Diver to diver etiquette

[SkipperJohn]

You misunderstood this "experienced" diver. He was proclaiming that he was a "wreck of a diver" not wreck diver.

if he didn't write it down maybe he was saying "rec".

I pray I can hone my skills & wont have a post about me on some SCUBA board one day.

 

[Gombessa]

But you did say something to others behind his back without even having the courtesy to approach him directly.

Rick,

I'm sure there's another side to this story, but if a know-it-all big-mouth was spouting off annoying advice all throughout a multi-day trip, all the while demonstrating poor dive skills, IMO you can't really blame other people for rolling their eyes privately.

In the end, it kinda comes down to a personal judgment call of how obnoxious the guy is being. Think he's just a misguided soul who doesn't know what he doesn't know? Sure, talk to him if you think it's approrpiate and your business. But think he's a being a truly obnoxious jerk ("Hey you noob, you're gonna die in those split fins, why don't you take a tech class and learn some real diving?"), then maybe a lack of courtesy isn't the fault of the guy forced to hear it and trying to hold his tongue.

 

[psychocabbage]

Hmmm.. I dont get bent over these people. I will however make fun of them and talk about them. OPENLY. Maybe say things like "Wow, You sure do love the coral the way you were hugging it down there!"

There also comes a point where you must know the difference between rock and coral. Seems so many people call anything large and hard down there "coral" and often its just rock formation.


Many people dont fully get it in my opinion. Sure if you become accustomed to touching everything you will have more things harmed by people just grabbing and pulling..

But in the image above where a diver is moving his hand through a item, I dont see his destroying anything. If he had grabbed the branch and was pulling then yes. but to just feel it all. no.

I have seen divers clinging to large brain coral just because they were being swept away from the group, were tired and it was the only way they could see to keep from going further away from the group. Do you really think they need to lashed? Hog tied? They were scared and they only had 1 option in their mind. (everyone else in the group was playing with a 6ft eel). I spotted her on the coral and after I had my fill of watching the eel swim around I moved btw her and the group just in case.

Now what I find really funny are how people will liken humans touching anything to killing it instantly... On my dives, I have seen more turtles and fish eating coral than humans touching it.

So in the above situation, I wouldnt be alarmed and my just use it as a way to poke fun at the people.

Yes. I am usually one of the louder ones on the boat. I generally also make an entrance as well. But thats me.

 

[Nemrod]

Here is another factor. Many basic underwater photography books advise photographers to get that shot with a camera angle looking up toward he surface whenever possible. With those low hanging fish, that puts the diver down in the coral to get that shot.

I was once buddied with an insta-buddy whom I saw wrap his fins around a barrel sponge while he took such a shot. I tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to his fins and the sponge.

He turned around and took a picture of the sponge.

That is exactly what makes me go bonkers and prefer to dive alone. That way I at least don't have to see the carnage.

I would just hold my camera down, now especially with digital and a lens that covers a battleship from only four feet, and shoot up without laying myself into the bottom life. Lift the camera, review the shot and adjust. No need to lay in the coral.

I am a rebel, but regarding another post about touching coral or getting "tired" and having to hang on a brain coral then IMO, they need to lay out since the conditions are to severe for them. This saves the coral an potentially protects themselves from themselves and their inadequate competence for the dive they undertook. There is no excuse for purposely hanging on the coral reef, if you are "tired" then get out and get back on the boat.

Anyways, enough on that. It is not for us that we not destroy the planet, it is for those who come after us and more importantly God's creatures he put it there for.

N

 

[Blackwood]

I am a rebel, but regarding another post about touching coral or getting "tired" and having to hang on a brain coral then IMO, they need to lay out since the conditions are to severe for them.

I think they should abort the dive, but I'm not 100% going to say don't grab stuff. If you're diving and a sudden change in the conditions creates a "you or it" situation, "you" ought to win. But end the dive as soon as you safely can.

Now what I find really funny are how people will liken humans touching anything to killing it instantly... On my dives, I have seen more turtles and fish eating coral than humans touching it.

Ecosystem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[JB]

I have been thinking latetly about the ethos of diving, and this thread has given me a space to vent my thoughts. With all these enraged, outraged, offended, individuals there will soon be a new pathological diagnosis "dive rage", and there will be appropriate anger management courses for this!!!
It seems that it is harder and harder to just go and enjoy a dive, there is a huge amount of ego and one upmanship in the scuba world. Starts from, how little weight, to how little air, to whether the gear is rite, the trim, the frog kick, the number of dives, the depth, the training agency, etc.etc. Every diver seems to think he is better trained, more experienced, a better diver than most others, and therefore qualifies as the judge jury and executioner.
Annoying personal characteristics are an everyday occurence, ignore, walk away, when there is no-one listening the talk will stop. Had the same diver been less boastful the reaction might have been far more tempered. Often, the garrulous individual is nervous, or feels intimidated/inadequate/insecure, cut him some slack.
However, there is no excuse for bashing into coral, this is clearly the responsibility of the instructor during training, and the DM on the dive,( who has chosen to take responsibility for others), he should make it clear beforehand, during the brief, that this is unacceptable and then the topic is open, during the dive he can then signal the diver to stay clear of the reef and after the dive he can reinforce this. It should be ingrained from day 1 that the reef is fragile and should not be touched. Hopefully the DM has enough experience to be objective about what constitutes reef abuse, as oppsosed to a peer who may be sensitised to an indivdual and then over read the situation.
The vast majority of divers, I would guess, have no aspirations to become pseudo tec divers and just want to enjoy diving on vacation, safe pretty dives in exotic locations, diving is just one of a myriad of interests, and activities that they take part in, and not there primary passion. They are not less than the pumped up self satisfied diver who has just done fundies. (If he has learnt well he might have pseudo-humility to boot.)
In summary, lets enjoy diving and stop being so opinionated, judgemental and critical of each other. I will now duck for cover.

 

[Blackwood]

Starts from, how little weight, to how little air, to whether the gear is rite, the trim, the frog kick, the number of dives, the depth, the training agency, etc.etc. Every diver seems to think he is better trained, more experienced, a better diver than most others, and therefore qualifies as the judge jury and executioner.

What do you know? You only have 1 and a half stars beneath your name.

 

[sabbath999]

If you have to pull at everything, can't stay off the bottom or the roof, and tear stuff up you suck. Simple.

Yes, sometimes it really is just that simple.

 

[JB]

What do you know? You only have 1 and a half stars beneath your name

Well said!

 

[InTheDrink]

I'm definitely up for the dive rage course. If there's an SB flavoured one then so much the better.