Honest question for you dive masters instructors out there

[Bonairetrip]

Unless of course your sooo cool in an unplanned event and have awesome flexibility to reach over and turn your valve on coupled with the ability to clear your ears at an ascent rate of maybe 100ft/min.

You can't turn your own valves on and off when in the water? That is something I actually practice.

Do you typically enter the water super negative? I tend to be either neutral or slightly positive.

What am I missing?

 

[Wookie]

You can't turn your own valves on and off when in the water? That is something I actually practice.

Do you typically enter the water super negative? I tend to be either neutral or slightly positive.

What am I missing?

I've never dived the west coast, but on the east coast on some high current sites, you get a hot drop, which means that the boat captain lines you up with the wreck and dumps you in. You do all buddy checks on the boat so you drop in way negative and don't spend any time mucking about. At the bottom, do another buddy check.

 

[Herb-alaska]

You can't turn your own valves on and off when in the water? That is something I actually practice.

Do you typically enter the water super negative? I tend to be either neutral or slightly positive.

What am I missing?

Bonaire I think it boiled down for me as "respect ". I did not respect him as a DM for the reasons that i outlined before but I respected him as a Person so I simply asked him "Please don't i have already checked my air "and then when that did not work i said "really please i don't like people touching my gear. " When he refused to back off i kept my mouth shut and when he was done I did another check. But I did not appreciate that he did not respect me as a diver and person so I chose not to tip him. Rather than make a stink at the boat I simply wrote an open letter here and that is where it hit the fan about me me being a cheap SOB who stiffed the poor hard working DM. But really it doesn't mater I can respect that it takes a lot of opinions to make the world go around and so I am going home and going to dive.

 

[Rich Keller]

Bonaire I think it boiled down for me as "respect ". I did not respect him as a DM for the reasons that i outlined before but I respected him as a Person so I simply asked him "Please don't i have already checked my air "and then when that did not work i said "really please i don't like people touching my gear. " When he refused to back off i kept my mouth shut and when he was done I did another check. But I did not appreciate that he did not respect me as a diver and person so I chose not to tip him. Rather than make a stink at the boat I simply wrote an open letter here and that is where it hit the fan about me me being a cheap SOB who stiffed the poor hard working DM. But really it doesn't mater I can respect that it takes a lot of opinions to make the world go around and so I am going home and going to dive.

I think you hit the nail on the head, respect seems to be more your issue then having your equipment touched. I think you might be insulted that the DM felt he had to check your gear. As for not tipping, that will not get your message across unless you tell someone there why you are not tipping.

 

[RTee]

I've never dived the west coast, but on the east coast on some high current sites, you get a hot drop, which means that the boat captain lines you up with the wreck and dumps you in. You do all buddy checks on the boat so you drop in way negative and don't spend any time mucking about. At the bottom, do another buddy check.

Wookie, I would also assume that you would be looking at some minimal level of divers experience if there is a likelihood of conducting that type of an entry. Am I right?

Personally, I prefer for crew to not touch my equipment but be available to provide assistance if required. There is a difference by having somebody escorting you to and from the stern (for balance purposes) as you are making your way to the stern in rolling water and handing you fins, camera and mask and somebody pressing all purges of my equipment including my wing and findling with my valve(s) as I am about to step-in.

My second point is that not all crew members are necessarily certified scuba divers, let alone DM which tend to re-inforce my initial point about not fiddling with my equipment, be it pre-dive or in-between dive (ie transfer equipment for one tank to another).

Having said that, I have no problem with boat crew offering assistance and then act according to the response they receive, such as please or no thank you with nobody being offended in the process...as long as it is done in this very specific order.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

This thread reminds me of my only serious underwater accident. The customer made it to 75 feet with the tank completely off. She was a pettite women and had 3500 (or more) to start, so she could breath the "hose air" for a while.

Anyway, when she totally paniced at depth (and completely and repeatedly refused my second stage) I floored the "up" button on her BC.... nothing... I then hauled her to the surface ASAP. As we drug her up on the platform, and before we knew if she had any permanent injuries; you can bet I cranked open that value (without her consent or knowledge).

I figured, if she died it might mitigate our liability...

Better late than never; right?

---------- Post added December 30th, 2012 at 12:01 PM ----------

I've never dived the west coast, but on the east coast on some high current sites, you get a hot drop, which means that the boat captain lines you up with the wreck and dumps you in. You do all buddy checks on the boat so you drop in way negative and don't spend any time mucking about. At the bottom, do another buddy check.

I agree that "hot drops" are generally done when the diver is negatively buoyant. However, I don't need to be "way" negative...Maybe 6-8 lbs, which is the result of having my BC close to empty. I just point my head down, exhale, kick hard for a very short time and I am well on the way to the bottom.

I do think I agree with the context however, if you forget to turn your tank on, you are heavy and you exhale and kick down...you will have a serious problem very fast. I had an extremely experienced buddy do that... and with a heavy steel tank, no ditchable lead, little exposure protection.. if you are stupid... you better be strong.

 

[mdax]

Why not just reach back and confirm your valve is on if you or your buddy notice a dm check it? Takes less time than posting to the thread...

 

[Akimbo]

I've never dived the west coast, but on the east coast on some high current sites, you get a hot drop, which means that the boat captain lines you up with the wreck and dumps you in...

I frequently tell the crew, privately and in advance, that I hit the water swimming down, not to be concerned if my mask is on my forehead, and to stay onboard if they see blood in the water. Most West Coast boats are smaller and captains can size you up pretty fast. It is rarely a problem.

 

[Blackmore75]

I'll leave the gear alone unless either something really jumps out at me, or in watching the divers get ready I notice someone REALLY lost in what they are doing. Then you also need to ask them a few questions and be sure they are in the right frame of mind to be going down at all. I will never just grab someones gear without them knowing I am going to do or check anything.

 

[Herb-alaska]

Why not just reach back and confirm your valve is on if you or your buddy notice a dm check it? Takes less time than posting to the thread...

because this thread is about more than the valve touchy or the tip part it is about honest discourse and a little discord so maybe a DM or a diver can understand how the other one feels a little easier. I believe that this is how we are learn from each other. I k now that the DM in question most likely will not read this thread but maybe another DM that I encounter will .