Hungover Diver

[Christi]

Several months back I had to refuse someone service for this very reason.

I had a group of 6 to 8 divers over a 4 to 5 day period. They were all here for a wedding. It was a really great group of people, but of course they were here FIRST for the wedding/partying, and SECOND for the diving. The wedding planner (www.cozumelweddingplanner.com) coordinating their wedding activities for the weekend happens to be a dear friend of mine as well as my next door neighbor. I knew that a welcome dinner/party for the guests had been the previous night because she had given me an itinerary of the activities. During an innocent phone conversation with her, she commented that the groom was really having a good time had been drinking heavily all day and was still going strong when she left the party. With this in mind, I warned the divemaster and instructed him not to allow him to dive if he showed the slightest signs of being hungover.

As it turned out, no warning was needed. My divemaster said he could smell the alcohol on him before he even got on the boat. Raul took him aside and talked to him explaining that not only was he putting himself in danger, he would be jeopardizing the enjoyment and safety of the other divers on board...so he would not be able to dive. He was very angry at first, but later apologized and thanked us for looking out for him. The other divers on the boat were also very appreciative.

This was an obvious case. We've had a couple of other isolated cases that weren't so obvious and I'm sure we've had people that have hid it very well and dove.

I tell my divers who like to party this:
"You are certified divers, and I'm not your mother. I know it's your vacation, but if you want to dive with us, you have to make a choice...diving or partying...but if you are going to party hard the night before a morning dive, don't plan on diving or getting a refund when we don't allow you on the boat. It's just not worth the risk to your safety or to the liability of myself and my crew."

I have some people who plan a day off in the middle and they party that night...or they schedule a couple of afternoon dives if available.

Believe it or not, there is one shop ( very popular shop), that very recently invited their divers to have drinks on the SI. I was amazed...I thought it was a joke. The divemaster got off the boat and said "Bar is open, we're leaving in an hour." The divers proceeded to have beers and cocktails in front of th divemaster and get back on the boat. I saw another group of divers a few days later (different operation) carrying a 6 pack back to the boat while drinking one too.

Warning: The very number one cause for decompression sickness reported by Cozumel chambers is dehydration! Save your partying for home. You can party there, but most of you can't dive there. If you're here to dive...then take care of yourself and be a responsible diver!

 

[DandyDon]

Believe it or not, there is one shop ( very popular shop), that very recently invited their divers to have drinks on the SI. I was amazed...I thought it was a joke. The divemaster got off the boat and said "Bar is open, we're leaving in an hour." The divers proceeded to have beers and cocktails in front of th divemaster and get back on the boat. I saw another group of divers a few days later (different operation) carrying a 6 pack back to the boat while drinking one too.

I don't guess you'll tell us which operators these were, but I'd sure like to know. They need to be avoided!

 

[msandler]

So, apparently he made the dive with no incident.?.

 

[Christi]

So, apparently he made the dive with no incident.?.

Who are you referring to?

 

[DandyDon]

Who are you referring to?

I think he's referencing the guy mentioned in the original post? :sunny

 

[msandler]

the subject of this thread. the hung-over chap in question in the first post. By the way, don't be so quick to condemn an operator, group or individual because you have made an observation. It is very plausible that the beverages in question are for after the dive on the ride back or are being consumed by non-divers. For the record, I am a non-drinker but, I have seen a lot rumors circulate due to comments like;

"Believe it or not, there is one shop ( very popular shop), that very recently invited their divers to have drinks on the SI. I was amazed...I thought it was a joke. The divemaster got off the boat and said "Bar is open, we're leaving in an hour." The divers proceeded to have beers and cocktails in front of th divemaster and get back on the boat. I saw another group of divers a few days later (different operation) carrying a 6 pack back to the boat while drinking one too."

 

[jbisjim]

Friends of mine were on a dive in the Staits of Mackinaw that had a death occur. As it later turned out the gentleman had been in the bar quite late. While alchohol was not necessarily determining factor. It does make you think.

I keep drinking to a minimum or not at all the night before diving and I always follow the water train to keep hydrated.

 

[Christi]

the subject of this thread. the hung-over chap in question in the first post. By the way, don't be so quick to condemn an operator, group or individual because you have made an observation. It is very plausible that the beverages in question are for after the dive on the ride back or are being consumed by non-divers. For the record, I am a non-drinker but, I have seen a lot rumors circulate due to comments like;

"Believe it or not, there is one shop ( very popular shop), that very recently invited their divers to have drinks on the SI. I was amazed...I thought it was a joke. The divemaster got off the boat and said "Bar is open, we're leaving in an hour." The divers proceeded to have beers and cocktails in front of th divemaster and get back on the boat. I saw another group of divers a few days later (different operation) carrying a 6 pack back to the boat while drinking one too."

First of all, I did not mention the operator, on purpose. There are over 100 operators on the island. For the record, I still happen to think highly of the operator. I believe this was an isolated incident in which the owners of the operation were not aware of at the time. I was using it as an example. I did not condemn anyone. Finally, these were in fact divers, drinking during the surface interval. I saw it with my own eyes as did several other people, so it is not a rumor. As for the six pack being carried back to the boat with another operator, again, they may have been taking the beer for after the dive on the way back, but they were consuming at the same time, and they too were divers, not non-divers.

 

[NauticalbutNice]

Yeah, you're probably right. Too many Clint Eastwood movies in my younger years. :smilies23

You can NEVER have too many Clint Eastwood movies!

Personally I wouldn't drink and drive, and I wouldn't drink and dive. Apart from the obvious (mental fuzziness, dehydration...) I don't want to be the only person having a non-seasickness related boke over the side!

I like the odd drink, but I prefer to dive.

Nauticalbutnice :fruit:

 

[RonFrank]

My *guess* would be that many people dive hungover. Vacation+Resort=Party.

Kicking people off boats on a regular basis because they are hung over would likely be not so good for business. It's also difficult to judge this, and if someone demanded their money back (and maybe more) how does a shop handle that? If operators have policies in place warning the Diver NOT to drink the night before, then they maybe covered if they want to kick someone off.. If not....

In a perfect world, I'd say that people should NOT be diving if sick, or hung over. Realistically the DM must make the decision, that is IF he is empowered to MAKE the decision.

I guess other factors include how deep/Advanced was the dive? Was it guided by a DM, or was the boat just providing transportation?

We each need to look out for ourselves, our family, and our friends. If you've done that, then IMO that's as far as it can go unless you are the one running the show.

Ron

I went diving on a charter in Oahu where one of the divers stated that he was drinking the night before the early dive. It was apparent that he was hungover he had the shakes real bad and was sweating profusely. Others thought that he was very nervous. I asked him if he was nervous and he stated no that he was partying last night. It turns out that he is an AOW with many dives under his belt. My question is: Should the DM have let him dive? When/if the dive should be called off by someone else. Since he signed a "waiver" is it not the concern of the dive charter operator? Just wondering... he looked bad....