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Can someone please tell us if it is usual and customary procedure when diving in GC for the dive master to return to the boat when there are still some 4 to 8 divers down below, regardless of experience levels? We don't have a lot of dive or dive site experience but something just doesn't feel right.
In my experience it is common for the DM to return to the boat with people still in the water. It is mostly up to the divers if they want the DM to stay in the water with them though. We would get in the water, the DM would take us on a tour if we wanted and then return to the boat, you could explore around the boat or surface with the DM. But that was with one dive op, I have only been there once.
There should be conversation before regarding dive plan. I usually do small group ops. They keep a close eye and guide well. I do find them heading up first from the safety stop and that is to help sort things out as divers come aboard. As far as experience levels I am assuming that everyone has been certified to plan and execute a dive on their own (open water). I would like to know more details about what you're describing?
The guide (and in Cayman the guide is almost always an instructor) normally exits the water with divers still in the water so as to be able to assist guests as they exit the water. Often this means the guide is the first one out of the water.
In larger operations where the guests are split into more than one group then sometimes the guide for the first group to surface will exit the water right away. The guide in the last group is then often the last diver out of the water.
When diving with uncertified divers the guide should remain in the water until all students have exited the water.
It is very typical, not just Cayman. The "leader" takes you on a little tour and then brings you back to the boat. Now you know the area and have seen how to get to the boat. You can then spend as much time as you wish exploring on your own. For a new diver it is great as you gain some independent experience, but can stay in view of the boat.
My favorite dive op in Grand Cayman is Divetech, operating from Cobalt Coast. There are always three DMs/Instructors on each boat. Two are in the water and one stays topside, standing by to help with anyone ending the dive early or needing assistance. One of the DMs in the water functions as tour guide, the other takes the trail position. Returning to the boat, one DM surfaces and goes to the boat to help divers and gear coming out of the water. The other stays with the group and is last out. Because divers use up air at different rates, it makes sense to have two DMs on the boat, ready to assist the heavy breathers. On the next dive, the DMs rotate positions.
The Divetech crew is very efficient, professional and they love to have a good time. They take their jobs, but not themselves, very seriously. They give the most thorough and humorous dive briefings I've had the pleasure to attend. I like the fact that they will give you just as much or as little help as you ask for. Yet, if they see you heading for trouble, they are right there to get you back on the right path. They will also let you go on your own (with a buddy) once they've determined that you're not going to drown each other or wreck the reef.
Having dove with three other dive ops on Grand Cayman, I can't think of any other group of DMs/Instructors that I'd rather dive with. And a number of them have become good friends.
Can someone please tell us if it is usual and customary procedure when diving in GC for the dive master to return to the boat when there are still some 4 to 8 divers down below, regardless of experience levels? We don't have a lot of dive or dive site experience but something just doesn't feel right.
Yes, it is entirely usual. As a certified diver, you are responsible for your own safety in the water. The DM is a dive *guide* who will,if you follow him/her, take you on a tour and lead you back to the boat after about 30 minutes. That's about all. The DM is not in the water to look after divers or take care of anyone, including new divers. You can, however, hire a personal DM to act as your buddy if desired.
I dive with Ocean Frontiers out on East End regularly and their normal practice is to have one guide (usually an instructor) in the water for approximately every six divers. Each person has the choice of going guided or going off in their own buddy teams. For those who go guided, they typically will be taken on a leisurely tour of the site and then returned to within sight of the boat. Each individual has the choice at that point of exiting the water with the guide or staying longer to explore on his/her own.
The same kind of assistance they give all divers getting out of the water -- taking fins and getting them out of the way, taking cameras and when the water is choppy, help with the ladder. And, if you need it, they'll help you get to your seat and guide your tank into the hole. While the rest of us are exploring the reef around the mooring, one DM goes topside to assist.
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