Hungover Diver

[msandler]

For the record, I still happen to think highly of the operator. I believe this was an isolated...

This is definitely not obvious in your previous post. No offense Christi, I understand this as an example but I am sure you would not appreciate someone making an unqualified derogatory comment about you operation based on an observation. That was my point. No insult intended.

 

[Paco]

Why would anyone want to dive with a hangover?

 

[nwdiver2]

I’m curious also.

Did he dive and did he have any problems?

 

[Gary D.]

Why would anyone want to dive with a hangover?

Other than work, No reason.

Gary D.

 

[Christi]

This is definitely not obvious in your previous post. No offense Christi, I understand this as an example but I am sure you would not appreciate someone making an unqualified derogatory comment about you operation based on an observation. That was my point. No insult intended.

No offense taken...and you're right, I should have made it more clear that I was using it as an example. Thank you for the clarification as well :frosty:

 

[MSilvia]

Why would anyone want to dive with a hangover?

I think that's a silly question. Someone would want to dive with a hangover because they want to dive, and look at the hangover as an unfortunate minor obstacle that they can deal with.

It's not like anyone ever said, "I've got a charter coming up in the morning, so I'm going to start pounding whiskey shots now to ensure I have a nice, head-splitting, hangover for the dive."

No one wants a hangover, but having one may not keep a person from wanting to dive. In fact, having made a few hungover dives in the past, I think the diving made the hangovers feel much better. When hungover, the prospect of weightlessness and a temporary escape from the ringing phones, honking horns, and other too-harsh noises of the surface world isn't totally without appeal.

I don't recommend the practice, but if a diver feels well enough to want to dive, and drinks plenty of hydrating fluids, I don't think it's the end of the world if they suit up and get in the water for a simple shallow-water recreational dive... especially on nitrox.

That said, I feel very differently about the matter if the dive is even a remotely challenging one. Anyone planning a deco or hard overhead dive, for example, ought to be at the top of their game, and shouldn't be drinking the night before.

 

[Mako Mark]

I think Christi has made some good points about the reality of working in the resort/vacation area. I have many times seen divers that look a little under the weather, and have also many times turned divers away from classes when they still smell of last nights party.

Normally, if you say it right, the seem more relieved than anything that you told them to go home and sleep for a few hours and come back tomorrow. I believe the way to deal with the money issue is to give store credit in the case that they cant reschedule, in the case they cant use the store credit, you were more than accomodating. You dont get a refund if you get kicked off a plane for being under the influence..

 

[DORSETBOY]

Why would anyone want to dive with a hangover?

have dived hungover myself a couple of times before I knew better and it's not something I'll be repeating. For a start your reaction times and judgement are severely impaired.

I know if I feel hungover I cant get in a car and drive so I wouldn't think about diving hungover now.

 

[ScubaFreak]

Myself and another instructor were running a rescue course, and, on the qualifying open water weekend, one of the guys turned up and the smell of alcohol off him was poisoning. We simply took him aside and mentioned to him that it wasn't fair on the others in the course for him to take part, and that he should join up with the next course instead. He was ok about it, apologised to me and the others and joined up on the next course. He told me he thought he'd get away with it too, but appreciated our honesty. and as Mark said, he was probably happy to go home and sleep it off.

But in hindsight, the ideal thing would have been for the diver to point out that they were not in the right shape to dive. And as Ron quite rightly said

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.

SF

 

[Diver0001]

.....snip....

1) Should the DM have let him dive?

2) When/if the dive should be called off by someone else.

3) Since he signed a "waiver" is it not the concern of the dive charter operator?

1) I can only speak for myself but I would have spoken to him, found out how much he drank, if he still looked or acted impaired or smelled like alcohol etc. before making a judgement call. If he looked as bad as you say he did then I think, at the very least, the DM should have been getting alarm bells.

2) You are never forced to dive with someone. If you happened to get buddied up with someone you're not comfortable with then you need to take it straight to the DM. A serious DM will deal with all of these kinds of objections before the dive starts. Trust your intuition about this.

3) A waiver isn't a magic potion that can protect the operator against acts of negligence on the part of the operator. I think the waiver is intended to protect the operator from acts of negligence on the part of its clients.

Did he dive? How did it go?

R..