Diver in travel group kept running out of air and sharing on every dive?

[DreadnoughtNH]

At LCBR last May, we had a couple on our boat that seemed to almost always shared air at the safety stop. Very nice couple so I asked them about it. They explained that it was to mitigate LCBR's strict "back on the boat with no less than 500 psi rule". She was better on gas consumption than him so their general plan was to arrive at the SS when he had the 500 PSI and then share.

I remember this LCBR rule. As well as their "1 hour only" rule. Their insistence on their "rules" is among the many reasons I haven't booked with Reef Divers since.

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

I remember this LCBR rule. As well as their "1 hour only" rule. Their insistence on their "rules" is among the many reasons I haven't booked with Reef Divers since.

Well, I would respectfully suggest that having a a couple of rules/guidelines is the only way to run a dive operation that runs 3 dives a day, every day, and needs to get back to the resort for lunch and surface interval. Moreover, in my extensive experience (at least 6 trips there), I've found them to be very cool about these rules and I've never seen them ding anyone. Now, if you fail to surface 15 minutes after everyone else is on the boat, well, that's a different matter.

For me, the way they operate is more than worth it in light of the incredibly high quality diving they offer.

Just my two cents.

 

[DreadnoughtNH]

Well, I would respectfully suggest that having a a couple of rules/guidelines is the only way to run a dive operation that runs 3 dives a day, every day, and needs to get back to the resort for lunch and surface interval. Moreover, in my extensive experience (at least 6 trips there), I've found them to be very cool about these rules and I've never seen them ding anyone. Now, if you fail to surface 15 minutes after everyone else is on the boat, well, that's a different matter.

For me, the way they operate is more than worth it in light of the incredibly high quality diving they offer.

Just my two cents.

:: to each to their own!
I understand the need to keep folks safe. The 500# rule is a good one.
I also understand that their canteen runs their scheduling, and that they need to have guests back for feeding time. Hence the 3 dive, 1h dive rule.
And I would agree the diving is very good, and boats professionally run.

But...given that the food was clearly catered to a sheltered midwestern American palette, I would have preferred some longer dive allowances and missing a meal (or several).

 

[ReadyDiverOne]

Ha! Fair enough!

 

[scubadada]

:: to each to their own!
I understand the need to keep folks safe. The 500# rule is a good one.
I also understand that their canteen runs their scheduling, and that they need to have guests back for feeding time. Hence the 3 dive, 1h dive rule.
And I would agree the diving is very good, and boats professionally run.

But...given that the food was clearly catered to a sheltered midwestern American palette, I would have preferred some longer dive allowances and missing a meal (or several).

Ha, nobody is going to miss meals... I've only been to Little Cayman twice and Cayman Brac once. My dive times were just over an hour, no complaints from me.

 

[Pressurehead]

diver would start sharing air with her buddy towards the end of the dive.

The upside to this is, they know how to share air and do it often.
How many divers after their OW practise [verb] or ever try to do this skill?
I would hazard a guess, not many.

 

[uncfnp]

I remember this LCBR rule. As well as their "1 hour only" rule. Their insistence on their "rules" is among the many reasons I haven't booked with Reef Divers since.

The trick here is to be first in. It can give you a good 5 minutes over the rest of the crowd.

 

[Damselfish]

If they still have a reserve and are doing it only within their group, and all the people involved are actually OK with it, whatever. I think it would be hard to sightsee and enjoy your dive when you've got a non-emergency rando barnacle. Or when you are the barnacle. But it is weird to be doing it all the time and seems like this person should find a better way of solving their issue.

I use way less than my husband. He uses a larger tank when he can. Sometimes stays a touch shallower. Very rare that we would share like this, takes something spectacular showing up at the wrong time.

As far as LCBR, I don't mind reasonable rules and understand the schedule thing. But they have in the past sometimes been super obnoxious about it, which is a real turnoff. My solution to that would not be air sharing, but to go someplace else. (Which is what we do anyway since they got hung up on the Saturday arrival thing which is soley to max their occupancy - not customer friendly and just makes the airlift problem worse.)

 

[uncfnp]

As to air share to extend dives, it was not uncommon to see this in Cozumel with a dive op known for longer dives but it was the guide sharing the air.

My take, if it is a choice made between buddy groups, well that is a personal choice and hopefully they have the dive chops to make the right decisions. I don’t feel it is something for a dive guide to intervene on unless it is occurring due to a diver repeatedly running OOA, not the case here. Nor is it something for another diver to approach unless you are affected by their choice. Would I do it with my husband? Sure if the conditions were right but so far that has never happened.

 

[boulderjohn]

As to air share to extend dives, it was not uncommon to see this in Cozumel with a dive op known for longer dives but it was the guide sharing the air.

I led a dive trip there, and I assume we are talking about the same operation.

Their policy was that when a diver got down to 1,000 PSI (still plenty in a 100 or 120 cubic foot tank), that diver would continue on the guide's long hose until a second diver got to 1,000 PSI, at which point the original diver would go back on his or her own tank, and the group would ascend. Thus, no one was ever low on air before beginning the ascent.

When we did it on the trip I led, we amended the policy. the first diver to 1,000 would go on the guide's long hose, the second would go on my long hose, and the third would be when we would begin the ascent.

A key was the guide checking to make sure everyone else had more than 1,000 before the sharing began.