Do not ever say you are a rescue diver

[tursiops]

The very best answer I could have think of !

Thanks. The most valid criticism of that post was that $100 was too small an amount to ask for.

 

[stretchthepenn]

I just took the Rescue Diver course earlier this month as a way to be a better diver and better dive buddy. I have no desire for DM or instructor. I imagine there are others who feel the same way.

About ten years ago, I attended a "pro" night at an LDS, and one speaker made a really good point about this topic.

Once a diver has completed the range of standard courses (e.g., AOW plus a few specialties) and is looking to move to the next level, they have two paths to choose: the professional certifications or technical diving. The two don't necessarily have anything to do with each other.

I, for one, chose the technical path, and I've never felt any serious desire to get any professional certs.

 

[tursiops]

About ten years ago, I attended a "pro" night at an LDS, and one speaker made a really good point about this topic.

Once a diver has completed the range of standard courses (e.g., AOW plus a few specialties) and is looking to move to the next level, they have two paths to choose: the professional certifications or technical diving. The two don't necessarily have anything to do with each other.

I, for one, chose the technical path, and I've never felt any serious desire to get any professional certs.

And some of us choose both paths.

 

[scubadada]

In SE FL I generally dive by myself. This is particularly true in Boynton Beach where I drop by myself and ascend by myself. I make exceptions sometimes. I will dive with experienced divers and friends, see Trip Report - Back in Florida, 2022 #3

I occasionally take inexperienced divers on their first dives in Boynton Beach. I have previously told this story. I dived with a husband and wife that had few dives. On the first dive the wife did not have enough weight to get down and I got her more weight. On the way down, she lost one of her weight pockets and I retrieved it before she corked. We ended up quite far from the reef and had to swim back. Shortly thereafter, her tank came out of the harness and I replaced it. The rest of the dive was uneventful. The second dive went fine, a good dive. The next day, diving by myself, I saw a group of four, including the husband and wife team. The husband had the flag, the wife gave me a big OK. Sometimes, it is more that worth it.

 

[chillyinCanada]

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.


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What is the name of this op please? And whereabouts in the Philippines are you, thanks?

 

[Germie]

I allways sign up with my full trimix and full cave certs. Most times they look strange that a diver with such a lot of experience comes diving. But it also means they don't have problems is you go a little bit deeper or have some deco. Never had problems they wanted me to buddy up with a beginner.
1 time they wanted me to buddy up with an ow diver to a wreck of 35m depth. I said to them: you know my plans? You know I will do deco? If you agree that I take this open water diver on your responsability with me, I will take him ( I have seen him diving and he was with over 200 dives not diving as an open water diver). And he must take an 18 liter single tank. The divecenter agreed and I took him in and on the wreck and we had about 17 minutes deco (on backgas). He had a great dive and I also. But he was not my responsability.

Last august we went to Elphinstone reef in Egypt. That must be the best divesite there, blabla. 8 divers and 1 guide, way too much. We were dropped in the blue and 4 of the 8 divers went swimming down. At 1 moment I was already on a single tank at 44m and I saw 4 under me and going deeper and deeper. The guide was not able to sign them to get back, so he swam to 2 and I decided to pick up the other 2 because I know what I am doing with decompression dives and I am a low consumer of gas. We complaigned after the **** dive (way to short, only 41 minutes and my buddy and I had still plenty of gas left) but we did not get a single dollar back. So next time I won't pay if the dive is shorter than 60 minutes and goes so crap as this. I will tell the divecenter then before. I was no guide, I was not responsible for the dive, but I did not want to see that people really got into problem, that is why I helped.
The reef itself is really boring, so forget Elphinstone as a nice divesite also, it is only nice if there are sharks nearby, but without, waiste of money. We tried another dive to that divesite. I have seen several groups now on that reef and all had at least 1 diver using an octopus of another diver. Seems to be normal there. In my eyes it is not normal.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

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.

I've noticed that most of the tech divers who are friends and friends of friends on Facebook almost always have pics with scooters now, so perhaps experience in open water technical diving or the need to keep up with the Joneses is creating the next evolution of standard equipment for technical diving featuring the DPV.

IMO it was the need to look the part that led to a lot of the problems for technical divers. I warned my own buddy about wearing a TLS350 for our dives in Key Largo. I told him I had been a dive guide there and we will be fine in wetsuits. His wetsuit didn't have pockets, and he was GUE, so the drysuit it was. He let go of the descent line and vanished in seconds in a ripping current on the Spiegel Grove back when she was on her side. The boat picked him up about a mile away once he deployed a DSMB. The next attempt found him running OOG. That was an epic story involving me having to switch deco gas for him and babysit him on the way up because he was so panicked. He was obese and out of shape but his motivation was to show off as a tech diver back in 2003. This desire to be admired for his prowess led to another incident that was pretty funny. He was trying to show off for a girl on a shore dive when he slipped in very shallow water (inches deep) and ended up on his back. The LP104 steel cylinders had him anchored and he couldn't even roll over. He just looked like a pathetic turtle, arms and legs flailing in his drysuit.

I had to rescue a rebreather diver from exhaustion who was a native Floridian but had moved to Colorado. He no longer owned a wetsuit and the heavy seas and current caused him to become separated from his buddies and require a surface rescue. I swam a line to him. The crew reeled us in.

Several times I found myself having to clip an entire tech team's bottle package to me and swim their bottles back for them. I'd clip them to my crotch D-ring and have 9 bottles in tow while swimming on my back in a 3mm while a team struggled in their drysuits even while unencumbered.

Perhaps having to show off by having scooters will reduce such assists and saves.

 

[Searcaigh]

I don't own a scooter.

We always planned our tech dives carefully to avoid any excessive current. They have their place for sure, but they're not cheap where I live, plus I'm sure a real hassle to travel with.

 

[Mr Blue Sky]

In the Philippines some of the guides are only rescue certified. Many of DM certified most will tell you they are DM certs even if only rescue level. Twice today my dive buddy and I who are similar on air had to cut our dive times short to 75 mins as the guide only had 40 bar when when had 80 bar. Guide was complaining about being cold as he did not wear his wetsuit. Water temp was 31C lol.

yep and they get paid for it.

 

[scubaozy]

About ten years ago, I attended a "pro" night at an LDS, and one speaker made a really good point about this topic.

Once a diver has completed the range of standard courses (e.g., AOW plus a few specialties) and is looking to move to the next level, they have two paths to choose: the professional certifications or technical diving. The two don't necessarily have anything to do with each other.

I, for one, chose the technical path, and I've never felt any serious desire to get any professional certs.

Go another 10 years back, first target segment of the tech industry was the pros. Because once you were pro, you did not have that many meaningful advancements in the ladder. Industry first needed to train the trainers and role models for the crowds to aspire. Rest is carrot and stick.