Gloves on reefs

[Northeastwrecks]

leadweight once bubbled...
You may wear gloves when adjusting your BWOD, but only on the boat.

"The Recommendation that reef divers refrain from wearing gloves is pretty much commonsensical: When your hands are unprotected, you are less likely to touch the reef. ...

...One is definitely more cautious about handling things when one is bare handed. ...

If you are a skilled diver and mastered bouyancy control, gloves are not necessary when diving on a reef."

All of this is from the article cited above. I believe it is fair to say that Alex Brylske's credentials as a diver are way beyond anyone around here, having authored the PADI divemaster's manual and other training guides.

I don't have BWOD, so that's not applicable.

Your statement that people will be less likely to touch coral if they are unprotected causes me to question your training. I don't touch coral because I was properly taught buoyancy skills and the impact of people touching coral.

I don't need anything more. If someone else does, then they shouldn't be in the water. If a DM observes someone knocking around the coral, the solution is not to remove the gloves. The solution is to remove the diver.

Your statement that gloves are not necessary when diving on a reef is simply nonsensical and conclusory. I get painful sunburn if I don't wear protection. Gloves are protection. Therefore, they are necessary if I'm to avoid painful sunburn.

Whether Alex Brylske wrote anything is irrelevant to this discussion. The PADI DM manual is neither particularly advanced nor is it particularly well written. Most of the manual deals with dive leadership, supervision, learning theory, dive shop economics and what it takes to pass the DM course.

After certification, DM's use the OWSI manual, which is where you'll find little gems like having your students kneel on the bottom of the pool.

Are you even a certified DM or are you guessing at what is in the book. Because it doesn't sound like you've ever looked inside of it.

MikeS is right. People who can't dive will slam into the coral regardless of whether they have gloves or not. Trying to prevent them from doing so by making it more likely that they will be injured is stupid and ineffective. The result is dead coral and an injured diver. Proper training with appropriate gear will result in live coral and an uninjured diver.

Is this too complicated?

I'm leaving for my EFR Instructor course. Hopefully, they'll cover injuries sustained by morons who can't stay off the coral unless they are hogtied with their hands behind their backs.

 

[leadweight]

Say something and people ask for substantiation.

Give substantiation and they say it is no good no matter how good it is. Writing PADI manuals is not enough. I guess everything in those manuals is wrong and that is the cause of all the evil in the underwater world. Personally, I think trying to diss Brylske's credentials is a cheap shot that shows how desperate everyone here is to win an argument.

Nearly every recreational diver goes through a reef like a bulldozer and swims at a 45 degree angle. Give me a break. There are bad ones out there but not that large a proportion.

I may not know much about drysuits or reels. But I know what I am talking about when it comes to reef diving. That is where I dive, and I do it a lot.

The problem is you guys are used to diving in cold water or on wrecks where wearing gloves is highly indicated. Reefs are different. Stuff can happen, but were not talking about box jellyfish here. Actually, I have been stung by jellyfish on my face while hanging on a rope (without gloves). I have been bit on the face by damsel fish. I have yet to be stung or bit on my hands. I will admit to an occasional scratch, but no more often than an office paper cut.

A diver can either be a steward of the ocean or an exploiter. Stewards preserve what is there and set an example for others to follow. Exploiters remove things from the ocean for their personal gain and deny other divers a chance to enjoy these resources. Some places regulate this, others do not. Which category are you in?

 

[WreckWriter]

Geez, you never give up, do you? You accuse us of having to win the arguement at any cost and here you go again with the same stuff you had before, like a broken record. "Alex said so"... ooooooo Do you know the guy? No? Why do you put him up like he's Jacques C. returned from heaven?

You want to dive without gloves? Go for it. You want to dive with that silly little beanie cap that makes you look like Snoopy? Go for that too. While you at it, why not pick up a pair of low-top booties and a dive flag speedo, those are always great fashion accessories for the well dressed Cozumel commando.

Don't expect everyone to buy into it though. You dive how you like, we'll do the same.

You never would have even gotten involved in this thread if that boneheaded 446 hadn't been downtalking backplates so I don't see why you're still interested since he's now crawled back under his rock for the time being. I bet there's room for you under there too.

Don't you have a vacation to go on or some bunny dives to do?

