Thumpers
Registered
I was working an open water class as a divemaster and was given two students to take on their first non-platform dive. We were at the Scuba park on Lake Travis.
We went down and landed on top of a boat at about 20 feet. One of the divers was fiddling with his BCD so I helped him out. When I was done and looked around the other diver was gone.
I took the student I had, escorted him to the surface, inflated his BCD and sent him off to the dock where the rest of the class was sitting. I then went back down looking for my other diver.
I did a full search, circling wider and wider , scanning everywhere.
I really was not looking forward to going up and telling the instructor that "hey, 13 out of 14 divers made it up safely, that is not bad."
Well I searched so long I eventually hit dry air and had to come up.
I exited the water on the opposite side of the docks from where our class was.
Now mind you this class has done both in class sessions, both pool sessions and this is our second day at the lake so spent the first day diving with the group and camped out over night with us. You would think by now everyone is pretty familiar with the group.
So imagine my surprise when I see him sitting there on the dock with another class, his dive book open and he is writing notes from the instructor talking to them.
When I tapped him on the shoulder and asked him what he was doing there, he had no idea what I meant. He looked around then and just then for the first time realized he did not know anyone.
He later told me that while on the boat this group had landed all around him and when they left the boat, he thought it was our class and went with them.
He did not realize until I tapped him on the shoulder he was with the wrong class.
No wonder we divemasters all have grey hair!!!!
We went down and landed on top of a boat at about 20 feet. One of the divers was fiddling with his BCD so I helped him out. When I was done and looked around the other diver was gone.
I took the student I had, escorted him to the surface, inflated his BCD and sent him off to the dock where the rest of the class was sitting. I then went back down looking for my other diver.
I did a full search, circling wider and wider , scanning everywhere.
I really was not looking forward to going up and telling the instructor that "hey, 13 out of 14 divers made it up safely, that is not bad."
Well I searched so long I eventually hit dry air and had to come up.
I exited the water on the opposite side of the docks from where our class was.
Now mind you this class has done both in class sessions, both pool sessions and this is our second day at the lake so spent the first day diving with the group and camped out over night with us. You would think by now everyone is pretty familiar with the group.
So imagine my surprise when I see him sitting there on the dock with another class, his dive book open and he is writing notes from the instructor talking to them.
When I tapped him on the shoulder and asked him what he was doing there, he had no idea what I meant. He looked around then and just then for the first time realized he did not know anyone.
He later told me that while on the boat this group had landed all around him and when they left the boat, he thought it was our class and went with them.
He did not realize until I tapped him on the shoulder he was with the wrong class.
No wonder we divemasters all have grey hair!!!!
