Hard lessons learned from my first dive as Divemaster guide

[dumpsterDiver]

I'm not sure what it takes to attain DM certification currently, but when I was getting my certification I had completed dozens (or more dives) with real students, along with an instructor. In my experience, it takes much longer to learn to be a good guide, than it takes to be a decent diver. It takes many dives of watching students and new divers before you can anticipate screw ups and head them off before they occur.

I once "lost" an OW student and the instructor to student ratio was 1:1. We were swimming along extremely slowly, me leading and everything was going fine in like 35 feet of water. I was checking on her every 10 seconds, maybe 15, I checked once and she was there, I check again and she is GONE and the vis was like 40 feet with a hard bottom. I spun around once looking for her and then looked up.

She had the inflator button floored and she was shooting for the surface, looking straight ahead and not struggling in the least.. just rocketing up in a vertical position. I took off after her, screaming sheeeeet the whole time and reached her fin tips as she hit the surface. I was terrified, and she was just confused. She had no idea what happene, she meant to dump air and got the down and up buttons mixed up and never thought to dump air. Terrible situational awareness.

I think it was that dive where I decided that being an instructor was too scary. People can do incredibly dumb things.

 

[TSandM]

DD, your story is the reason I'm not an instructor. I've learned that, as a DM leading the tour portion of OW dives, I need at least four eyes, and two of them on stalks . . . students can and will do the damndest things, and they'll do them in the ten seconds you took to look at where you were going, instead of watching them. It's daunting how far up in the water column a diver can get in ten seconds -- and you can't catch them, and even if you can, you can't dump somebody else's dry suit fast enough to stop an ascent.

The ONLY reason any tours work is if the divers you are leading at least make some attempt to manage their own dives. If they make none, no amount of vigilance is going to prevent an untoward event.

 

[CuracaoJ]

Another tool in your set (at least with only two divers) is your sense of hearing. Leading from the side and keeping your ears open should give you a good, almost subconsciousness, situational awareness. You get that sort of "something is in my periphery" feeling combined with actively listening for two other regs. If you learn to tune in to yourself you'll find that these senses will disappear quickly with a buddy separation, at least for me, of about 3m/10ft. As others have mentioned any time you can't see, hear or feel your charge ... well control issues don't take long at all to appear. Another little thing is that if you are frog kicking and they are to your side you can take a extra wide kick every now and then and get just a brush of contact (although that only works with one other person).

Good luck next time out!

Jeff

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Being a new divemaster is like being a new diver. You have been taught what you need to know, but there is a lot more to learn. Only experience will grow your skills, and your awareness. I commend to you two of my blogs here on SB. The first is "keep your friends close and your buddies closer." The second is "What makes a good Divemaster?"
Your practices need to be such as to prevent separtion. And you rbriefing is a lot more important than you think. A very through briefing can still be given in a fairly short time. Just like new divers, new DM's learn from every dive. You already have. Your better at DM now than you were a week ago. Keep growing.
DivemasterDennis.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Leading divers in poor vis requires a couple things. First is communication from the get go. Before even getting in the water I make it crystal clear how things will work, what needs to be done to insure they will work, and then follow that plan. I don't like to take more than 2 divers at a time and we all stay abreast of each other. One on my right and one on my left. In poor vis we are also using touch contact. Either elbow to elbow or with each resting their hand on my bicep or forearm. If I have an experienced diver I trust with usI will allow one pair to follow. But I am always looking back and stopping to make sure we are all together. Even better I prefer to have the other team lead and I follow them with my buddy if I have one. That's provided we have some way of keeping on course.

With divers that don't have much low vis experience that usually means following a line. If there is none then it's the three abreast or even four with two teams. I am in the middle and they flank me. The pace is not set by me most times. I allow the slowest diver to set the pace. If the leader is constantly waiting for the others to catch up he/she needs to slow down. Now that may mean that you don't get to see everything you may have planned to. So what? No big deal. But that is also one of the items covered before you even get in the water.

And as Lynn noted they also need to manage their own dives. But they can't or more like won't if you don't tell them that they have to do that. All part of the plan. I avoid telling lies like "I'm here to keep you safe" or "I will take care of you" or other such nonsense that they may have been fed about the DM or Guide's role during their previous training. Unless I am actually teaching a class, as opposed to leading a dive, my only role is to show them the way, stay within agency guidelines as to depth and conditions, and to show them the way back. Maybe point out things that I find interesting or allow them to decide what interests them and stop when they find something they think is cool. But they are also told that before we get in the water they need to have their own plan to get back in case something would happen to me and they are responsible for creating that.

They are also responsible for letting me know if I'm going too fast, too slow, too deep, or too shallow. And I am responsible for listening to them unless it would compromise safety. I have never had to wait for people to catch up because they are going too slow. I have had to do it because I was going too fast.

 

[amsalem]

I am grateful to all of you for your candid and valuable advice. THANK YOU

 

[Colliam7]

I have never had to wait for people to catch up because they are going too slow. I have had to do it because I was going too fast.

Very well put Jim!

 

[Bandaid6]

I frequently feel like I can't go slow enough to accommodate my newer divers, the slower I go it seems they go slower. I always ask them to stay next to me and remind them during the dive, they comply for a few slow kicks and then lag back again. When diving with my newly certified girlfriend I have resorted to holding her hand.... She thinks it's sweet I think it's necessary. Ive been recently shopping for a slower fin hoping that it will help. I wonder if newer divers just feel like they should follow the more experienced diver despite being asked to stay parallel.

 

[scubadivingsteve]

I have lead students and new divers on low vis dives. I will explain the plan to stay close and go slow, after descent and ok's all around I will head out for 3 fin kicks. I will then look for them, if they are not close I get them and we hold hands. It may seem overly cautious but you can use the compass and still maintain control. They may feel insulted but I explain their safety is my only concern. It doesn't satisfy people sometimes but It does help prevent that oh crap scenario.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I frequently feel like I can't go slow enough to accommodate my newer divers, the slower I go it seems they go slower. I always ask them to stay next to me and remind them during the dive, they comply for a few slow kicks and then lag back again.

Speaking from the standpoint of one frequently being lead, I tend to space myself a certain distance behind the DM no matter what his speed because I like to see which way the DM is heading if he changes course. I've found that sometimes a DM will veer off in another direction unexpectedly, requiring me to adjust my course more radically than I care to, potentially bumping into other divers also trying to adjust their course, or having to swim against a current.

When diving with my newly certified girlfriend I have resorted to holding her hand.... .

How recently was she certified as a girlfriend? :laughing: