experience. He was an extremely nice, funny and wicked smart individual with a doctorate in medicine. I immediately asked...

• Soloist
• Replies: 64
• Forum: Accidents, Incidents, & Near Misses

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[SKS22]

Based off the discussion part of the problem seems to be miscommunication.

Some instructors teach "Open Water" courses to something approximating the PADI "Scuba Diver" standard. And some students are OK with that because they want a fast cert with minimal effort. But the trouble comes when someone (e.g. different dive boat's staff, insta-buddy) assumes that the person who gave them an "Open Water" cert is autonomous.

Why not save half the academics, pool sessions, and open water dives and avoid all the miscommunication by simply training "Scuba Divers" in the first place? The students who don't want to learn autonomous diving will save time and money; the dive shops will get people on the boat that much faster and get additional business from those that don't want to do the extra course work; and anyone who wants to dive without a professional present can upgrade to Open Water at the (ISO) 24801-2 standard.

 

[Pressurehead]

What does this group of totally reliant snowflakes do then

It will save you giving a tip. The skipper of a local dive charter had a heart attack not long ago, sad to say, he didn't make it, so it's possible.

 

[scubadada]

Along the Gold Coast, especially up WPB and Jupiter way, there is usually a DM and you can stay with them or not. The further south you go and especially into the Keys you run into nanny state shops that insist on leading you about by a ring in your nose. There is a dive store/op down in Key West who may be the worst nanny bunch yet encountered in my then 54 years as a diver or since.

Nobody puts a guide in the water out of Boynton Beach. Every group or solo diver carries a flag

 

[johndiver999]

It is strange that there seems to be such a divergence in operating procedures between Boynton and West Palm and Jupiter. Do you think it is because the current is typically much less in Boynton, or something else? The two inlets are only like 12-14 miles apart?

 

[divingdayz]

I don't have answers to all your questions, just reporting what I've seen on my travels, but I believe there is an option to opt out of teaching tables in PADI OW and they "teach" you how to use a computer instead. If you don't own a computer as a supposedly independent diver, there is an obvious problem.

The certifing agencies almost all teach dive planning with computers now, and have done for many years.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

What do you propose that agencies and instructors do instead?

I was thinking of a method involving a nailgun. The dive computer will never leave their wrist.....

But if people are set to do things a certain way, it doesn't matter what they are told. I remember advising my OW students to be careful about buying used equipment at not much of a discount below new, as when they got them serviced, they wound up paying more than new. One student showed up later with some regs where the servicing wiped out all the expected savings. They were good regs, just needed service.

 

[Soloist]

As was already explained, if the DM goes into deco, he is going to clear it by doing the deco that the computer wants. If the customers followed along, they would presumably do the same thing. As long as you don't mis required deco, you can keep diving all day long.

I assume, you are assuming all the baby ducks are diving the same nitrox mix and have the exact dive profile as the mother duck. Then you are assuming none of the baby ducks run out of gas (as stated earlier) or out of patience waiting for the mother duck to clear their deco obligation. That's way too much "assuminating" for my liking, but other than that your analogy is spot on!

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Today, I'm meeting with a representative of RAID. They started with rebreathers and didn't like the quality of the students they saw, so they decided to enter the OW arena. I like what I've seen of their students so far. The proof is in the pudding, after all. I might become an instructor again. I'm healthy enough, and I have some peeps wanting to be taught by me. We'll see.

They are local to me here in the DFW area. I have visited them and on my list is their Tec-50 course some day in the (hopefully) near future when I can put together the bux.

I don't want to go inside of sunken wrecks and I have no interest in ever going into a hole. But I'd like the training in deco theory and technique for more time down and the ability to do something like go stand on the Oriskany flight deck or drop down and peer into the hangar deck. And then drop on the sunken carcass of the SS United States.