Diving "Etiquette" and the lack thereof
- Thread starter ScubaJoy65
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oh no... you aren't supposed to actually watch it.. you are just supposed to listen to the pearls of wisdom
:worship: Voice of Reason has spoken :worship: 
IMO, most divers coming out with OW certs are grossly overweighted. Their instructors (who may have been trained the same way) load the students and themselves up with weight for control. (But thats ok, they have a life vest
)The student comes away after a weekend certification with a C-Card and 50 to 200% too much weight.
At the risk of sounding like my Dad, I was certified here, doing drift dives without a BC. Today the BCD has become a great enabler to short cut the instruction process and short change the student. It is NOT life support, particularly in recreation scenario, but rather a convenience. It is a buoyancy control device, not a life jacket.
If it is going to be used in OW class, that students should be taught to use it effectvely.
How many overweight divers do we see held up like puppets by their BC's as they peddle along like clowns on unicycles. Sometime with their hands dutifully clasped in front of them. LOL.
Sorry. Rant over.
caseybird
Contributor
OP
ScubaJoy65
Contributor
Hi, this is Joy. I'm reading through the posts and wanted to say:
1) I have learned a great deal of useful information through what has been written. Thank you all for that.
2) I am pleased to see nice banter occurring. I might like you guys after all.
3) I'd like to respond to DandyDon's comment:"What concerned some of us is that you and Joy separated and she lost track of you. She said she likes to think of herself as an independent (solo) diver even tho she is new to the sport."
I never ever said I was a solo diver. In fact, I know better than to even try solo. I said is I am independent. What I meant by independent was - you don't have to hold my hand... I'm good and don't need to catered to... Please know I did not mean to imply that I was solo diving in any way. In fact, I can tell you after that experience that if that is what can occur as a solo diver, I never want to solo.
4) Thank you to those who sent me personal messages re: the things discussed in this thread.
1) I have learned a great deal of useful information through what has been written. Thank you all for that.
2) I am pleased to see nice banter occurring. I might like you guys after all.
3) I'd like to respond to DandyDon's comment:"What concerned some of us is that you and Joy separated and she lost track of you. She said she likes to think of herself as an independent (solo) diver even tho she is new to the sport."
I never ever said I was a solo diver. In fact, I know better than to even try solo. I said is I am independent. What I meant by independent was - you don't have to hold my hand... I'm good and don't need to catered to... Please know I did not mean to imply that I was solo diving in any way. In fact, I can tell you after that experience that if that is what can occur as a solo diver, I never want to solo.
4) Thank you to those who sent me personal messages re: the things discussed in this thread.
Tigerman
Contributor
Just wanted to make a suggestion.Hi, this is Joy. I'm reading through the posts and wanted to say:
1) I have learned a great deal of useful information through what has been written. Thank you all for that.
2) I am pleased to see nice banter occurring. I might like you guys after all.
3) I'd like to respond to this comment below. I never ever said I was a solo diver. In fact, I know better than to even try solo. I said is I am independent. What I meant by independent was - you don't have to hold my hand... I'm good and don't need to catered to... Please know I did not mean to imply that I was solo diving in any way. In fact, I can tell you after that experience that if that is what can occur as a solo diver, I never want to solo.
"What concerned some of us is that you and Joy separated and she lost track of you. She said she likes to think of herself as an independent (solo) diver even tho she is new to the sport."
Now I'll continue reading where I left off.
Im not going to recommend you (or anyone else) to dive solo, I will however suggest that you try "thinking solo" when youre diving.
If you think through the dive as if you where diving solo you might learn a lot from it and be even more prepared for "what ifs" than if youre always planning with your buddy as redundancy. I know I have.
Its not about not trusting your buddy, its about being better prepared for eventualities and as such, being more prepared to help yourself or your buddy with possible problems that might come up.
I read ever post up till page 14, when things started to go off track, and then jumped to these last few pages to see where it all went.
A very interesting conversation! Throughout all of this I kept trying to put myself in the fins of the offending, "other" diver. Over the years I have lent temporary assistance to more than a few unknown divers that I witnessed struggling. Almost all of these situations needed no more than a quick tip or adjustment to solve. Only a very few required more in depth assistance.
If I saw a diver on the bottom at 85', having difficulty with his buoyancy and upon investigating were to spot a damaged or torn BCD dump/inflator hose I would show the diver my discovery, and watch for their reaction. If they reacted positively, and showed me that they were capable of handling their equipment problem by calm action and signs they were in control, then I would also have returned my attention to my buddy or buddies. one or both of my two teenagers or my gf are my normal buddies and my FIRST responsibility. If this unknown fellow diver seemed capable of resolving their issues, then my quick intervention was a help, but my assistance would no longer have seemed to be needed.
