@Diver0001's story makes me think about the emphasis from my training on situational awareness. The fact that Diver0001 noticed an exit and took note of it was probably a really important aspect of this dive ending well. On one of my training dives I was tasked with sharing air and getting my buddy out of a wreck. This basically just entailed just moving from one interior room, through a few snags and an opening to the outside. My buddy was in side mount, so I turned him sideways to get him through a narrow doorway. Not a big deal and we successfully maneuvered out. Back on the surface, my instructor asked me why I didn't just take him through the big opening directly above me. Doh!
Does TEC supersede REC?
- Thread starter Mouth Breather
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Whether valid or not I believe when boats see senior cards they make assumptions as to what your responsibilities are. They stick the weakest divers with you and you as result get short changed on your dive. I will say that i have experienced what you have said. Divers are matched, I see that mostly wheremost of hte passengers are equally qualified and the weak ones are buddied up and the dm goes with them or dives very close to them till they get a better feeling of their skills. If i dive south padre is. there are no weak divers, If i dive the flower gardens you see it a lot. If i dive fla depending were, its a coin toss.
Never seen it happen that way, and as a single I cannot begin to estimate the number of instabuddies I have had. Every dive operator I have been with matches people by their ability, so showing a low card makes it MORE likely that you will be paired with a beginner.
Now I can't speak for every operator, certainly everytime I've been on a vacation, the operator has matched us based upon our cards and experience.
When I'm running a boat, I have to balance it as best as possible. That means I pair photographers and those of similar experience. The weaker/ newer divers I'll take. The reason is simple. It's a commercial operation and it's not in our interest to badly pair divers if we want people to come back with return business
On occasion I've been out on a fun dive, and I've been asked if I'd buddy a less experience diver. No problem, generally they're nervous and concerned they're going to ruin my dive - which they don't. Actually it was this type of thing that has encouraged me to seek out instructor training.
I'd rather be buddied with a less experienced diver who knows their limitations, than someone who thinks they're gods gift to diving when in fact the opposite is true
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I agree. I never give other than my AOW for a boat trip unless they want to do a log review and then I give them my master, then all is OK.
Different states operate different from a liability standpoint. Some are taxi states and some are charter states. It all becomes moot when you get on the boat with a buddy. I have been attached to insta buddy's that have ruined my dive day because I come up with 3/4 tank and they are at 400psi. Yes paying 100$ for 2 15 min dives at 60 ft is a bad day. Most all my diving now is with my wife and after a while with any buddy you become a good match.
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some people are special....
archer1960
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I'm kind of in that "in between" state: experienced enough that they don't feel the need to put me with a more-experienced diver or the DM for safety, but not experienced enough that they want to have me go watch over a less-experienced diver either.
yup
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