Dive Boat "pros"~ what is their role?

[300bar]

Yet again,I can understand why new divers want a DM.
Navigation (on a new site) is hard.
So if you're new diver,don't be ashamed to ask or follow a DM if you're not 100% sure.
Better safe then sorry.
There are no stupid questions,just stupid divers.

 

[TSandM]

I want a professional boat crew. As JJ said in the Fundamentals of Better Diving, the boat crew is part of your team, and you had better have confidence that they can and will do what you expect from them -- that includes watching the water for divers throughout the dive, and being prepared to pick them up, and assist anyone who is in distress. In addition, I count on the crew in a strange area to know the local conditions, and to pick sites which are safe to dive under those conditions, and to brief me on what the hazards of a site are (although, of course, the final decision to dive is mine).

I actually like having a dive guide in a strange place. Not only may they know the topography well enough to put me where things of interest are to be seen, they are probably also much better than I am at finding those things and pointing them out. I do not want them to tell me how long I can stay in the water, or monitor my gas -- I have a buddy, and we do that.

I have had wonderful dives in Cozumel and Indonesia, with guides who did exactly what I hope they will do. Help with navigation, point out the cryptic critters, and otherwise leave me and my team alone.

 

[fisheyeview]

Locally - I expect the crew to give a safety briefing of the boat, a site briefing, help me with my camera (I don't jump in with it). I also expect them to know how to handle all of the emergency equipment. I dive a couple of boats locally, and the crews know me. They know how I dive, and we have respect for each other. It doesn’t hurt that I some times crew for them. On the wrecks I expect them to get in, hook into the wreck, and give a current report.

Dive Destination - I expect the crew to give a safety briefing of the boat, a site briefing, help me with my camera (I don’t jump in with it). I also expect them to know how to handle all of the emergency equipment. If they want to be in the water that’s fine with me as long as someone stays on the boat. As I usually go on photography trips I study ahead as to what I will find. If there is something specific I want to see I will ask about it. Otherwise, I would rather be on my own. I get to know the crew as early as possible. Preferably before I set foot on the boat. The sooner we get to know each other the sooner we build up respect for each other. I always research the dive op well before I make the decision to go.

Someone remind me to check fdog's valve before he jumps off any boat I am working on.

 

[Ayisha]

RoatanMan, may I suggest that some of the poll options are difficult to vote on because they contain multiple ideas within the same option.

For example:

They should do briefs with sketches and ask if everyone is diving the same plan- or deeper?

Perhaps one agrees with a site briefing, but the degree of thoroughness varies. The idea of everyone diving the same plan may or may not have to do with the first part of the poll question.

They should assist before, during & after the dive with technique and pointers: buoyancy,safety,etc

Perhaps one believes they should assist with entries and exits if needed, but not give lessons on diving. The above option lumps various types of extreme assistance together, but there is no option for any other minimal assistance.

Maybe I am the only one finding that if I were to check certain options, at least half of the option would not be what I would expect or want. Thanks for your efforts to clarify roles and expectations.

 

[Dtaine]

An ongoing topic, and spawned from a now-locked thread...

You pay to go diving on a boat, whether it is a day boat on a Saturday near home or at an AI Resort for the week... who goes along on the ride that you're paying to go on?

There is a boat driver, maybe some deck hands, but who is that person that jumps in the water with you... most of us call him the Divemaster.

There is no real requirement for any specific certification of that "dive guide", many places may not even put an employee in the water at all. Sometimes you'll get a brilliantly capable local that has never had formal dive training. You may get a guy that has a string of c-cards and patches that can't find his foot.

Take the poll, but add your thoughts.

What do you expect?

- Someone always stationed and remaining aboard the moored boat ? If there's a boat involved, then yea I'd rather they be on the boat than in the water

- Assistance with your tank or re-baoarding ? Re-boarding assistance is fine, touch my tank valve and the tip goes goodbye.

- That the staffer in the water be a certified DM? Training of some kind I would expect, doesn't have to be "Divemaster" training so long as it's clear what it is.

- That the staffer be watching for any signs of trouble you might have? Not expected.

- That the staff diver point out cool stuff? Sure, if you're going to guide then you might as well point out the landmarks.

What do you expect out of a dive-along employee? Very, very little.

State the locale you are referencing, day boat operation or multi-day place.

I chose the last option, mainly because with the diving I do I'm not bothered by any DM's in the water. As a result I don't expect anything from them and I'm self-sufficient as far as I can be. As others have said, anytime a DM touches my gear or tries to "help out" (without asking at least) they say goodbye to the tip.

 

[del_mo]

My gripe with DM led dives are they are too often in a race. Let's see how much ground we can cover in 30 minutes. Show me a nice spot and leave me alone. I'll be fine. Don't get into a hissy fit because I would rather stop and smell the roses then rush around and see a blur.

