Gear Setting Up

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Phil TK

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Location
Essex, England
What are everyone's views on dive ops that set up the customers' gear for them on the boat? (wether it be rented gear or customers gear)
Is this ok? or should all divers assemble their own kit as a matter of good practise?
I myself strongly favour all divers putting their own kit together but it seems that many ops now get their DMs to assemble the kit on behalf of the customers.
When I dived with R****** Divers in V****** I'd left my own gear back in Thailand and had to rent gear off this op which the crew assembled before I even got on the boat. We couldn't examine the kit before the dive as it was only assigned to us about one minute before we were strapped in and coraled with much haste off the back of the boat.(this made me very angry but my girlfriend gave me one of her looks and I kept quiet) I then had an 'incident' underwater (BIG O ring blow out) which may or may not have been due to shoddy examination/assembly -who knows? If this incident was caused by poor assembly or whatever, then my view is that I would at least like to retain the privalige of having mucked it up personally -if you see what I mean. It annoys me that somebody else might have been responsible.
What is wrong with customers setting up their own gear? I think a good dive op should insist on it.
Phil TK
 
If the boat crew wants to set my gear up. Fine, but you can bet I watch VERY carefully and double check it after they finish. My biggest gripe with them has been the disassembly of it. Using the regulator body instead of the yoke screw to loosen the first stage from the tank.

I kinda look at it like me setting up my buddy's equipment. They better double check me just to be sure it is done their way.
 
I don't rent gear and I always set up my own. If I did rent gear and I arrived to find it already set up, I would take it apart and redo iy myself. I don't corral easily. Do I understand you had one minute from boarding the boat until you were expected to get in the water?
 
It is one way that the crew earns their tips. On smaller boats, it is often essential as room is limited, especially between dives. Whenever possible, I thank the crew for their offer and explain that I would prefer doing it myself. When it is crearly more convienient for the crew to do a gear changover, I simply inspect it carefully. With my home-made BP/W and Mk7 1st, some crews would rather not touch it anyway.
 
On my first post-cert dives at St. Thomas and St. Maarten, I was one of the few that had their own equipment. It was a cruise excursion. The DM's were pretty busy setting up everyone else. They offered to do mine, but I told them I'd take care of it. No hassles, they had enough to do. They did check that I had my air turned on just before I stepped off. I'm still new, so I actually like putting all that stuff together. I'm conservative enough that I like to be sure it's done correctly. After all, it's my life, not theirs.
 
Phil TK:
...had to rent gear off this op which the crew assembled before I even got on the boat. We couldn't examine the kit before the dive as it was only assigned to us about one minute before we were strapped in and coraled with much haste off the back of the boat..
Very strange, very unusual. Strange enough that I wonder if that's really the normal practice of the boat.

Divers need to have time to familiarize themselves with how the rental gear operates, to fully check it out, and to do a proper buddy check with their buddy.

It sounds like somebody forgot to tell you where your gear was located (or they did and it didn't register with you) and since you didn't ask, the omission wasn't apparent until it was time to start the dive.

-------------
On the general question of crew assembly the gear --- I've done it enough times that I don't need any practice :). It's not a big deal one way or the other, although sometimes I need to adjust the tank height. It just takes a minute to double check everything.
 
Set up my own gear..always!! No questions asked.
 
Charlie99:
Very strange, very unusual. Strange enough that I wonder if that's really the normal practice of the boat.

.

I suspect that it probably is. The gear sat in cradles at the back of the boat -but this area was not large enough for everyone to stand over their equipment and check it at the same time and on the way to the divesite it was crowded out with the crew assembling more sets of gear. The boat was the usual converted fishing boat you find in that part of the world but most of them are usually converted to stow the gear forward of the bridge which gives more room (and more time) -this one should have been.
When we were summoned to the back of the boat I did think it was for a briefing and an opportunity to examine the gear but it was a summons to gear up and dive right away. We got no briefing as the guide spoke no english and felt he 'didn't have to as we were all DMs' and we had no opportunity for buddy check as I couldn't physically get to my buddy accross the crowded area, hence my anger (we did our checks in the water, but others did not).
This sounds like a nightmare op -but I work as a video-ographer and have seen a few, and it's not the worst in SE Asia by a long chalk I 'm afraid.
Phil TK
 
I prefer to set up my own gear. I won't set up my wife's gear for her either, although I end up carrying some of it onto the boat at times.

I prefer to do this because then I know that my gear is set up the way I am used to it. It also gives me an opportunity to go through the mental checklist to make sure that I have everything.
 
No one touches my gear but me and a VERY few trusted buddies. If it is rented stuff I'll take it apart and reassemble myself. I realize they make tips like this but they'll get a better one if the trip is enjoyable and I'm not worrying about who set my stuff up. If someone can't do it theirrself maybe it's time to get more experience or find another hobby/sport unless they have a condition which prevents them from taking care of (lifting,assembling)their own gear. Except for new students I won't dive with a certified diver who can't or won't assemble their own rig unless they are unable to for the above reason. If they are too lazy to do it then what else will they be lazy about on the dive? Safe practices perhaps?
 

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