brendanrtw
Guest
Sometimes you've just got to love this board for all the *****in that goes on !!
First boat dive....
- Thread starter Phil
- Start date
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I know that the DM's at hydrospace in PC stay on the boat during the dive. They tie up to the wreck when you reach the dive site, then return to the boat. They actually put your fins on for you, and check and make sure your air is on before you giant stride in. After your dive they take your fins before you climb up the ladder. When all divers are accounted for they then dive back down and untie from the wreck. They give a sort breifing on visibility, current and anything of interest at that site. I would think that if someone wanted to hire a DM to lead them they would do that for a fee. These dives are easy. You have a line straight to the wreck and there is nothing but sand if you get off the wreck, so you just dive the wreck and go right back to the line and go up.
Phil,
After completing the PADI OW training course, even though I had a C-card, I would not have felt comfortable jumping off a boat into the ocean at a new location without a guide (babysitter). This was not a shortcoming of the course, I had good instructors, but four open water dives is not a lot of experience. At that point buoyancy control was almost a full-time job. If I had to keep track of the line (navigate), I would not have been able to enjoy looking around at the scenery.
I dont think there is anything wrong with diving with a guide (DM) and relying on them for navigation. In fact, recognizing that you dont feel comfortable without one is a sign of maturity and will make you safer.
I would modify Walters statement If you need someone to lead you around by the hand, you need to take a real class, to at some point you may want to take AOW to learn navigation and improve buoyancy control. Thats what I did and now I would feel comfortable jumping off the boat without a guide.
Good Luck,
Mike
After completing the PADI OW training course, even though I had a C-card, I would not have felt comfortable jumping off a boat into the ocean at a new location without a guide (babysitter). This was not a shortcoming of the course, I had good instructors, but four open water dives is not a lot of experience. At that point buoyancy control was almost a full-time job. If I had to keep track of the line (navigate), I would not have been able to enjoy looking around at the scenery.
I dont think there is anything wrong with diving with a guide (DM) and relying on them for navigation. In fact, recognizing that you dont feel comfortable without one is a sign of maturity and will make you safer.
I would modify Walters statement If you need someone to lead you around by the hand, you need to take a real class, to at some point you may want to take AOW to learn navigation and improve buoyancy control. Thats what I did and now I would feel comfortable jumping off the boat without a guide.
Good Luck,
Mike
sactomags
Guest
I have discovered that it is more the norm to NOT have the DM enter the water, at least with the dive ops we have used in California and Florida. In Hawaii they escort almost all dives -- except shore -- and believe me, you do pay for it ($120+ for a two-tank dive on Maui) -- but you can always rent a tank and do a shore dive. The dive ops we used in Boca, Marathon, and Key West did not use a DM in the water except when it was a "deep" dive, around 90+ feet. Not sure why as they weren't the buddy except in one instance when the divers were an odd-numbered lot and the DM stepped up as a buddy. Also, on the one live aboard we did, no DM went in the water except for a rescue situation. Of course, on those "escorted" dives, once they were comfortable with your skills, you just had to keep them in sight and could dive your own profile -- for the most part.
Some dive ops will provide you with a guide for more money, some just don't because they don't have that many people available to serve as escorts.
Margaret
Some dive ops will provide you with a guide for more money, some just don't because they don't have that many people available to serve as escorts.
Margaret
art.chick
Contributor
Phil,
It's not our fault when we face the unexpected while booking a first dive independent from our class. I had the jitters the first time I did a boat dive because our class was all shore dives! Perhaps this is not the same as your situation, but I was chatting with a girl in a mediatation class yesterday, & she asked me about my diving. She said that she liked it because it was like hiking. I thought she meant hauling gear up & down Cardiac Hill!
We talked for a while before she asked what guides I was using to go out of our shores/boats. Her OW class never gave her the confidence to feel safe in the water with just her buddy. Heck, my instructor made us kick laps, study the surf, do new skills on every ocean dive, and practice skin diving in surge till we were seasick. Nobody is attacking the newbies' desire to get immersed when they shake their heads at what seems to be residual dependency; they are just outraged at how little is given the the poor student who has just shelled out a fortune for gear.
It's not our fault when we face the unexpected while booking a first dive independent from our class. I had the jitters the first time I did a boat dive because our class was all shore dives! Perhaps this is not the same as your situation, but I was chatting with a girl in a mediatation class yesterday, & she asked me about my diving. She said that she liked it because it was like hiking. I thought she meant hauling gear up & down Cardiac Hill!
We talked for a while before she asked what guides I was using to go out of our shores/boats. Her OW class never gave her the confidence to feel safe in the water with just her buddy. Heck, my instructor made us kick laps, study the surf, do new skills on every ocean dive, and practice skin diving in surge till we were seasick. Nobody is attacking the newbies' desire to get immersed when they shake their heads at what seems to be residual dependency; they are just outraged at how little is given the the poor student who has just shelled out a fortune for gear.
Well thats nice and all, but some instructors dont see a dime of that money for gear, and as for instruction... you get what you pay for. Its as simple as that.
Ryan Stone
IDCS
art.chick
Contributor
Rstone,
You could not have put it better. Wish my reply had reflected that sentiment better! I also have to point out that students have a TIME investment deficit in some classes. If the DEMAND is for a c-card by the time the plane leaves for Fiji on Tuesday, that sentiment gets catered to. Like planning a good wedding, you can't just call up the priest & say, "are you free this afternoon; we thought we'd come over with a few hundred friends & some flowers." Are there still students out there who have the willingness to put 8 weeks into OW? Or does everyone call all the shops looking for the lowest price & shortest time commitment?
You could not have put it better. Wish my reply had reflected that sentiment better! I also have to point out that students have a TIME investment deficit in some classes. If the DEMAND is for a c-card by the time the plane leaves for Fiji on Tuesday, that sentiment gets catered to. Like planning a good wedding, you can't just call up the priest & say, "are you free this afternoon; we thought we'd come over with a few hundred friends & some flowers." Are there still students out there who have the willingness to put 8 weeks into OW? Or does everyone call all the shops looking for the lowest price & shortest time commitment?
I would venture to say the later of the two
and then they complain they didnt get that quality education in scuba diving, go figure.Ryan Stone
IDCS
astrl
Contributor
Interestingly enough, I took my OW class through the university so our classwork and diving were spread out over several months. I think that fact made me feel more comfortable with the equipment and such.
I went diving in Key Largo about 4 years ago and it was the very next dive I had done since the OW class. The DM stayed on board and that made me nervous at first. But surprisingly enough, it was not bad at all. You just have to pay attention to your compass and find your way back to the boat.
There were quite a few boats out there at the same time and another DM with a class thought I was his student and tried to corral me. Ha-ha! What I DIDN'T think was funny was that he was standing on some coral as he did it!!!
astrl
I went diving in Key Largo about 4 years ago and it was the very next dive I had done since the OW class. The DM stayed on board and that made me nervous at first. But surprisingly enough, it was not bad at all. You just have to pay attention to your compass and find your way back to the boat.
There were quite a few boats out there at the same time and another DM with a class thought I was his student and tried to corral me. Ha-ha! What I DIDN'T think was funny was that he was standing on some coral as he did it!!!
astrl
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