Silent people annoy me. They will be on the boat for the best part of a day not talking to anyone. When questioned about their diving interests, their replies are vague and they look disinterested- it's really hard to plan a dive site for these folks. They can really change the dynamics of an otherwise upbeat group of people. Communication is important- it makes everyone's life so much easier. Everyone has bad mornings, but I've had multiple days with the same people on the boat.
People who do not make even cursory research in to their destination choices. These people would dive in a freshwater lake and complain that they didn't see any sharks. If you want to take a photo of the Eiffel Tower, it's not enough simply to go to France. Orangutans live in Malaysia but don't expect to meet one under the Petrona Towers. The seas are seasonal- if you want to take photos of autumn leaves in Japan- don't go in springtime.
The 'hundred club' members. Those that think because they have over 100 dives, the laws of physics no longer apply to them. Card-carrying DM's seem to be the worst at this. I do not rate a non-working DM any higher than a decent AOW diver. Establish yourself in your diving techniques- not your black pro card.
'All the gear but no idea'. They have a lot of shiny equipment, big-rig cameras etc. but still have not read the manual for their Galileo D-9000 intergrated with nanobot technology. Often heard to mutter: "I think computer mistake" in a Russian accent.
The 'old-school' divers who pre-date the BCD and still insist on diving that way. Never stop learning better diving techniques.
Divers who do not respect the strength of currents and the dangers of depth. I was leading a group of divers a few years ago at around this time of year when the currents in the Maldives can be... fickle. The group was mixed and I was giving a fairly precise briefing for the less experienced divers. One guy who was some distant member of the Dutch? royal family started waxing on about how he's dived this particular reef before and he knows what it's all about; he's dived dozens more like it yada, yada, blah, balh.
During the dive the current was a moderate jogging-paced drift with a mild down-current as the warmer (inner-atoll) water was sliding under the cooler oceanic water. I was staying within 40' with my inexperienced breathers, and this diver was slowly sinking- sliding down the reef. Several times he ignored my signals to come up- I knew from diving this reef at the same time last year that it would get stronger towards the end of the dive as we approach the channel entrance. After the dive he complained bitterly about me saying I ruined his dive.
People that lie about how much air they used after the dive. Professionals use air comsumption to plan future dives and sites.
People that under-estimate their weight requirements. Do a weight check, write it down.
People that over-estimate their weight requirements. Almost nobody needs 6kg in a 3mm shorty.
People that simply have no idea on something as simple as weight, but expect to be considered as 'experienced divers'. They haven't assembled their own equipment in the last 10 years but expect to be considered as 'experienced divers'.
Finally, the people that lament on what they didn't see during a dive as opposed to celebrating what they did. I've honestly had people say that they saw only one whale shark during a full-day excursion.
Phew...
People who do not make even cursory research in to their destination choices. These people would dive in a freshwater lake and complain that they didn't see any sharks. If you want to take a photo of the Eiffel Tower, it's not enough simply to go to France. Orangutans live in Malaysia but don't expect to meet one under the Petrona Towers. The seas are seasonal- if you want to take photos of autumn leaves in Japan- don't go in springtime.
The 'hundred club' members. Those that think because they have over 100 dives, the laws of physics no longer apply to them. Card-carrying DM's seem to be the worst at this. I do not rate a non-working DM any higher than a decent AOW diver. Establish yourself in your diving techniques- not your black pro card.
'All the gear but no idea'. They have a lot of shiny equipment, big-rig cameras etc. but still have not read the manual for their Galileo D-9000 intergrated with nanobot technology. Often heard to mutter: "I think computer mistake" in a Russian accent.
The 'old-school' divers who pre-date the BCD and still insist on diving that way. Never stop learning better diving techniques.
Divers who do not respect the strength of currents and the dangers of depth. I was leading a group of divers a few years ago at around this time of year when the currents in the Maldives can be... fickle. The group was mixed and I was giving a fairly precise briefing for the less experienced divers. One guy who was some distant member of the Dutch? royal family started waxing on about how he's dived this particular reef before and he knows what it's all about; he's dived dozens more like it yada, yada, blah, balh.
During the dive the current was a moderate jogging-paced drift with a mild down-current as the warmer (inner-atoll) water was sliding under the cooler oceanic water. I was staying within 40' with my inexperienced breathers, and this diver was slowly sinking- sliding down the reef. Several times he ignored my signals to come up- I knew from diving this reef at the same time last year that it would get stronger towards the end of the dive as we approach the channel entrance. After the dive he complained bitterly about me saying I ruined his dive.
People that lie about how much air they used after the dive. Professionals use air comsumption to plan future dives and sites.
People that under-estimate their weight requirements. Do a weight check, write it down.
People that over-estimate their weight requirements. Almost nobody needs 6kg in a 3mm shorty.
People that simply have no idea on something as simple as weight, but expect to be considered as 'experienced divers'. They haven't assembled their own equipment in the last 10 years but expect to be considered as 'experienced divers'.
Finally, the people that lament on what they didn't see during a dive as opposed to celebrating what they did. I've honestly had people say that they saw only one whale shark during a full-day excursion.
Phew...