WW

 

[leadweight]

WreckWriter once bubbled...

Don't expect everyone to buy into it though. You dive how you like, we'll do the same.

WW

For starters. I am not making the rules. In Coz, Bonaire and on many boats, gloves are forbidden. I suppose some creeps can sneek them on after they go down.

I have never met Alex. Do I have to? I never met Shakespear, but I can quote him.

You seem to be quite proud of the fact that you wrote a couple of books. He wrote more than you did, tisk tisk.

You have a really bad case of the nasties WW.

Glad you like my beanie. Perhaps I can find one with a picture of Snoopy on the side.

You can dive with your silly little BP that makes you look like a fugitive from a B&D convention. Touche.

I cound not care less about 446 or whoever he is.

Bunny dives? Nothing but bunny dives this weekend, its Easter.

Your so tough, go dive Iraq.

 

[Spectre]

<beep beep beep beep beep>

Ok. Leadweight. Question for you. Please think about it and answer legitimately.

If someone with bad bouyancy gets into trouble near a reef, and is nervous because they don't have gloves. How do they get themselves out of the situation?

 

[MechDiver]

Now ya done it Spectre. Gawd, I can hear him straining from here. He's not going to get it. Geez LW, it's gotta hurt huh?

 

[King Kong Matt]

Spectre once bubbled...
Question for you. Please think about it and answer legitimately.

If someone with bad bouyancy gets into trouble near a reef, and is nervous because they don't have gloves. How do they get themselves out of the situation?

Re-read Alex Brylske's book? After all, he did write a PADI manual after all...

 

[Dectek]

Ya ever grab a lobster and have it thrash around a little? These things can cut ya up a bit.
Ya ever been hovering 2 feet off the reef looking into a crack and have some crack pot slam into you driving your bare skin into the coral? Bet you wish you were wearing gloves then.

I kind of think of the no glove wearing on a reef thing a good thing.
For the other guy.(sarcastic) I put mine on after entering the water. After the DM sees that I am not abusing the coral the subject does not come up during SIs or return trips.....Nothing has been said to me yet.

 

[Ari]

It is clear why gloves are not allowed in some places.

Personally, I don't use gloves. I do suffer some cutts some times, but as a general rule I try to keep my hands to myself.

Nevertheless, sometimes I have to hang on to something, and than I try to be as carefull as possible.

And no, I don't have any coral heads at home.

Ari

 

[bwerb]

leadweight once bubbled...


For starters. I am not making the rules. In Coz, Bonaire and on many boats, gloves are forbidden. I suppose some creeps can sneek them on after they go down.Point 1

Your so tough, go dive Iraq. Point 2

1.) I'm surprised that because it has been deemed "from upon high" that gloves are against the rules (even with some legitimate reasons concerning pure dive skill mediocrity) that you then turn around and name call people as a portion of your argument. I thought that you were into using intelligence and wordsmithing in your debate style, not lowering yourself to slurs.

You seem to have mistaken the original "intent" of the regulation (don't touch anything) for the reality (many divers shouldn't be in the water over a reef whether they wear gloves or freedive buck naked with fins). It comes back full circle to diver training...which is the point everyone on the other side of the debate keeps hammering on. Gloves are a bandaid on a papercut finger solution to a severed leg problem.

2.) WTF is this? This comment makes me so mad I can hardly type. You sir, are full of hypocrisy in your posts (note...I did not actually CALL you a hypocrite...that would be name calling which is not part of polite debate). On one side, you purport a "touchy feely" (my words) style of DIL with yoga etc. Here you talk about being a good steward for the sea. Then you lambaste Aarron for "climbing the other hill" as a non-legitimate style of debate and but feel it perfectly alright to stoop to outright name calling in your responses. This specific comment is so far beyond comprehension and legitimacy within the debate at hand that if I was you I would consider editing it out so I didn't completely come off as a witless blowhard (again, note I didn't actually call you a witless blowhard...I was saying that it is something "I" would not like to appear as). If you do not see how repugnant and offensive this comment is on so many levels then quite frankly sir, you are not worth debating with. You seem to be unable to comprehend that whining about being treated harshly is not exactly endeared when the person doing the whining is too busy throwing insults right back to see that they too are in the wrong.

Brian