Exiting diver courtesy question from newbie

[drydiver]

1. It's common for cave divers to do their decompression stops just inside the cavern entrance. Sounds like those divers were on the white limestone shelf on the left, which is a common deco spot.

2. Some dive computers mandate deep stops. The 2 in the chimney were probably doing a 60' stop. It's not the most convenient place, but it happens. There is actually quite a bit of room there to pass by another team.

3. Probably was sidemount with 2 stages. Even that's a lot without a scooter!

While it is taught that exiting divers have the right of way, many of us will simply move aside and let entering divers continue their penetration if nothing is wrong. If I see a team entering, I'll usually shield my light and move to the side so they can't even see me. That way there's no question about who has the right of way.

1. yep, that's exactly where they were.
2. lol, ok, 2nd one saying there is plenty of room, gonna have to take you guys word on that one
3. Actually, it was kinda comical from my perspective, at first all I saw was this behemoth shadow (because the light was behind him) descending into my pathway, I glanced quickly above me and saw he didnt quite make it into the entrance and beat it out of the way. For all I know he could have had a scooter tucked in there somewhere also. BUT, wouldn't he have had it on to go through the entrance? No way he was hooked up with it out in front and he was moving pretty damn slowly. I obviously have even less scooter protocol knowledge

 

[TSandM]

Not a lot to add, except to say a big "Thank you" that you guys are thinking about these things!

If I were entering, and a team appeared to be stalled or exiting but only very slowly, I would wait a few moments to see if I could understand what they were doing, and if I couldn't, I'd flash them with my light and ask, as best I could, if we could move through. Often, if a team is exiting and we are entering and everyone has plenty of room, we don't pause at all. I agree with you about the slot in JB -- if there were divers at the bottom of it, I wouldn't feel great about coming down on top of them. People like Rob, who dive there all the time, have much better control than I do. I usually find myself desperately lurching for the handholds at the bottom, to avoid being blown butt first back through the crack

Anyway, kudos to you (and the person who taught you!) for having remembered your etiquette.

 

[Cave Diver]

1. Agree that they were likely doing deco if they were off on that shelf.

2. You didn't indicate how long you waited, but if it was only a couple of minutes and you were near your 1/6th's, just turning the dive at that point was the right thing to do. If you had plenty of gas, and the divers weren't moving I would have suggested making your presence known by shining your light down the chimney. Not on them or at them, but close enough that they could see it, and then see how they react.

3. I'm pretty much with Rob on the exiting protocol. We will often move out of the way and shield lights for a team that is entering. We're usually in no hurry to get out so we'll make way for a team trying to get past I'll typically move away from the line a bit as well, to give them ample room to get past us as they follow it in.

 

[Dive-aholic]

1. yep, that's exactly where they were.
2. lol, ok, 2nd one saying there is plenty of room, gonna have to take you guys word on that one

It looks smaller than it is because the fissure is smallest at the top. The wall on the right is actually the ceiling to that room so once you get through the top "restriction" you have lots of room to the right.

3. Actually, it was kinda comical from my perspective, at first all I saw was this behemoth shadow (because the light was behind him) descending into my pathway, I glanced quickly above me and saw he didnt quite make it into the entrance and beat it out of the way. For all I know he could have had a scooter tucked in there somewhere also. BUT, wouldn't he have had it on to go through the entrance? No way he was hooked up with it out in front and he was moving pretty damn slowly. I obviously have even less scooter protocol knowledge

Swimmers should make way for scooter divers since the scooter divers usually are moving more efficiently and faster. It's not a rule but common courtesy. Sounds like he didn't have a scooter. If it were me, you likely wouldn't see much more than a blur as I sped by.

 

[PfcAJ]

Imo, scootering divers should yield to swimmers if at all possible, with exiting divers (regardless of propulsion) given priority. Swimmers are slower and less maneuverable. Kinda like a powerboat yielding to a sailboat.

 

[ScubaSam]

2. You didn't indicate how long you waited, but if it was only a couple of minutes and you were near your 1/6th's, just turning the dive at that point was the right thing to do. If you had plenty of gas, and the divers weren't moving I would have suggested making your presence known by shining your light down the chimney. Not on them or at them, but close enough that they could see it, and then see how they react.

I was OP's buddy on this dive. It was definitely a couple of minutes but not more than five. They did not look like they were going to move so we figured we'd save the extra PSI of gas for our next dive. At the time I remember thinking, they are the exiting team, they have the priority and we should not get in their way.

As newbie cave divers, we certainly would not want our actions to reflect poorly on our instructor nor would we want to endanger other teams/divers and ourselves so appreciate everyone's feedback.

Many thanks to everyone who has replied.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Swimmers should make way for scooter divers since the scooter divers usually are moving more efficiently and faster. It's not a rule but common courtesy. Sounds like he didn't have a scooter. If it were me, you likely wouldn't see much more than a blur as I sped by.

I would think the scooter divers would yield to swimmers because they are more effecient and faster, that seems more courteous.

Probably why its not a rule, too many opposing viewpoints...

I just default to exitting diver gets priority, no matter their method of travel. If the exitting diver isn't actively exitting, or signals that he/she will yeild, I'll go ahead.

 

[Slamfire]

I'm not a cave diver, but I thought I'd share something that happened this last Sunday in the Whytecliff Cut. Whytecliff is a very common and popular spot around here for divers of all levels. It has an Islet on the left side, a bay that somewhat shields divers from currents, and a very vertical wall that goes all the way down to 600' just outside the bay on the right side. The wall is called The Cut. We are going out from the bay on a recreational dive and when we get to The Cut we find a team of 3 divers doing their gas switch st 70' . I recognize the three divers, friends of mine, wave hello to them and stay out of their circle, watching them move cylinders to the leash.

After a little while, my buddy catches my attention with his light waving and signals the turnaround. I acknowledge and turn around to head back. As I turned around I see another group of about 5 divers coming in with snorkels and low hanging tanks and semi vertical trim. I get out of their way and keep on going. Later on at the parking lot, my friends that where doing the gas switch ask me if that was my group that crashed in right in the middle of their circle. I told them it wasn't because my group stayed behind me. I told them we ran into this other group of about 5 divers as we where heading back.

Got me thinking, that there should some mention of basic etiquette in OW courses.

 

[ucfdiver]

In my opinion, since JB is so large, you should always give exiting teams the route closest to the gold line, and if you're entering, feel free to swim to the side away from the line and not stop. When exiting, scooter teams approaching swimming teams should always go around.

My all time pet peeve here is divers sitting in the middle of the cave on exit. If you're not in an emergency, be polite and let other teams who are entering get around you, as well as faster exiting teams.

3. four stages? Good heavens ... he was probably headed to Alabama ... did he have a scooter or two?

Doubt it, the Alabama Room is a 1 or 2 stage dive as it's only about 4000ft back. I'd guess he's going to Source Nauveau. They might have seen a SM diver with 2 stages, as well....

ok well, that one spot heading down the chimney looked pretty damn single file for this rookie

plenty of room for two teams, you don't have to be married to the line

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

me and my dive buddy create enough of a ruckus on land, we try to behave beneath the surface

How disappointing ... I was rather looking forward to diving with you ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)