How to Avoid "Guided" Dives? I don't need/want my hand held.

[drbill]

I've been fortunate in that most operators I've dived with have let me hang behind the group on guided dives and even go solo with several of them. As a videographer, I understand the concern that some divers in a group may ruin your shot, although your choice of words like "moronic" seems a bit uncalled for. We all started diving at some point.

 

[newmanl]

Perhaps a bit harsh to start, but I get the sentiment. To date, my wife and I simply look for dive ops that do not require divers to be guided. My creative process struggles much better without the pressure of having to follow a guide and spending our money and time to find out if we can be excused from the DM-led diving is a risk I'm uncomfortable in taking. I also do not want to shoot the same pygmy seahorse, Rhinopias or cardinalfish mouth full of eggs that everyone else has shot. It is unfortunate that our sport/industry also has to cater to the folks less willing to take responsible for themselves in terms of training, practice and skill maintenance.

Incidentally, it seems strange to me that guiding in clear, warm water is so common-place and not a requirement in a place like the aforementioned Howe Sound (near Vancouver BC) where the water is cold, often very turbid with silt and algae and the bottom 200-700' below.

 

[Dogbowl]

Perhaps a bit harsh to start, but I get the sentiment. To date, my wife and I simply look for dive ops that do not require divers to be guided. My creative process struggles much better without the pressure of having to follow a guide and spending our money and time to find out if we can be excused from the DM-led diving is a risk I'm uncomfortable in taking. I also do not want to shoot the same pygmy seahorse, Rhinopias or cardinalfish mouth full of eggs that everyone else has shot. It is unfortunate that our sport/industry also has to cater to the folks less willing to take responsible for themselves in terms of training, practice and skill maintenance.

Incidentally, it seems strange to me that guiding in clear, warm water is so common-place and not a requirement in a place like the aforementioned Howe Sound (near Vancouver BC) where the water is cold, often very turbid with silt and algae and the bottom 200-700' below.

Not strange at all. Many people who dive in warm, clear waters are strictly vacation divers, maybe once a year, only several dives. They want or need DM-led valet diving. Those who dive in Vancouver BC are hardcore local divers - they don't want or need DM-led diving. It just depends what kind of diver you are. There are many, many more of the former type in the world.

 

[boulderjohn]

It also has a lot to do with the environment in general. The law in Cozumel requires DM-led groups, and I support the idea fully. It is drift diving in often strong currents, but the groups drifting cannot carry dive flags because of the coral structures. There is heavy boat traffic. It makes perfect sense to arrange a system where a boat follows the bubbles of a group and they all ascend together for the pickup. There have been cases of divers getting separated from their group, ascending (assumedly) in the strong currents, and never being seen again.

I have also been in many a warm water site where a guide was necessary to get us where we wanted to go. We would not have been able to navigate the site without the experienced guide leading the way.

I am pretty experienced, and I have dived all over the world. IN most of my diving, I have no need of a guide whatsoever. In other cases, a guide is very much appreciated.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Interesting variety of posts on guided dives..

I have experience only one guided tour-a long time ago in Costa Rica when " Dive master " evidently was just becoming the norm for dive charters --Something unique for a Californian -- We DO NOT have hold your hand diving !

It was the 13th guided tour for the new female Dive Master and the first one for me and my dear wife. According to the female Dive Master , after we returned to the boat she lambasted us that we spoiled the tour for her and the others -- we did not follow close enough and she considered us the worst divers she had ever guided ! (Her 13th guided tour )

The Captain whom we had known from a years previous trips took her aside and suggested in very strong language that many over heard that she should become familiar with the manifest (Sign in sheet ) and the experience of the passengers along with one memorable comment "Sam has spit more liquid into his mask than you will ever dive in"

The next two dives that day and the next 4 days we dove on our own at our own pace.. not a Divemaster or her train of divers anywhere in sight

The female dive master never ever spoke another word to us -- No hello-- No good by -- Not a word was forth coming to acknowledge my wife and I

It was about a month, more or less, after I had returned California when I received a letter from Captain of the boat in Costa Rica ..Apparently the expressed or implied authority of being a Divemaster had created an attitude problem and she was invited to seek employment else where. He apologized and invited us to return and dive again but with out a dive master.

We were beginning to dive in Egypt and never did return to Costa Rica

That was my experience-- Never had another problem....

Sam Miller, 111

 

[drbill]

To add to my previous post, I enjoy having a good dive guide... not some DM who just got their certification and is working their way around the world, but a well-experienced local guide who knows the critters and can locate ones that are special for me to film. There are several species I would have totally missed without such guides. The best ones have located something worth filming and then left me to assist other divers in the group. The crew at Club Ocellaris in Anilao, Philippines, comes to mind as well as those at Palau Dive Adventures.

 

[Alucard]

Most of my diving has been in Grand Cayman, which was mentioned in the OP. There are the larger ops (Red Sail, Divetech, etc.) where there will tend to be more people on the boat of different abilities. Then there are lots of smaller ops that provide a far more personal service. I have experience with two of those - InDepth Watersports and Cayman University Divers. Both will have a discussion with you before you get into the water as to your needs, and understand the needs of photographers. If you ask them not to point stuff out for you, but just keep an eye out for you (i.e. be your buddy, if you don't have one) then they will respect that. If you have a buddy with you, more often than not they will allow you to do your thing. (They may not on the first deep dive you do with them, but more than likely will from that point on).

Most divers I have been out with in Cayman are fine - the most recent "bonehead" that I encountered had decades of diving, a camera, and horrible skills - not sure if it was bad buoyancy control, or just a total lack of situational awareness. All his gear was dangling, too, which didn't help. So I hesitate to label any large group as problematic, as it is more about the individual than a group.

The other thing that I love on Grand Cayman when I want to find stuff with the camera is the shore diving. There are quite a few locations where you can get out into the water with your buddy and do whatever you want - if you want to hang out for half an hour getting photos of lettuce leaf slugs, nobody but your buddy is going to be upset. There are some awesome locations on top of the mini wall there where you can find all manner of things - last dive I was on there I saw a Tigertail Cucumber well over 3 feet long, which was a first for me. Also, at around $13 US a tank, I don't feel so bad just getting in the water and not "sightseeing", but playing with the camera and finding stuff.

So to the OP - not sure if you have already done your Cayman trip, but hope this helps someone!

 

[avengedkevinfold]

Thanks! We went with DiveTech & Ocean Frontiers and and it was great. However I wish we had opted for more shore diving.

 

[Alucard]

Thanks! We went with DiveTech & Ocean Frontiers and and it was great. However I wish we had opted for more shore diving.

You'll just have to return, won't you?

I have a couple of friends down there who dive and love to photograph stuff on shore dives - it makes it a lot of fun when we can get together all with the same goals... We usually have one or two non-photographers with us to keep an eye on us when (not if) we get distracted.

 

[krukster86]

For pretty much every dive trip I have been on with my wife that has in-water guides provided, we just demonstrate good practices, buoyancy control, air consumption, navigation, spotting neat creatures for everyone else, etc on the first dive.

It pretty much lets the guides know that you know your stuff and they usually tell us on the next dive that we can do our own thing as long as we are back on the boat after 50-60 minutes.