Fish_Whisperer
Contributor
- Messages
- 6,317
- Reaction score
- 23
- # of dives
- 50 - 99
I've only got twenty dives, but I recently had the opportunity to dive with a brand new diver in Key Largo. We stuck with shallow reefs like Christ Of The Abyss and Dry Rocks, and I had to be patient while she got her gear sorted out and it took a little time and effort for her to descend. I coached her on the surface about letting ALL of the air out of her lungs and getting ALL the air out of her BC, but once we got down to depth, she was fine. She followed me through some narrow coral valleys and I pointed out eagle rays, angelfish, some really big lobsters, and a lot of other neat stuff. At the end of the dive, (which was rather short because she was huffing through her air, typical of all of us when we first started), her smile outshone the sun! I would gladly dive with a new diver and help them, even if it means that my dive is shortened. I get such a great feeling out of helping new divers.
On our Spiegel Grove dive, a guy came up to us on the boat and asked if he could buddy up with us. I told him that would be fine. I looked at his gear, noted where his weights were, and told him that we were turning around at 1000 psi. During the dive, I kept an eye on him, and my buddy kept an eye on me, and we had a nice 40-minute dive.![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
If I got ten minutes into a dive and found that my insta-buddy had misrepresented her/himself and they were having all sorts of problems, then I would probably take them back to the surface and make sure they were on the tail line and that the crew knew they were there, and then I would continue my own dive. Later, back on the boat, I'd ask them what happened and why they were having problems. It may be something we could sort out, and if not, I don't have to do the next dive with them.
For recreational stuff, we're all in this to have a good time. I have the best time if EVERYONE is having a good time. It bums me out when I see other people having problems or having to thumb a dive. I would hope that my buddy would be honest with me about their skill level, and I'm always honest about my own.
The thing I won't put up with, regardless of someone's experience level, is the smug know-it-all, superior, condescending attitude. It's rude and there's just no excuse for that crap. We are ALL learning constantly, and if we're not, it's probably time to hang up the fins.
On our Spiegel Grove dive, a guy came up to us on the boat and asked if he could buddy up with us. I told him that would be fine. I looked at his gear, noted where his weights were, and told him that we were turning around at 1000 psi. During the dive, I kept an eye on him, and my buddy kept an eye on me, and we had a nice 40-minute dive.
If I got ten minutes into a dive and found that my insta-buddy had misrepresented her/himself and they were having all sorts of problems, then I would probably take them back to the surface and make sure they were on the tail line and that the crew knew they were there, and then I would continue my own dive. Later, back on the boat, I'd ask them what happened and why they were having problems. It may be something we could sort out, and if not, I don't have to do the next dive with them.
For recreational stuff, we're all in this to have a good time. I have the best time if EVERYONE is having a good time. It bums me out when I see other people having problems or having to thumb a dive. I would hope that my buddy would be honest with me about their skill level, and I'm always honest about my own.
The thing I won't put up with, regardless of someone's experience level, is the smug know-it-all, superior, condescending attitude. It's rude and there's just no excuse for that crap. We are ALL learning constantly, and if we're not, it's probably time to hang up the fins.