Does your dive boat staff setup your gear?

[RiverRat]

I've only got about 35 dives under my belt. On my first real dive trip I decided after several dives it was best to setup my gear and not just double check it after the DM's set it up. The first issue I ran into was when DM jammed my new wing between the tightly racked tanks of mine and my buddy's tanks. On another dive I shutoff my air 'cause of a bad o-ring and I and no one else had a spare (another lesson learned). When the DM was helping me kit up they stated air was on, but clearly my pressure guage said it wasn't. DM assumed as they usually setup all gear my air was on. I make a habit of double and triple checking before I jump in but those couple of incidents showed me early on how one can become complacent by having someone else setup your gear.

 

[Charlie99]

I don't see what all the excitement is about.

If you want to set up your gear yourself, just go do it.

If you are competent enough to fully inspect your gear in a few seconds before donning it, go ahead and let the crew set it up if you want.

If you are a DM or boat crew and want to figure out who is totally clueless, have the customers setup the gear while inconspicuously observing.

If the boat crew changes the tank height while swapping out tanks during the SI, politely point it out to them.

I assume that most people want to do a good job, but that they aren't mind readers. A bit of direct, polite communication goes a long ways.

 

[garyfotodiver]

Where I dive, we set our gear up on the quay, as the boat is too small (zodiac type). Every certified does it himself, but they help the unexperimented if needed.

"unexperimented"... Boy, do I like this!

I hope he means "inexperienced" But do they let uncertified divers on small boats?

 

[getwet2]

I have a new Blizzard and it also dry bleeds from the first stage.

 

[Bretagne]

"unexperimented"... Boy, do I like this!

I hope he means "inexperienced" But do they let uncertified divers on small boats?

I am a "she". And yes, my English is often tainted by a great bit of French.

Yes, they take beginners on small boats, because there is no great beach entry dive here (sand extends too far). But in this case, the boat goes to a very protected area, and anchor near an emerging rock (a lot of possibilities for 15 ft dives). The closest diving spot is almost in the harbour, but too far to go there by swimming

Note that diving with commercial or associative structures is heavily regulated in France. Non certified divers (when not preparing for their certification) are allowed to dive, but not deper than 15 ft (less for kids), and 1 to 1 with a dive master (there is a time limit, too). Extended for the last dives before certification, but then a DM is not enough, there must be an AI (in fact equivalent certification, as french law does not recognise PADI certifications :xeye: )
When I was saying inexperienced, I was meaning "just certified", who often use rental gear and do not know it very well. They know how to set up their gear, but can need some supervision to adapt to the gear they use for this dive (ex: they have dived previously with long 12l tanks, this one is a short 12l... at which heigth to fix the BC?)

Personnally, I find a backward roll from a small boat a lot easier than a giant stride (but impressive the first time). They also have an aluminium boat where the water level is just at the deck heigth, you open the door, sit with the legs in water and push to the front to go in water. Nothing easiest.
For beginners on the zodiac (not the more frequent), they do their backard roll without the BC and tank, and put it on in the water afterwards (with help). My son (11) has done it that way, and find it hilarious.

 

[DennisW]

This past month on our trip to Hawaii, Donna and I decided to rent our BCs and regulators instead of carrying everything to Hawaii. In both situations where we dived the gear set up was different. On the shore dive, Donna and I set up our own gear. That was very good because it gave us some time to get familiar with the new set up. When we dove with Dive Makai, I believe the gear was set up before we got on the boat. In any case, we had plenty of time to get familiar with the set up before we got in the water. I remember Donna sitting on the fantail of the boat asking "How does this work? How is this different than what I am used to?" etc. While she was doing this, I was inspecting my own set up. There was no hurry and the crew was very helpful. I think I made the gear swap for my second dive, although I can't be sure.

The only thing I may say, rental regulators pretty much bite it big time. This is the first time in 16 years I've used a rental reg. The oceanic regulators breath hard and don't do well upside down, they flood. I normally swim upside down at some point in my dive, nearly every dive. I was not happy with the oceanic regulator performance. Although, for a rental, it may be just the thing for a shop to have. The last time I rented a regulator (long time ago in Tavenier, FL) they used Scubapro G200 regulators. I liked it so much, I bought one. I still use it and no, you can't buy them anymore. They were produced for the rental market.

