Do not ever say you are a rescue diver

[hedonist222]

Who knows what they are thinking at that point, because it will all depend upon who else shows up. Let's say I am an operator with 3 boats, and I want to create an advanced, intermediate, and beginner boat. If I don't know the divers, I look at their credentials and assign them to boats accordingly. Who knows what will be the cutoff line for one boat or another?

If you are a mid-range diver looking to get onto a more advanced boat, you can be thankful that some of the beginning boat spots were taken by instructors or other advanced divers who smugly fooled the operator by showing a beginning card. Those people might bump you up to the more advanced boat.

Good point.
Thats why whenever I dive somewhere new I make it a point to "flesh out my dive CV".
How long I've been diving. How many dives over the last year. When was my last dive. My time of diving.

This is what a dive OP wants to hear for the reasons you mention and for me to be placed aptly.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Most of my diving is done with people I never met before. Whenever I provided bare minimum information about my qualifications and experience, the more uncomfortable I made the others. It is a good practice to talk about your past experiences with others before you enter the water. If you wait until you are in the water, you are more likely to get surprises.
Only risk I am taking by sharing this information is embarrassment or critisizm in the case I am not meeting perceived qualities of my communicated credentials.

I have no problem with your position in this post.

My response was to a diver working on the boat, who would be observing his/her divers once in the water, guageing their skill levels.

It doesn't matter what the credentials say, if the client diver is still weak on skills.

I haven't been in the water for 3+ years. I'm hopeful that none of my skills have eroded. I'm hopeful that it's all automatic and muscle memory.

I have 1000 lifetime dives. I can say that on the boat but once I'm in the water, will it still show?

 

[Searcaigh]

I have 1000 lifetime dives. I can say that on the boat but once I'm in the water, will it still show?

It's like riding a bike Chilly.

For one, I'd dive with you knowing your past experience.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Who knows what they are thinking at that point, because it will all depend upon who else shows up. Let's say I am an operator with 3 boats, and I want to create an advanced, intermediate, and beginner boat. If I don't know the divers, I look at their credentials and assign them to boats accordingly. Who knows what will be the cutoff line for one boat or another?

If you are a mid-range diver looking to get onto a more advanced boat, you can be thankful that some of the beginning boat spots were taken by instructors or other advanced divers who smugly fooled the operator by showing a beginning card. Those people might bump you up to the more advanced boat.

Today on our island trip boat we had several groups. Some snorkelers parents with a young child who loved seeing turtles.
One group less experienced was taken by the dive op owner who is an instructor. Another group whose divers experience or certs I had no idea of were with another DM. My group consisted of myself my regular dive buddy, our regular DM and a Canadian chap who said he was an adaptive padi instructor. One mother and her teenage son with another DM.
I was assigned to the instructor in our group as we both had cameras. He didn't seem to want chat much and didn't really like me doing a buddy check he just wanted to get in the water and dive. He never buddy checked my gear before the dive.
He was happy to avail himself of my video lights for some shots and I would peak at his air gauge on the first dive. He saw my cressi console and saw I was better on air. We never asked each other how much air we had on any of the dives lol. On all the dives we pretty much gave each other space and only when I was making a video with my lights he would come close with his go pro. Before the last dive he told me his eyesight wasn't the best but liked how easy the Cressi was to see.

The owner and DM's never ask customer instructors to do anything but say go enjoy the dive after the dive briefing. Boat is large and has a 16l marine diesel engine. Staff cook a nice BBQ on board for lunch.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

But did you care?

Weren't you really considering what you saw underwater, regardless of any certification level?

You hit the nail on the head.

Waves and currents can take their toll on divers at any level. We would assess potential problems based on fitness. The fat guy who decides to help me load tanks and picks up AL80s like they are pony bottles probably won't have trouble climbing the ladder, as an example.

I've rescued as many tech divers as newbies usually due to high seas and a strong current combined with stages and drysuits in the Florida Keys. These divers normally become exhausted due to drag and overheating in summer underwear.

We'd look for people who might have their sea legs and can move around the boat like spider monkeys vs. those we might have to encourage to hold onto rails. Those who are thoughtful and don't turn the entire boat into a workbench or gear bag. That's usually a sign they've been boat diving before. Those who are helpful to others are often willing to help us. The helpful person is the one I'd ask to lend me a hand with hooking a mooring ball if it was a tricky grab. The photographer isn't going to play well with others normally. Buddying a newbie with a solo photographer isn't smart unless the photographer doesn't care about photos as much as he or she would looking after a new diver. The New Jersey wreck diver who hasn't transitioned to streamlined gear will most likely damage coral. When that guy is on board we're not going to a more pristine site. You get the idea.

