I'm currently diving in Rangiroa, French Polynesia and the dives here are wearing me out. I'm female, 60, fit with 300+ dives and have started swimming at home between dive trips. I've never been good on air but over the years have learned to minimize my movement, dive slowly and slow down my breath. Then I get in situations like here where the guide speeds along and I can barely keep up without breathing hard. The other divers, usually younger, don't seem to have a problem. Are some dive locations and situations inherently faster dives? How do you choose ones that are slower paced?
Dive Guide too Fast?
- Thread starter baidanbi
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This is my biggest pet peeve on guided dives. Usually I tell the guide before the first dive that we like to go slow. If you go too fast you don't see anything. If I get a guide that's to fast for me I'll hang in the back and slow down he will get the hint if he/she is paying attention. I also don't need the guide to navigate my way back to the boat if needed as I dive on my own all the time so be confident in your skills.
gordonscuba
Contributor
Agree with the above. Also, propulsion is far more efficient if your trim is flat, and depends on your finning technique.
I can usually keep up with anyone, while still maintaining minimal finning and minimal gas consumption. My fins will barely look like two hands occasionally clapping, and yet I can move fast enough that, any faster I would miss anything you want to see. The reason is not because of age or athletic ability (I have no advantage in either).
I can usually keep up with anyone, while still maintaining minimal finning and minimal gas consumption. My fins will barely look like two hands occasionally clapping, and yet I can move fast enough that, any faster I would miss anything you want to see. The reason is not because of age or athletic ability (I have no advantage in either).
I have run into the speedy dive guide problem a couple of times over the years. There are two things you can do, and I'll admit that when I was a new diver I did neither of these things but rather scrambled to keep up, and I regret it. You can: (A) implore the guide during the next pre-dive briefing to slow down, and it need not be due to physical limitation but rather you can say that you are simply able to see more of the marine life when you go more slowly; or (B) if you feel confident, you (and your buddy, I would suggest) can move at a more reasonable pace, do your best to stay with the group, and if you are separated from the group then act as may be necessary to end the dive safely, such as deploying a DSMB. If you do (B), the dive guide may direct some anger at you after the dive, but you would be in your right to explain.
Being physically fit enough to keep up is not the point; those "usually younger" divers as well as the dive guide are likely missing seeing some interesting marine life.
If I had to generalize, I would say the fastest divers are either very inexperienced--they don't know what they could see if they were to slow down--or they are divemasters who feel there is little to see that could impress them and just want to get through the dive. I believe I can usually tell who in a group is an experienced diver by how they pace themselves.
Being physically fit enough to keep up is not the point; those "usually younger" divers as well as the dive guide are likely missing seeing some interesting marine life.
If I had to generalize, I would say the fastest divers are either very inexperienced--they don't know what they could see if they were to slow down--or they are divemasters who feel there is little to see that could impress them and just want to get through the dive. I believe I can usually tell who in a group is an experienced diver by how they pace themselves.
Given the number of relatively new divers who have shotgunned through the training courses to become dive professionals, the notion of "very inexperienced" may be applicable in the scenario being discussed in this thread. While one would expect a dive pro to be "experienced", with the dilution of standards from a practical standpoint, one can not rely on the divemaster/diveguide having any particular depth or breadth of experience.
Just sayin'.
-Z
Darnold9999
Contributor
One of my pet peeves with “tourist” type guides. Sadly many people think that they see more with such a guide. Guides learn that swimming around gets them better tips because inexperienced divers think they have seen more stuff.
One of the reasons I solo dive. If the guide wants to swim around I just wave bye bye. I once watched a guide lead their divers around a coral patch twice - I doubt that the guests even knew they were seeing the exact same corals, but they did get a good swim!
Talk to the guide, slower allows you to see more.
One of the reasons I solo dive. If the guide wants to swim around I just wave bye bye. I once watched a guide lead their divers around a coral patch twice - I doubt that the guests even knew they were seeing the exact same corals, but they did get a good swim!
Talk to the guide, slower allows you to see more.
You don’t need to be supper fit. I let the guide know I’ll be going slow and taking pictures. It up to them to keep the group together, not for you to keep up. I also inform them during the dive briefing, if they are going through a swim through, that I won’t go through.
But I’m aware I’m more experienced then most instructor/guides.
I've wasted too many dives trying to keep up with guides. When they tire of returning to look for me, they allow me to dive solo.
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