DIR- Generic Diver attitude! Be careful, experienced divers...

[tarponchik]

What about something more objectively dangerous. Say someone with a tank of 36% planning on doing a 150ft dive... Would you attempt to stop them?

I once told a newbie guy next to me that it's a bad idea to giant stride from the boat with his dive gear and octopus hanging down free cause they can get caught into the ladder or something. He took it well and fixed it.

 

[Litefoot]

I would not physically intervene, but I'd surely say something to them. If they ignore me, I'd say something to the boat operator.

The crew on the last boat I was on appeared to be giving each diver a pretty good inspection as they were walking them to the back of the boat. They clipped on a few dangles here and there. I appreciated that. Has anyone ever seen a crew keep a diver out of the water who wan’t squared away?

 

[Celt]

What about something more objectively dangerous. Say someone with a tank of 36% planning on doing a 150ft dive... Would you attempt to stop them?

You can’t stop someone, giving genuine advice and being civil about it, should never be a problem. I’ve been asked how I feel about diving to high ppo2 close to 2 bar and never had a problem with it. It’s more how someone says something than what they say.

 

[tursiops]

how I feel about diving to high ppo2 close to 2 bar and never had a problem with it.

This means you are diving with PPO2 near 2.0? Russian roulette.

 

[RobPNW]

What about something more objectively dangerous. Say someone with a tank of 36% planning on doing a 150ft dive... Would you attempt to stop them?

That's different than the described scenario though. That's you pointing out a legit safety danger based on scientific reality. The scenario was a so called "standard" based on some misplaced pseudo intellectual expertise and an assumption that one particular agency is the end all owner of what standards are right or wrong for every diver and every diving situation.

 

[RobPNW]

It would have been interesting if the more experienced diver replied with something like "there are several different agencies and standards, other than PADI, what is it about my configuration that you think is dangerous or unacceptable?"

Then, maybe in the person's struggle to formulate a legitimate argument, they realize they don't know as much as they think they do, and it becomes a learning moment. Then again, a know it all facade is a hard shell to crack.

 

[boulderjohn]

What about something more objectively dangerous. Say someone with a tank of 36% planning on doing a 150ft dive... Would you attempt to stop them?

Here is a true story.

Carlos was planning a cave dive in Ginnie Springs, with a depth of about 30 meters/100 feet. He was planning to use a stage bottle (breathe it down before switching to back gas) that was clearly labeled "Oxygen." People pointed that out as a problem. He said not to worry, he had filled all the tanks himself, and he had taken an empty bottle labeled as oxygen and put air in it. The tank had air, not oxygen. It was safe to dive.

Others were not convinced. They told him he should analyze just to be sure. Eventually he got mad. He knew what was in his tanks, and he did not have to test them all over again. So there.

Yes, the post-mortem analysis showed it was indeed oxygen in the tank.

So what more could people have done?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

What about something more objectively dangerous. Say someone with a tank of 36% planning on doing a 150ft dive... Would you attempt to stop them?

It wouldn’t be my place to be the boat’s scuba cop, but I might mention something to the divemaster or crew/captain - somebody in charge.
If they had a concern let them deal with it, it’s their boat and their responsibility.

The only time I would definitely speak up without hesitation is if I knew for a fact that someone was left at a dive site and they were about to leave.

Where do you draw the line? when something doesn’t quite fit your personal approval standards but may not necessarily be fatal, or something that has been proven to be fatal?
What about the zealot that begins to spout off about how air is unsafe to be used at all and only 32% can be used, and if you go beyond 100’ you need trimix. I knew a guy like that and he was very vocal about it, to the point of being annoying. But in his mind anything but this was unsafe and he was genuinely trying to help people. He paid a lot of money to be willingly brainwashed and by god he was going to get his moneys worth!

What about someone jumping in with no BC? There are plenty of newer generation divers that would see this as a death sentence and certain suicide, but in Southern California for instance there is a whole cadre of old bug divers that this is perfectly normal and they’ve been doing this for years. You’d look pretty stupid haranguing them about their style. Tell the boat crew about your concerns and you’d get laughed at. But you see, this is cultural in that part of the world.

In the case of the OP, after a gentle ribbing asking the new guy about “Who is Patty” (giggle), I would sit down and have a friendly conversation with him (friend to friend) and in a very friendly manner try to open his mind to the varied configurations and how they work.
Of course it’s up to the new guy to have the capacity to put down his new found “expertise” and have the ability to “hear” what you might have to say.

Scuba diving has a rich history of gear and configurations and there is no one right way.

 

[lermontov]

This.

Reality is what has it got to do with me?!? I've no duty of care, neither has the boat skipper. I'm just a diver on a taxi out to a wreck.

because your a decent human being ?

 

[lermontov]

Obviously this guy wasn’t changing his configuration at that point no matter what @Wibble or anyone else would have suggested. I’m too busy setting up and checking my own gear to notice anyone else’s stuff. But if I do see someone about to launch into the deep with something obviously wrong (releases unfastened, bc not inflated, hose tangled/kinked, etc) I’m going to say something. I don’t care if they’re pissed off about it.

i would hope someone would point issues out that ive overlooked -for my own safety or comfort -people who get offended by othesr offering input are often inexperienced or view themselves as dive gods

of course a lot of the offence is prompted by the delivery of said advice most of us can discern between advice and critiscicm