 

[voop]

I am a "she". And yes, my English is often tainted by a great bit of French.

If only my French was as good as your English....

Note that diving with commercial or associative structures is heavily regulated in France. Non certified divers (when not preparing for their certification) are allowed to dive, but not deper than 15 ft (less for kids), and 1 to 1 with a dive master (there is a time limit, too). Extended for the last dives before certification, but then a DM is not enough, there must be an AI (in fact equivalent certification, as french law does not recognise PADI certifications :xeye: )
When I was saying inexperienced, I was meaning "just certified", who often use rental gear and do not know it very well. They know how to set up their gear, but can need some supervision to adapt to the gear they use for this dive (ex: they have dived previously with long 12l tanks, this one is a short 12l... at which heigth to fix the BC?)

<SNIP>

Actually, speaking of the French system of training divers. The first level (Niveau 1) is basically what I would consider as a "discover scuba-diving" level, even though FFESSM (the French CMAS affiliate) claim that to be equivalent to a std. OW diver (CMAS * diver). If not legislatively (and yes, there is legislation covering this in France. Bretagne is unfortunately correct) then in pratice: no training in using dive tables or dive computers, requirement always to dive with a Niveau 4 (DM) or above etc. Quite often, I see Niveau 1 divers, who do neither kit up themself nor control their BC inflation themself either, but who basically muck around with a tender (DM) on a very short teather (their inflator hose). It's probably not always like that, but it's no rare sight either.

Clearly, in that case, having the DM set up the gear (or at least verify it) is not just a good idea - it's necessary.

In all fairness, once you get to the other end of the scale of French diver education (Niveau 3 and 4), you'll find people who're in general really well trained and very competent in what they do. But that's a matter of how things are structured -- getting from N1 to N3 isn't done in a forthnight, whereas I've seen going from beginner to "master" done in a matter of weeks in "other systems"

No, I ain't French -- but for the moment I live here. The wine and cheese is good

 

[Bretagne]

The first level (Niveau 1) is basically what I would consider as a "discover scuba-diving" level, even though FFESSM (the French CMAS affiliate) claim that to be equivalent to a std. OW diver (CMAS * diver). If not legislatively (and yes, there is legislation covering this in France. Bretagne is unfortunately correct) then in pratice: no training in using dive tables or dive computers, requirement always to dive with a Niveau 4 (DM) or above etc. Quite often, I see Niveau 1 divers, who do neither kit up themself nor control their BC inflation themself either, but who basically muck around with a tender (DM) on a very short teather (their inflator hose). It's probably not always like that, but it's no rare sight either.

Clearly, in that case, having the DM set up the gear (or at least verify it) is not just a good idea - it's necessary.

You are quite right. Except that ther is a lot of freedom in the teaching content as long as CMAS minimum is reached, and i have learned to use tables (including deco on air) for Niveau 1. But my buoyancy control was bad at this time. Hopefully, rocks are less fragile than coral. For Niveau 2, the one which allows to be autonomous for shallow dives (66ft), but still guided for deepter ones (-> 132ft), buoyancy must be OK, as we have to learn to bring back to surface an unconscient diver, at controlled speed of course. (I really enjoyed this course).

To come back to the initial subject, the problem for using a small boat for beginners is not the boat, it is the place where you go. A small boat allows to go to very shallow places, so it can be safe, yes.

 

[voop]

You are quite right. Except that ther is a lot of freedom in the teaching content as long as CMAS minimum is reached, and i have learned to use tables (including deco on air) for Niveau 1. But my buoyancy control was bad at this time. Hopefully, rocks are less fragile than coral. For Niveau 2, the one which allows to be autonomous for shallow dives (66ft), but still guided for deepter ones (-> 132ft), buoyancy must be OK, as we have to learn to bring back to surface an unconscient diver, at controlled speed of course. (I really enjoyed this course).
[\quote]

Yeah, there is quite a bit of freedom in how to teach -- of course, FFESSM is also one of the federations which is actually not following CMAS standards...

To come back to the initial subject, the problem for using a small boat for beginners is not the boat, it is the place where you go. A small boat allows to go to very shallow places, so it can be safe, yes.

Indeed, yes. As a matter of fact, I often see that the naked (no bc-tank) back-roll off a zodiac (RIB) is much less intimidating to many new divers, than the "giant stride", fully equipped, from a potentially high boat is.

Cheers,