In it's entirety this was a very informative, if somewhat contentious thread. A lot of very sage advice was handed out. From reading the places where the OP added her thanks, after she stopped posting, but continue to follow, I saw her attitude start to shift. The true meaning of buddy was thoroughly explored! I do believe that once the feeling of being harassed was no longer there, and the tone of posts also became less hostile she was also becoming more receptive to advice and lessons offered. I got this from who's comments she posted her thanks to as the thread went on (and on). I do think she began to see where improvements could be made to improve their future dives together, and improve their safety.
I too once got a good blasting, on one of my first posts here on SB, when I posted my story of a dive gone bad, and lessons learned. Shook me up a bit the way my errors were plastered in my face in capitol letters by complete strangers, for everyone else to see! But no one said anything that in retrospect I could say was wrong. While some comments might have been put in kinder terms they were part of the "lessons learned", that I was still learning, with some assistance from the board!
Sometimes newcomers do get a bit of a shock by reactions to posts here, but this is a great group of divers who do wish to share their love and knowledge of this sport, if not always in the most diplomatic ways. Your fellow divers will definitely read threw your posts to find lessons to learn, and then try to help you learn them (and if they think they smell bs, that they will also help you threw!)!
A very interesting conversation! Throughout all of this I kept trying to put myself in the fins of the offending, "other" diver. Over the years I have lent temporary assistance to more than a few unknown divers that I witnessed struggling. Almost all of these situations needed no more than a quick tip or adjustment to solve. Only a very few required more in depth assistance.
If I saw a diver on the bottom at 85', having difficulty with his buoyancy and upon investigating were to spot a damaged or torn BCD dump/inflator hose I would show the diver my discovery, and watch for their reaction. If they reacted positively, and showed me that they were capable of handling their equipment problem by calm action and signs they were in control, then I would also have returned my attention to my buddy or buddies. one or both of my two teenagers or my gf are my normal buddies and my FIRST responsibility. If this unknown fellow diver seemed capable of resolving their issues, then my quick intervention was a help, but my assistance would no longer have seemed to be needed.
In it's entirety this was a very informative, if somewhat contentious thread. A lot of very sage advice was handed out. From reading the places where the OP added her thanks, after she stopped posting, but continue to follow, I saw her attitude start to shift. The true meaning of buddy was thoroughly explored! I do believe that once the feeling of being harassed was no longer there, and the tone of posts also became less hostile she was also becoming more receptive to advice and lessons offered. I got this from who's comments she posted her thanks to as the thread went on (and on). I do think she began to see where improvements could be made to improve their future dives together, and improve their safety.
I too once got a good blasting, on one of my first posts here on SB, when I posted my story of a dive gone bad, and lessons learned. Shook me up a bit the way my errors were plastered in my face in capitol letters by complete strangers, for everyone else to see! But no one said anything that in retrospect I could say was wrong. While some comments might have been put in kinder terms they were part of the "lessons learned", that I was still learning, with some assistance from the board!
Sometimes newcomers do get a bit of a shock by reactions to posts here, but this is a great group of divers who do wish to share their love and knowledge of this sport, if not always in the most diplomatic ways. Your fellow divers will definitely read threw your posts to find lessons to learn, and then try to help you learn them (and if they think they smell bs, that they will also help you threw!)!
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I see, as I wrote my post that Joy returned, after all. welcome back.
Forgive us if we are a bit rough around the edges! No one here means you any harm, but instead fellow divers are trying to pass on their own lessons learned, and in many cases, learned in a much harsher method than just a posting/thrashing on the board, so that you don't have to learn them in the same painful ways they did!
Forgive us if we are a bit rough around the edges! No one here means you any harm, but instead fellow divers are trying to pass on their own lessons learned, and in many cases, learned in a much harsher method than just a posting/thrashing on the board, so that you don't have to learn them in the same painful ways they did!
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Great.
Seemed like off-topic distraction to me, but I'm such a tight butt. :shocked2:2) I am pleased to see nice banter occurring. I might like you guys after all.
Super! Thanks!
Sorry if I seemed too rough or rude. I just don't want to read about y'all in the Accidents forum or DAN's Injuries report.
Thanks Jim. I've been lucky to survive my errors.
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