I read this statement on a trip report & was curious as to what other divers thought

[soredram56]

of it.

"The EDG exists for a reason. We want to go places and do what we please without hindrance from the dive operator. Only experienced, capable divers are invited. The group requires very little hand-holding. It is often challenging for an operator that wants to dictate schedule, profiles, rules, and generally structure a week the way they do for most tourists. Typically this gets worked out in the first couple of hours. We listen carefully to the dive briefing, then hit the water and scatter. After frazzles nerves on the first couple of dives the operators work out our routine and leave us alone to do our thing."

 

[lostplanetairman]

EDG? What is it and where did you come accross it?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Sounds like a bunch of troublemaking hotshots to me. And a captains and DM's worst nightmare. Where did you find this and welcome to the board. A little more info would be welcome.

 

[NYPI]

Need more information to comment

 

[soredram56]

Don't know what EDG means. Here's the link. thans 4 the welcom. I lurk mostly.

http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/tripreports.php?s=3195

 

[wreckedinri]

Sounds like a bunch of troublemaking hotshots to me. And a captains and DM's worst nightmare.

I believe EDG to be "Experienced Dive Group". We have never thought to label ourselves as such, but typically when a DM in a tropical (re: clear water environment) location learns that we are active (year round) divers from NE they allow us to do our "own thing". Never had a problem, or were thought of as "troublemaking hotshots". We listen to the dive briefing, note the time that we had to be back on the boat, and off we would go. More often than not we were the only divers not to exceed the max depth or time .

. . . . and the DMs and Capt.s always appeared to enjoy having us along. No baby sitting.

Be Safe & Merry Christmas!

Dennis

 

[dpbishop]

I'm guessing EDC means Experienced Divers Group. Not necessarily a bad idea, if they can in fact limit it to good divers who can be trusted to use environmentally friendly techniques, and from the report it sounds like they do. There have been plenty of threads on this boards of the problems that can be encountered when dive groups of widely varying experience are lumped together, with newbies being dragged down to 130 feet or guys with 500 more dives than the DM having to hang with the beguinners group. Personally, I thing I would dive with these guys, as long as they promised not to do macro.

 

[midwayman]

EDG- I bet its a dive club of some sort.

 

[ghostdiver1957]

of it.

"The EDG exists for a reason. We want to go places and do what we please without hindrance from the dive operator. Only experienced, capable divers are invited. The group requires very little hand-holding. It is often challenging for an operator that wants to dictate schedule, profiles, rules, and generally structure a week the way they do for most tourists. Typically this gets worked out in the first couple of hours. We listen carefully to the dive briefing, then hit the water and scatter. After frazzles nerves on the first couple of dives the operators work out our routine and leave us alone to do our thing."

My Experience...

Experienced Dive Groups - assuming that is what we're talking about here - often get "left alone" or at a minimum - receive greater freedoms than do a bunch of newbies. As a trip leader, I know the experience level of my dive group and discuss all of this with the operator before we even make a booking. Then, once we get to our destination, I sit down with the Captain and/or DM's and let them know what our group expects in terms of freedom. I point out those that need hand holding and those that don't. I have yet to come across an operator, Captain or DM that doesn't acknowledge what we expect and go out of their way to accomodate it. We are the paying customer... and their objective is to keep us happy. They hold hands of those that want it... and they keep a distance from those that do not.

The key in telling just how good and experienced your operator is... is to see them doing their thing in the background of a bunch of experienced divers. In other words... you know they're in the water and on the boat... but they're never in the way and you rarely see them in the water (even when they're there.) If you do see them, you see them within a few feet of one or two of the newer divers you pointed out to them... and you get this fuzzy reassured feeling.

Those of you that have been diving awhile know exactly what I'm saying. So as a diver... if you want the freedom as part of an EDG... then go diving with an EDG. If you surround yourself with less experienced people... you'll generally fall into that type of group treatment. If the dive operator won't acknowledge differences and work with them... then they are not a very good operator.

Ken

 

[mnj1233]

My Experience...

Experienced Dive Groups - assuming that is what we're talking about here - often get "left alone" or at a minimum - receive greater freedoms than do a bunch of newbies. As a trip leader, I know the experience level of my dive group and discuss all of this with the operator before we even make a booking. Then, once we get to our destination, I sit down with the Captain and/or DM's and let them know what our group expects in terms of freedom. I point out those that need hand holding and those that don't. I have yet to come across an operator, Captain or DM that doesn't acknowledge what we expect and go out of their way to accomodate it. We are the paying customer... and their objective is to keep us happy. They hold hands of those that want it... and they keep a distance from those that do not.

The key in telling just how good and experienced your operator is... is to see them doing their thing in the background of a bunch of experienced divers. In other words... you know they're in the water and on the boat... but they're never in the way and you rarely see them in the water (even when they're there.) If you do see them, you see them within a few feet of one or two of the newer divers you pointed out to them... and you get this fuzzy reassured feeling.

Those of you that have been diving awhile know exactly what I'm saying. So as a diver... if you want the freedom as part of an EDG... then go diving with an EDG. If you surround yourself with less experienced people... you'll generally fall into that type of group treatment. If the dive operator won't acknowledge differences and work with them... then they are not a very good operator.

Ken

I tend to agree with this post. A little getting to know you goes a long way. My experience has been once youve executed a dive with zero issues they relax a bit. Seems natural to be a little skeptical as an operator until you know who is on your boat. Its tough to tell but there are tell-tale signs of problems ahead.