How would you have helped this guy?

[TSandM]

A couple of weeks ago, a man sent a message out on our LDS e-group, asking for a dive buddy. He said he was a fairly new diver and wanted somebody to go out with who had a little more experience and knew the local sites.

I went out with him today, and it didn't go very well. He was able to descend without problems (I think he was somewhat overweighted) but he could not ever get neutral enough to swim forward. He had never been taught fin pivots, and I explained them and eventually demonstrated them, but he couldn't seem to get the hang of them. When he did get enough air in the BC to get off the bottom, he went vertical and kicked himself up to the surface.

I'm not an instructor, and I ran out of tricks pretty early. I finally told him I thought he needed to go do a refresher course in the pool and get this sorted out.

Anybody have any ideas as to any way I could have helped this nice man sort himself out better? He was very willing to listen and try. I just didn't have any ideas.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

I'm not an instructor, and I ran out of tricks pretty early. I finally told him I thought he needed to go do a refresher course in the pool and get this sorted out.

Really, what else could you have done? Sorry you had a bummer of a dive...

 

[JeffG]

I had a friend who did this same dive with his uncle in a) drysuit for the first time and b) silty dark lake for the first time.

After the first 10-15 minutes of him attempting to do a fin pivot, I recommended that he go back to the pool. He went on to try and explore the lake more. Ended up blowing out his ear drum.

Some people should just take up golf instead.

 

[midwayman]

Sending him to a qualified instructor (did you reccomend one?) is probably the best thing you could have done not being an instructor your self.

 

[DandyDon]

I think you went beyond the call of duty. Brand new divers really need to dive with charters that include in-water DMs, or hire one.

 

[JeffG]

Brand new divers really need to dive with charters that include in-water DMs, or hire one.

No...They need to be taught how to dive.

 

[Wayward Son]

I think you made the right recommendation. If his skills are that seriously deficient, he needs some remedial work with an instructor.

 

[TSandM]

That's what I thought . . . I guess it probably needs the controlled situation of a pool to sort it out. I just felt really at a loss. I did recommend an instructor, and my buddy came in while I was getting my tank filled and signed up for a refresher, so the story will end well.

 

[spectrum]

We really didn't do fin pivots formally though we were exposed to the exercise. Frankly in 10 feet of water, roughly weighted, in a crowded pool they were a PITA and booring. We did however all arrive at our ocean dives able to swim in the water column.

If it had been a nice mild summer day checking his weighs in the shallows may have been a nice excecise but in cooler weather and with a diver that seemed ready to self destruct you did the right thing IMO.

The divers addage applies here as much as in any other dive,"when in doubt, get out".

Pete

 

[jeckyll]

Sounds like he really wasn't ready to head out without a DM / instructor.

Glad that he's headed in the right direction.