Yeah. If someone is an instructor that just tells me he or she can clear a face mask. After that, I'm just looking at the conditions for the dive and if people seem to have dressed appropriately for heat or cold, sun or rain, that they have safe set-ups for the dive sites, a safe attitude, the fitness for the conditions, and who has the most experience in that environment.

 

[scubaozy]

I have no problem with your position in this post.

My response was to a diver working on the boat, who would be observing his/her divers once in the water, guageing their skill levels.

It doesn't matter what the credentials say, if the client diver is still weak on skills.

I haven't been in the water for 3+ years. I'm hopeful that none of my skills have eroded. I'm hopeful that it's all automatic and muscle memory.

I have 1000 lifetime dives. I can say that on the boat but once I'm in the water, will it still show?

Off course dive guides will be able to tell about someones skills once in the water but a lot of decisions are made prior to that, which dive boat I am on, who will be my dive buddy, dive site choice, how many guides on boat. Some of these needs to be decided before leaving the harbor. If I do not provide quality input, I might end up on the wrong boat, with a wrong buddy at a wrong site. Guide, my buddy me and other guests will be frustrated.
Perhaps off topic but motor skills of a diver with 100dives or 1000dives can be surprisingly comparable. As a guide on a check dive I can only assess the motor skills. More experienced diver will have the edge on ability to think outside of the box, taking quick and correct decisions under task loading or changing as well as challenging dive conditions. These, I cannot test. I can only read the clues on behaviour, comfort, equipment handling, fitness and assume that reported 1000 is realistic (or not) and meaningful.

 

[Wibble]

Going back to the point of this discussion... If you're diving as a customer, this means you're not working and thus not responsible for other people's behaviour.

The Rescue Diver card is the highest certification from PADI for recreational diving that is "not professional". It's a tough course and RD alumni have demonstrated skills beyond that of OW / AOW.

Taking Rescue Diver literally is like taking DiveMaster literally -- they are not masters of diving.

So, if I'm a customer of a dive boat that's asked me for my qualifications, and assuming it's simple recreational diving, I'll use the Rescue Diver certification as my technical qualifications aren't relevant on recreational diving trips, nor is Solo Diver recognised. I absolutely am not going to be actively monitoring people beyond casual observation; it's not my job and I'm just another diver. Of course I would do all I could to rescue someone, but I'm not there to be a support diver.

If it were a technical dive and they ask me for proof of certification, it would be the relevant technical one for that dive.

 

[Nick_Radov]

I've rescued as many tech divers as newbies usually due to high seas and a strong current combined with stages and drysuits in the Florida Keys. These divers normally become exhausted due to drag and overheating in summer underwear.

Which is why scooters should be mandatory for tech divers at sites with any significant current. Scooters adequate for boat diving are cheap enough now that there's no excuse not to have one. I'm in reasonably good shape, but I can't swim against a current at all while wearing a drysuit and carrying doubles with multiple stages and a camera. This is just asking for trouble and putting yourself into a situation with no margin for error.

 

[Tippytoes12]

There has been a lot of threads about how a diver should introduce herself or himself to a new DS. I have a DM C- Card but I never claim I am a DM as I have never worked as such. I always say I am a Rescue Diver. 90% of the time, I dive with my wife as a buddy. I jump first, tell her I am ok and watch her jumping. I am more experienced than her and I want to be there if she has a problem (overweighted, valve problem,…).
Last week, diving in the Philippines, the DS decided that we would be three in a group. Two groups of 2 including the guide or DM and our group at the back. To make a long story short, the third « buddy » jumped without inflating his BCD and was probably overweighted. He immediately sunk. He was AOW, and should have been able to correct that rapidly but he was not. I saw it, went down in a rush but I could not equalize fast enough so had to slow down.
Eventually, the diver managed to to inflate his BCD and get back to the surface. A bit too fast though so we aborted the dive. Then, one Dive Director blamed me for not helping him and said I thought you were a rescue diver. I think he will never say that again after the sh*** I gave him but the point is:
1- If it was my wife, I would have risked rupturing my inner ear. I won’t do it for an insta-buddy.
2- I was a customer and not a guardian. Of course, you care for your buddy (even in a 3 guys team) but there are limits.
3- I should never have said that I am a rescue diver. Those folks believe that I would help them protecting their customers. From now on, I am just AOW with a 40 meters clearance.

Did the three of you not do a buddy check ? Regardless, that is a very disappointing reaction from the DM. I am guessing that he was not Filipino.

 

[emoreira]

The Dive Director was an A$$H***.
Don't let someone else -- especially an A$$H*** -- decide if you were having a good day or a bad day.
You ARE a RD. Suck it up. Be proud of it.
If, in checking into a DS, they comment something like, "Hey! You are a RD! You can help if we have a problem!" Just tell them your fee is $100 per dive to be on duty, and free diving and gas.

The very best answer I could have think of !