I also hate DM's that insist on mishandling the marine environment. I've been with DM's who have ripped out black coral, inflated a balloon fish and grabbed a sleeping baby nurse shark from its home (all in Cozumel).

I appreciate a nice briefing, white boards are pretty. I'll survive without one, though.

I'm getting old, so someone taking my fins from me during rough conditions is nice, but I can certainly handle slipping my straps over my wrists without losing my fins if there is no DM.

But as other posters have said....if I had only 10 dives I would have a very different opinion. That's the tough part for the boat crew. Who do they cater too? Should they investigate the experience of each diver? Should that been done back at the shop before the divers get on board? I think the weeding out process should be done in the shop. Once on the boat the crew takes over as taxi drivers and any DM in the water is there only for convenience and to offer assistance as needed/requested.

 

[tgsmith]

I'd like to point out that up here in the Mid-Atlantic and North East we don't have dive masters. There is no guy that jumps in the water with you. What we DO have are crew. The crew are responsible for tying into the wreck(most of our wrecks do not have mooring balls. we snag them with a hook and tie it in). That usually keeps him pretty busy if there's only one crew member, and I wouldn't expect him to do much more since he's most likely down in the water when I'm gearing up.

When there's more than 1 crew-member, he'll usually go around and help people gear up. In the mid-Atlantic, either the crew or the captain will make note of your entry time, planned run time and buddy, and give a short briefing of the site. Not for reasons of policing you, but for their personal situational awareness so they know when to get worried. Sometimes I help the mate don/doff his gear. We're all in this together, ya know? In the northeast everything is more lax, with the exception of language/dirty jokes/jesting.

But there's no yahoo swimming around leading the group. There is no group at all. Everyone does their own thing. If you're a new diver you can usually pay the mate and he'll swim around with you to show you stuff(easy money, right?) but whether or not the mate is a certified D.M. or not can be up in the air. Like others have mentioned........two different groups of divers between up here and down in the tropics. I can see why and how the boats have such involved dive-masters down in the tropics. Think about it......it's a tourist business! Gotta be competitive. But yea yea yeah, there's also the fact most of the divers down in the tropics aren't really up to speed all the time........

So yeah, expectations are different. What I actually want are the same, though. Tell me a little about the site, know my plan, throw me overboard and leave me alone till I'm coming back up the ladder.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I am pretty much in alignment with some others. I want competent help above the surface, leave me alone the rest of the time (and my gear all the time).

- Getting to and from the dive site safely - including making judgement calls on sea conditions.
- Being able to count returning divers and spot anyone who f's up and surfaces down current.
- Being alert at the boarding ladder and dive gates. I don't need help here unless I bring my camera, but these are high risk areas since they are crowded and monitoring is appreciated.
- Basic first aid skills (oxygen, etc..)

 

[Desert_Diver]

I like the model (if it's still what they do) of the Nekton boats. There is a dive briefing of the dive site. You are free to splash with a buddy. A crew member (if available at that time) will dive with you. Plus they have demonstrated to me that they are fully capable of dealing with medical dive emergencies.

A dive master diving with you is no guarantee he can stay with you. In Palau (Aggressor), they insist each diver have an SMB (tall) and each dive pair have an emergency locator radio which the boat will provide. The DMs (multiple) drop with you but the currents can scatter a group with very little difficulty.

I would encourage EVERY diver to dive within his comfort zone. If floating on the surface at night by yourself is going to unnerve you, you may want to get more dives under you belt prior to a Palau type dive.

I would encourage every diver to continue training well beyond the OW cert of his preferred agency.

Art

 

[Cave Diver]

The things I expect from the boat staff and crew:

* I expect to be accomodated on a boat of appropriate size and mechanical condition for the trip to and from the dive site and equipped with appropriate safety equipment.

* I expect the crew to be familiar with the operation of said boat and equipment

* Unless prior arrangements have been made, I expect to be given a choice of dive sites based on the experience and skill level of the group and that I will abide with those choices and follow the directions of the crew.

* I accept that if I am determined to dive outside of recreational depth/time limits then I should charter the whole boat and fill it with divers of similar skill/experience to mine.

* I expect a safety briefing and briefing on the current conditions at the site, even if it's one I have dove before.

* I expect the crew to be available to help as I gear up, should I ask for it, but to not touch it otherwise.

* I expect to be able to plan and execute my own dive based on the paramaters set by the dive op and my own skill, experience and training, whether they have a crew member in the water or not.

* The boat should be where I expect it when I surface (moored or drifting, depending on the pre-dive plan) and the crew available to assist in getting us out of the water as necessary.

* I expect all divers to be accounted for before heading in.

* I expect to return to shore within a reasonable time frame set by the dive op prior to departure.

* I expect to get reasonable and correct answers to any/all questions I have from the dive op before, during and after the trip and to have any concerns I have addressed in a professional manner.