Dive Boat "pros"~ what is their role?

[jwc3]

Scanning the responses so far, the answer seems to vary considerably from diver to diver based on their experience level and comfort with the dive site conditions. So, it would seem that the easiest thing for the DM to do is ask: "What do you want me to be?" That would ensure that the customers are happy divers and should result in bigger tips.

 

[boulderjohn]

I didn't respond to the survey because for me, what I want depends primarily upon where I am diving. I think some people have experienced one or two kinds of diving only, and they tend to project those experiences onto all of diving, not realizing there are situations they have not experienced.

When I am diving in Florida or really any of the places where any reasonably competent diver should be able to explore and return to the boat, I just want competent assistance on the boat. No need for anyone in the water. And that's the way it usually is.

In places like Bonaire and Curacao, when I did boat dives, they would put a DM in the water who would do a dive, and if people wanted to go with him or her, they could. I never did, but I thought it was a nice option.

In contrast, DM's are required in Cozumel, and I feel that in 90% of the cases, they should be. Those are drift dives, often in fast currents, with no dive flags. If there were no DM in the water keeping people together, divers would be popping up all over the place, and it would be sheer Hell for the boat to pick them up. There would be dozens of lost divers every day without the guide requirement. I have never dived in Palau or PNG, but I understand it is even more important in those locales. I think it was PNG where a couple of years ago a dive group was lost and ended up climbing onto an island until they were found a day or two later, and that was with a DM.

I have been in a lot of places where there is no way someone who did not know the area well, no matter how skilled in diving, could find the targeted location and get back to the boat without a guide. Many of you have dived the Devil's Throat in Cozumel--how many people could find that entry point on their own? Why go to a place with a really famous but hard to find target area only to miss it because you were too proud to use a guide?

I have been on liveaboard trips where there was a mixture of DM roles, shifting from dive to dive as the conditions warranted. For example, when I was on the Odyssey in Chuuk (Truk Lagoon), on most of the dives we explored the wrecks on our own. On many of the dives, though, we wanted to see locations that we would be challenged to find on our own, or, more importantly, we would be challenged to find our way out on our own. In those cases, a buddy team would ask for a guide, and they did an excellent job.

Similarly, when I dived with Ocean Frontiers on the east end of Grand Cayman, the first (deep) dive was always led, and we went to places we would have had trouble finding on our own. The second (shallower) dive was always on your own, as in southern Florida.

So lots of times the role of the DM matches the situation and makes perfect sense to me.

Other cases don't.

These are usually good for the operator but not the diver. Before I found Ocean Frontiers in Grand Cayman, I made the mistake of doing one dive with one of the many Red Sail operators. The DM announced that we were going to do a 60', 35 minute dive, and, by golly, that is what we did, following him around like ducks following their momma. Lots of operators do something like that, and there is a good reason (for them). If some of the divers had good SAC rates and used up their tanks or their NDL's, then the boat would not be back at the dock in time to be ready for the next group to go out.

That is the reason for many of the times that a DM leads a dive when there is apparenly no good reason for it. The boat has to get back on time, so divers must follow the DM's schedule. It is good to avoid those operators if possible.

BTW, I saw that problem from the other side when diving the Antilla in Aruba. We were given a specific starting time for our dive, but when that time came, the boat was still out. They had had an unexpected delay on the previous dive. I don't see how. When we finally did that dive (with Pelican Sports), we were single file, with a DM in the front and a DM in the rear, making sure no one made any unapproved penetrations. My solution? That was my only dive with Pelican, and I went with an operator who did not use such a tight schedule for the rest of the trip.

 

[highdesert]

Virtually all of our diving takes place somewhere we have never been or seen before, and certainly have not experienced local conditions. As often as not, we go to places that may have ripping currents that the dive guide has experienced before, and has a clue how/when they're running. As much as I enjoy a little adventure, on some of these dives I could have stood for a bit less, thank you. Additionally, a good local guide knows where the critters are, and since our trips cost us dearly, I have a strong interest in seeing said critters. So do we want to take such a trip at about $4-5K/person with the intention of not seeing what there is to see, or get blown off the site into the briny blue? Nope.

