Disclaimer BS in these politicall correct times:
Please note that you is used as a general term and is not directed at any one person.
This thread is going nowhere fast. I'm off to the gym now but when I get home I will post a thread in the New Divers forum in an attempt to explain what the responsibility of the diver, the DM, the instructor, and the op is as far as concerns new divers. Fosterboxermom you are correct in that new divers need more than those of us who are more experienced but this must start in training. I hope to cover what new divers can expect from the aforementioned once they have their card. This will be difficult as there is NO UNIVERSAL STANDARD of conduct.
I like diving in the keys because they do not put a DM in the water unless you pay for it. Of course my training was not one of those 2 weekend wonder jobs. And this was at my insistence from a PADI instructor. I attended additional sessions and read up on what I was doing. I also dive as often as possible and did so from the beginning especially locally as our conditions are less than stellar and require one to keep their skills up to date. The PADI materials while well put together are rather geared towards, how shall I put this, less than college material students and do not adequately address the hazards of diving. The standards do not require instructors to drive home the fact that this sport can kill in favor of making a profit.
I do my best to address this fact in every class session. Graphically describing the effects of an embolism, the fact that the bends can have serious life altering after effects, that be back on the boat with 500psi as a dive plan is bull caca, and that exceeding your RECOMMENDED limits without training and experience is a good way to get very dead. I hope to instill in my students a genuine respect for this activity and if they have doubts, second thoughts, or are doing this for someone else that it causes them to perhaps take up another sport. I'd rather lose a paying student to golf or tennis than have their death on my conscience.
My whole philosophy behind my teaching is that if I would not want my son, daughter, wife, or other loved one to dive with a student I just certified without myself or another pro present I should not be giving them a c card. I also have no interest in producing underwater tourists. I train divers who are capable of diving independently with a buddy of equal skill in conditions equal to or better than that which they trained in. If I feel they cannot do this they don't get the card until I'm satisfied they can. Unfortunately this is not the case in the biggest part of the training industry today. I've seen instructors certify students who had no business in the water period let alone diving.
If one is unable to find your way back to the boat, shore, upline, etc without assistance the dive should not be done in the first place. DM's can get hurt, lost, be preoccupied with another diver having issues, etc. In that case you are on your own. If that is not comfortable to you stay out of the water. It is not hard to do a safe ascent, look for the boat, if needed drop your weights, inflate and wait to be picked up. If this is too stressful your training sucked, you don't dive enough, you are more of a liability as a buddy ( I'd rather dive solo), and that person is an accident waiting to happen.
In addition it is again the divers responsiblilty to gauge the situation and decide if the dive is doable and within their comfort zone. If not you speak up and call the dive or arrange for a private professional escort on the dive. I know I'll get alot of flack for this and what I plan to post but I'm just so frustrated by the number of deaths involving new divers that in most cases( medical isssues excepted) that could have been easily prevented by a little more training and common sense.
