Diving manners?

[Dion]

I want to bring up an issue that has been bothering me and hopefully this thread will also help some of the newbies out there learn good diving manners. I suspect that everyone who has been diving with a large group knows what I am talking about.

So, let's get it out in the open. I'll start with my biggest pet peeve, which is... bicycle swimmers! You've seen them, they swim like they are riding a bike, all the while plowing down poor unsuspecting sea fans and barrel sponges without a second thought. Its really frustrating to watch and I've even tried pointing out to them that they "would swim better" if they were more horizontal in the water, but they just don't seem to care. So I end up screaming through my regulator in frustration as I watch things being mowed down because someone is too ignorant to keep their fins off the reef. Should I just keep my mouth shut?? Am I the only person who notices this?

I've tried pointing it out to the dive masters, but I guess they don't want to upset the customer, so they just ignore it. But when all the coral is ruined, they aren't going to have any customers! I have even seen a woman do this in front of her instructor who was on the dive with us, and he didn't do a thing either. Which really frustrated me. Everyone talks about having "good buyancy", and maybe its related, but how can any scuba instructor in good conscience turn this menace out into diving society?!? What happened to take only pictures, leave only bubbles?

Scuba Instructors, I beg you, please don't let your students learn this horrible habit!
</rant end>

Anyone else out there have a diving etiquette issue?? Or anyone else seen these horrible underwater bicyclists? Any suggestions for how to deal with them? I can't just watch and not do anything, it makes me too mad.

Ok just my .02.

Dion

 

[Lil' Irish Temper]

Anyone else out there have a diving etiquette issue?

Pet Peeve ~ Ascent and Descent right of way on the anchor line, when diving off a boat.

 

[Dion]

Pet Peeve ~ Ascent and Descent right of way on the anchor line, when diving off a boat.

I haven't really encountered that situation. Who do you think should have the right of way? My guess would be people getting out of the water... possibly low on air, etc.

Dion

 

[Xanthro]

I've even seen a diver master do this upright swim. Some people just can't seem to get horizontal and they are constantly kicking the ground.

I really don't think trying to yell at them underwater will do any good. They likely simply don't know how to dive any other way. You could try and teach them, but you'd have a full time job on your hands.

I always find this to be a problem on bigger boats. Sometimes I'll try to merrily float by horizontally to see if they get they idea, but they rarely do.

 

[Dion]

Well I am seeing it far to often. I mean nobody is perfect, and I even swim vertically sometimes when doing a wall dive, but then there is nothing under me. I consider it every divers duty to avoid destroying coral. Period. We have enough vandals on land, we don't need them in the ocean too.

If they don't care about the reef, the coral and/or the fish, then they have no business diving. I plan on being a diver for a long time and I want that sea fan to be there the next time I dive that site and it is our responsibility as divers to protect the reef for future divers.

btw (prior comments notwithstanding <g>), I am not an environazi, I just want my dives in the future to be beautiful too, not all messed up by a bunch of dorks who are only diving because they think the gear is "cool" or to impress their friends.

Dion

 

[dive_lover88]

i have seen them also,i would fin up to them point down to the corals and give them the "Don't do that" signal

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Scuba Instructors, I beg you, please don't let your students learn this horrible habit!
.

Dion

It's our fault? We have them for a couple of days and years later it's our fault?

 

[Diver Dennis]

Dion, what you are describing is very similar to divers I and I know others have seen, the venerable "coral walkers". Some divers don't realize, or care, that fin wash alone can damage coral reefs but to see people actually standing on them? That is one of the reasons I don't carry a large knife any more, too tempting...
I will either sign or even grab their arm underwater or mention it topside. Some seem quite offended but who cares?

 

[happybuddha]

Gloves and people that wear them...80-90% of my diving is in the Philippines, in warm water, so there is no excuse for most people to wear gloves. I was on a liveaboard last October and one of the divers wearing gloves touched and picked up everything in the ocean.

I mentioned it to the instructor that had organized the trip (a friend of mine) but I don't think anything was said as the glove interactions did not cease. It only occurred to me after we finished our dives that I should have taken the gloves when no one was looking and hidden them.

Dion, to your point on bouyancy and bicycle swimmers, there certainly is not enough emphasis put on buoyancy control-partly due to course structures and time constraints, it is easier to load a student up early in a course to get them to sink when they have descent issues. It took me a long time to get my buoyancy worked out, besides being very bouyant (I'm a big guy), I had bad habits (like inhaling when I would try to descend) and a lot of things going on in my head (where so much of diving occurs).

In my opinion a buoyancy dive (Peak Performance Buoyancy in PADI lingo) should be a core dive in AOW classes just like navigation and deep (this is PADI curriculum, can't speak for others). I can't see how any one enjoys diving until they have their buoyancy sorted.

Whenever I change kit or gear configurations now (as when I went from jacket BCD to a BP/wing and then later when I started diving doubles) and I feel uncomfortable the first thing that comes to mind is "is my weighting correct". Its the root of so many evils when its wrong and so many pleasures when its right, this message needs to be preached every day. Amen.

That's enough drivel from me, safe diving,
Drew

 

[mariebahn]

I'll start with my biggest pet peeve, which is... bicycle swimmers! You've seen them, they swim like they are riding a bike, all the while plowing down poor unsuspecting sea fans and barrel sponges without a second thought. Its really frustrating to watch and I've even tried pointing out to them that they "would swim better" if they were more horizontal in the water, but they just don't seem to care. So I end up screaming through my regulator in frustration as I watch things being mowed down because someone is too ignorant to keep their fins off the reef. Should I just keep my mouth shut?? Am I the only person who notices this?
Dion

It's not just bicycle swimmers - many photographers are guilty of not watching their feet or where they are cramming their strobes, concentrating only on the object in their viewfinders. Reef molestation is an offense is committed by both newbies and veterans alike, and while it's more understandable in less seasoned divers, it should be addressed in either instance.

I, too, have done the scream through the regulator, and often clasp my head with both hands when it's really serious (international signal for "omigod!"), but I do have a more effective tactic which I usually employ. I gently grab the diver's fin, move it away from the subject of it's attack, and hold on to it. When they try to swim off, they feel resistance and turn around with a surprised "what the ?" look. I then point to what they were just kicking, and they immediately get the message. Usually, nothing more needs to be said, and it eliminates any possibility of denial or hard feelings later. People aren't nearly as sensitive or defensive when they're caught in the act, and tend to think more about what they're doing when they know they're being watched.

Pet peeve #2 would be those who pee in their wetsuits, and then want to stand right next to you after the dive and have a conversation. To all who are guilty, please know that WE CAN SMELL YOU, even though you can't smell yourself. It's much worse than farting, which most people would avoid subjecting you to. I never know what to do in this situation, short of fainting. Any suggestions?