I can certainly understand that YMMV if you're on a day boat in the Gulf, or the Keys, or some placid Caribbean destination, or any other area where you can develop a good sense of what you will encounter on the dive. But for our diving, I would all but demand that there's an experienced, local guide in the water with us. And while all of those guides have their personal quirks, and may take a bit of getting used to at the start of a trip, that personal interplay with the guide has always been a significant positive part of our trips.

Last time out, one guide spoke almost no English, and he almost always took off in a direction opposite of what we were told in the briefing, but a few dives later we knew this guy had a good plan of his own, and the result was lots of critters and a good dive. He had the saddest looking pair of full foot fins you could imagine, cracked up like a lizard skin. The heel of one fin tore open during our trip, and he had no spares, and had to nurse that fin along. On the last day, in addition to our tip to the crew, I gave him my full foot fins. The look on his face was worth it, and that's the kind of experience that makes the trip worth it.

 

[BigBothersom]

If I'm on a liveaboard I expect the crew to be prepared for any and all emergencies.

Other than that, I use guides etc for trips to the dive sites. A glorified cab driver if you will.

Notable exceptions are in places like Palau with fast moving currents or Truk lagoon, where my brother and I used the guides from the Odyssey for penetration dives on some of the ships.

Again, its an experience issue.

 

[boulderjohn]

If I'm on a liveaboard I expect the crew to be prepared for any and all emergencies.

Other than that, I use guides etc for trips to the dive sites. A glorified cab driver if you will.

Notable exceptions are in places like Palau with fast moving currents or Truk lagoon, where my brother and I used the guides from the Odyssey for penetration dives on some of the ships.

Again, its an experience issue.

Does your last setence refer to diver expereince in general, or diver experience in the particular site in question? Your post seems to suggest that the most important factor is the nature of the dive site rather than the experience of the diver.

 

[Teamcasa]

We have to realize that the more experienced the diver is in direct proportion to the help they need or want.
I expect that all boat crews or DM provide a clear and concise briefing and clear no-nonsense roll call.
I also expect the captain and crew to be trained, ready and prepared for any emergency, medical or mechanical.

What my personal expectations for the DM/guide are, vary greatly depending on the dive location.
On our local SoCal boats, DM rarely gets in the water and dive teams are, for the most part, on their own. I do like the crew/DM to be friendly and helpful on deck and provide a safe diving environment. Good food and snacks are a plus!

On resort or dive vacation sites, a guide may be helpful provided the pace of the dive is dictated by me and not some speed demon bent on showing how fast he can move.

 

[I-cap-I]

It seems to me that what a good DM needs to do is ask what is expected of them. If somebody is nervous and wants their hand held, then the DM should be willing and able to keep an eye out for them, but not be in their face about it. On the other hand, if divers are capable and want to be left to do their own thing (within the bounds of at least surfacing near enough to the boat to be seen and picked up), then great - the DM gets a free, worry free dive.

On several occasions I have been in a group of divers with very mixed abilities, from newly certified Advanced to very experienced Instructors, all on holiday and looking for a good diving experience. Open Water divers were also on the boat, but were split into a different group with a separate DM.The DM's role was different for everyone on board, and it worked really well.

I have, it has to be said, very limited experience of the issues at hand, but can see pro's and cons for, shall we say, 'attentivesness' or having a more 'relaxed' approach, both from the divers and the DMs perspective. As someone who is looking to become a DM this is a very interesting and thought provoking thread. Many thanks.

 

[mkutyna]

My main preference would be to have a very thorough dive briefing on the location. I don't need drawings and will probably swim away from the large group of people once in the water so actual dive planning should be left up to my buddy group. A briefing on the variances of the particular boat is nice as well but if the DM starts telling me how to put my gear on and get into the water, I'll probably tune them out temporarily.

Oh, a roll call + head count or other similar level of finding out if all divers are back on board is a must.

 

[boulderjohn]

My main preference would be to have a very thorough dive briefing on the location. I don't need drawings and will probably swim away from the large group of people once in the water so actual dive planning should be left up to my buddy group.

Will you always do this, or are you talking about one kind of situation in one kind of location?

If you are diving the Devil's Throat in Cozumel, will you and your buddy swim off exploring on your own while the DM leads the group to the entrance of the tunnel? What will you do to pass the time on the surface while you are waiting for the boat to find you (and hopefully it does!) after it has picked up the group that stayed together while drifting in the current?

 

[Monkey_Gland]

Tea, milk, one sugar. And a biscuit is always welcome.