Dumbest things you've seen a newbie diver do

[knfmn]

When I was new to night diving tried to signal guide with light I was feeling sick from bad surge and didn't get a response so swam over and grabbed his leg. That got a response alright! Ooops. Learned eyes can get about as wide as the mask! He was kind and I lived another day. Since then have had the favor returned on several night dives, and waited till I was sure I didn't feel teeth to turn around and look too.

Lol, that reminded me of when I was diving in a Cenote in Mexico. We were all in single file going through and I looked down and saw a HUGE cave shrimp below me. I wanted to be sure that the guy in front of me didn't miss it, so I sped up for a second and grabbed his fin. Evidently this guy didn't much care for dark spaces/was a little freaked out being in the Cenote. I thought he was going to actually levitate right through the rock! :shocked2: I did feel bad about it and apologized later, but still get a good snicker every time I think about it.

Kristopher

 

[sawyersdad]

I was diving in Cozumel at Santa Rosa wall. It was a sultry, moist, and hot morning, the seas were angry that fatefull June morn. The boat was a jostling like a 18 yr old co-ed at a frat party at the University of Texas. I was speaking with a svelt, well mannered physician from Venezuela and his 14 yr. old son while we made our journey to our dive location. I learned that the young, well fed and robust young man was a new diver, his father was bragging of his recent dive trip to the Sinai Desert. I felt confident in the skills of the father as we entered the clear waters over the wall. As we, as a group made our way to the sandy bottom at about 50' I observed that the doctor descended extremely quicly and crashed to the bottom like a sack of hardened cement. I was beginnning my BC stabilization ritual that I always perfom as the good doctor walked on the bottom and jumped around as if he were on the moon. We then began our descent to the wall, all the while I observed the doctor flailing his arms to retain some modecome of BC. As we perched on the edge of the wall I observed the good doctor drop like a stone over the edge into the murky depths. Within 5 seconds I saw the young buck attempting to swim after him, as he passed me I banged on his tank, his dad was still descending. I then observed one of our dive masters plunge after him, I would say that both subjects were now at approx. 180'. Before the DM could make contact with this brilliant physician I observed him do and emergency "blow" to the surface. Since Jr. no longer had his dive partner, my partner and I took him under our wing and began our ascent with safety checks on the way up at 30'. approximately 20 minutes later we arrived at the surface only to learn the good doctor was picked up by another boat. Jr. was taken to shore and I never saw either of them again. Looking back on this I laugh, but at the time it was quite an ordeal...

 

[brianf482]

Ya know those hard plastic inserts that fins are shipped with to keep their shape....yep I did it

 

[--tom--]

Check her make up before getting out of the car to suit up for her Open Water class...

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Check her make up before getting out of the car to suit up for her Open Water class...

re apply her make up during the Surface Interval for the next dive Doesn't having a full boatload of people watching you put on your makeup in stunned disbelief kinda negate the purpose?

I know one who got her (husband) buddy bashed and bruised on the rock getting her out of the water because she refused to grab the rocks for fear of "ruining her nails" Her buddy is one of the most competent DM's and nicest guys you could ever meet! They are divorced now lol and I think he may have been wishing he had left her to her own devices that day!

 

[Tessunderwater]

I'm hoping you can all shed some light on mishaps you've seen newbie or inexperienced divers encounter. I've read the pet peeves thread but I thought this could be a thread with personal experiences. I'm hoping myself and other new divers could learn from others' mistakes.

Since I'm still a relative newbie with only 13 dives I haven't seen anyone yet but I'll use myself as an example . I didn't turn my tank valve off all the way and thought I had bled all the air out of the line and popped an o ring. However, you live and learn, I definitely haven't done it since.

 

[thanksforallthefish]

Ya know those hard plastic inserts that fins are shipped with to keep their shape....yep I did it

you and I and everyone else that ever dived ...

 

[ShootinSquid]

Ha, Ha....I gotta put one in here....and yes...it was me that did it. LOL

On a recert dive once, I was pretty happy with myself, knowing that I have all the skills down pat and can do 'em all with NO problems! Hell, it was basics...this was gonna' be a piece of cake. After all, I've been diving since '96!!!

So, there we were...I helped my buddy check their stuff, did another once-over on my own stuff and gave the OK sign. My buddy and I were the last in a string to enter the water. So, standing at the edge watching everyone else do a giant stride, it was finally my turn. As I was looking at everyone else and in my mind going over the usual stuff I have with me as attachments and pouches and possible danger situations or scenrios with wave action, boat action, etc...and while knowing damn well that I can do a giant stride without having my head go under and getting my hair wet...so...there I went...

The next words I hear are the Instructor's , "...Art, remember to hold onto your mask when you do a giant stride, so when you go under the water doesn't rip your mask off your face."

Out of a hundred times I did it, I screwed up the Giant Stride entry of my recert dive. Normally, people have a little bit of humble pie...like a little slice...I think I won the pie eating contest.

LOL


PS...on a positive note, I did everything else perfectly.

 

[Bogtrotter]

I saw a guy's tank drop out of the straps- it was dangling down around his butt with his head jarred upward and back. He was in total panic mode trying to doggy paddle to the surface- the rest of us, some of us also newbies, kind of just stared in amazement :shocked2: Fortunately the DM was quick-thinking and had the guy under control fairly quickly. I'll never forget to wet my tank straps after seeing that.

 

[Tessunderwater]

I saw a guy's tank drop out of the straps- it was dangling down around his butt with his head jarred upward and back. He was in total panic mode trying to doggy paddle to the surface- the rest of us, some of us also newbies, kind of just stared in amazement :shocked2: Fortunately the DM was quick-thinking and had the guy under control fairly quickly. I'll never forget to wet my tank straps after seeing that.

I have had this happen to me before and later a friend showed me how to tighten the strap where it wouldn't move. However, I was out of the water and heading to the sea wall when it finally slipped out.