The band bus ain't no bed of roses, either: 13 charged with felonies in hazing death of FAMU band member | www.wsbtv.com
Dive Operations enforcing rules
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The band bus ain't no bed of roses, either: 13 charged with felonies in hazing death of FAMU band member | www.wsbtv.com
Nishan
Contributor
Agree.
Except I was with the main group on the ascent but stopped for a few extra minutes to photograph some jellyfish at around 7m. There was no ascent line but there was no current, the sea was flat and I was not very far from the boat. I think in such conditions any experienced boat crew should be able to understand what was happening. I didn't throw a big fuss about it but just felt they could have been a bit flexible. If the conditions were bad, I was deep or I was not close to the boat it would be a different scenario.
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Btw quietly asking me why I was late is not making a fuss. Stating out aloud in front of everyone that I was late and to make sure I make it back on time after the above mentioned scenario is making a fuss
Tigerman
Contributor
Why should they assume when I dont ascend with the rest that Im ok? Even more so if Im the only one that dont?
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Thats some serious hazing
Well... for the other guests, maybe it is? Make the point that other have been waiting, a little name and shame etc. It doesn't have to be nasty but it does need to be clear and IMO, it needs to be said in front of everyone so that the problem has been acknowledged and dealt with.
Acknowledging problems is IME the single most important thing in customer care. Nothing makes a customer more angry than trying to dismiss a perceived problem as trivial. I have had the situation where divers needed to return to the DC at a specific time in order to make a lunch appointment or even a wedding ceremony (true story).
Acknowledging problems is IME the single most important thing in customer care. Nothing makes a customer more angry than trying to dismiss a perceived problem as trivial. I have had the situation where divers needed to return to the DC at a specific time in order to make a lunch appointment or even a wedding ceremony (true story).
DevonDiver
N/A
Earlier this year, I got stung by a stonefish. Having aborted the dive (it was nearly over anyway), I sat on the boat suffering an agony I can barely describe and wishing only to get to medical attention. My fellow divers decided to 'blow' their scheduled dive times and hang around for an extra 15 minutes under the boat - only surfacing when the boat-boy made his second breath-hold dive down to instruct them to ascend immediately.
I loved those guys then. Just like I love everyone who thinks they're too important to follow a scheduled plan or respect the instructions of a dive operator that they agree to dive with.
Life must be nice in a universe of one...
As an aside, being the 'dive pro' I suffered the sting and waited. Had it been a customer with a critical injury/emergency, then those who ignored the planned schedule, and then ignored the recall, would have been left in the water - to wait for pick-up from another boat (island/shore near-by, no current, calm and warm water).
If a dive operator puts a limit on a dive/s, then you choose to accept it... or find another dive operator. IMHO, choosing to ignore a scheduled plan, having committed to it, is nothing more than flagrant irresponsibility and selfishness.
I loved those guys then. Just like I love everyone who thinks they're too important to follow a scheduled plan or respect the instructions of a dive operator that they agree to dive with.
Life must be nice in a universe of one...
As an aside, being the 'dive pro' I suffered the sting and waited. Had it been a customer with a critical injury/emergency, then those who ignored the planned schedule, and then ignored the recall, would have been left in the water - to wait for pick-up from another boat (island/shore near-by, no current, calm and warm water).
If a dive operator puts a limit on a dive/s, then you choose to accept it... or find another dive operator. IMHO, choosing to ignore a scheduled plan, having committed to it, is nothing more than flagrant irresponsibility and selfishness.
Did you not have an emergency recall system?
Actually I remember now one of my first weeks diving in the Maldives. Me and another group were on the boat after 50mins or so and saw a nice squall coming in. They are fairly common in the Hulhangu monsoon season (now). We were banging on the ladder to get the other group up before the wind and rain hit. The guests were a bit peeved to have their dive cut so drastically short... until 5 mins later when the torrential rain came down in buckets effectively blinding the boat so we couldn't see 20 meters in any direction. It wouldn't have mattered if all divers had had 10 multicoloured rainbow SMBs and various air horns during those squalls- we wouldn't hve seen or heard them.
Actually I remember now one of my first weeks diving in the Maldives. Me and another group were on the boat after 50mins or so and saw a nice squall coming in. They are fairly common in the Hulhangu monsoon season (now). We were banging on the ladder to get the other group up before the wind and rain hit. The guests were a bit peeved to have their dive cut so drastically short... until 5 mins later when the torrential rain came down in buckets effectively blinding the boat so we couldn't see 20 meters in any direction. It wouldn't have mattered if all divers had had 10 multicoloured rainbow SMBs and various air horns during those squalls- we wouldn't hve seen or heard them.
DevonDiver
N/A
Yes. I'd signaled them to ascend, before I made my own ascent. Then we 'hit the ladder' for a recall. Then we sent down the boat boy on breath-hold. Then we sent him down again. They weren't coming up.... they still "had air".
Encountered another similar event when I was in Thailand, but thankfully not an emergency. I was managing a dive shop there and my DM came back to the shop, post-dive, furious. He explained that two customers had 'flicked him the bird' when he instructed for an ascent. I then spoke to the customers, to get their side of the story. That basically consisted of "we had air left, so f&*% him". Those customers were typical 'vacation material' - no dive computers, no timing device.. follow the DM in a herd. After several deepish repetitive dives, the DM knew they were deep and short on NDL... hence the instruction to ascend. When asked about their deco status, the customers gave blank looks. When explained about their deco status... still blank looks. My decision was that they could take a scuba review, or cease diving. A scuba review??? Because they didn't know/remember what a no-deco limit was?!?! Absurd and outrageous!!! They ceased diving, which pleased my staff immensely.
Plan the dive - dive the plan. If a scuba operator provides a plan, then you either discuss/negotiate a variation or you agree to abide by it. From my experience, with several years in the scuba industry, there's normally a 'second story' behind many of these reports from 'dissatisfied divers'.
Sitting on a dive boat and nodding your head throughout a DM briefing - and then making a decision to ignore that briefing is both dishonest and dangerous. Nodding your head throughout a DM briefing...doing the dive... and then whining about it afterwards might also be seen as disingenuous.
Many divers use 'cattle boats'... primarily because they offer cheap(er) diving. To book onto a cattle boat and expect the flexibility and service of a 'private guided tour' is short-sighted and a serious failure of realistic expectation. I don't... I won't use cattle boat type services for my own pleasure diving.... I understand what that service provides...and I choose to pay more for a better quality dive that suits my specific needs. In the same manner, I won't go into McDonalds and expect a fine t-bone steak. I'll go to a steakhouse....
Customer service is one thing - how you deal with an issue/complaint from a customer - a case of diplomacy and tact. That doesn't detract from the fact that some complaints are unjustified and that some customers are a danger to themselves or others. Willfully deviating from an agreed plan, ignoring ascent signals and recalls or simply forgetting why there may be a scheduled plan in the first place.... are all issues that evoke very little sympathy from the dive op perspective.
Dive Ops make rules, and follow agency recommendations, for a number of good reasons; they may be obligated to do so through agency affiliation and, most importantly, because they have a duty-of-care. The duty-of-care is not just to the individual customer, but all customers on the boat.... and the staff who supervise them.
Tigerman
Contributor
If you flip the service provider the bird you have hung yourself as far as being entitled to service goes. When you do it while diving, not realizing what no deco time is you can please get your ass away from the boats Im a guest on, cause I have an appointment with a re-hydration beer at the bar that I dont want to miss just because you decide to get your ass paralyzed or killed.
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