Is a group leader (DM) usually expected on a boat?

[Web Monkey]

Well Darlin', not to worry, neither is going to happen. If it did, those who needed babysitting would either stop diving or get trained.

BTW, there are some pretty challenging dives in the Keys. There are other areas with challenging conditions where no one babysits divers.

Even worse than that are the places where a DM will go in with 8 or 10 divers and they'll be spread out over 500' or more. Everybody feels all warm and fuzzy because they're "Diving with a DM", but they don't realize that even Superman couldn't do anything to help the stragglers at the end of the group, or generally even recognise there's a problem.

Terry

 

[Walter]

Excellent point.

 

[cornfed]

Re-taking the OW exam and demonstrating skills every 2 or 3 years sounds like a great idea!

Good divers would consider it an extra chance to get into the water, and marginal divers would get a chance to do a "SCUBA Skills Update" class.

I think most good divers would consider it an unnecessary burden. All you have to do with GUE is mail them your log book and pay a "nominal" fee and I still have mixed feelings about that. Getting all my crap together for the season (VIP, service, etc) is enough of a pain without worring if my certification is still valid.

Will it help people? Sure it probably would. But there are a lot of divers out there that don't need to prove they should keep their c-card. They are the divers that get in the water regularly, keep their skills sharp and are aware of their limits when signing up for a dive. Those are the good divers.

The divers that would benefit most from recertification are the ones that sign up for dive because they happen to be vacationing somewhere that has good diving and decide to dive because they carry their c-card in their wallet even though they haven't been diving in over five years. Do you think they're going to remember to recertify every couple of years?

 

[Web Monkey]

The divers that would benefit most from recertification are the ones that sign up for dive because they happen to be vacationing somewhere that has good diving and decide to dive because they carry their c-card in their wallet even though they haven't been diving in over five years. Do you think they're going to remember to recertify every couple of years?

That's pretty much the point.

If someone hasn't been diving in a few (or a lot) of years, they shouldn't be able to just walk in, rent some gear and walk off the side of a boat.

Terry

 

[DivesWithTurtles]

First, the diving in Cozumel is live boating, not drift diving.

Walter, would you define/contrast live boating vs. drift diving for me?

 

[oly5050user]

Most charters I've dove through Sports Chalet usually had a DM jump in the water for anchor and water condition purposes, but doesn't lead the groups by any means and stays on the boat to check-out/in people.

On a 6-pack I recently dove off of, the captain WAS the DM too...he never got off the boat...he never even suited up to come to think of it...it was definitely a private dive for the 6 of us....

capt cannot go in water,USCG regs...

 

[caseybird]

Re-taking the OW exam and demonstrating skills every 2 or 3 years sounds like a great idea!

Terry

Worst. Idea. Ever.
I'll worry about my diving. If you want to worry about everyone else's diving, start an agency. You can have all the rules you want.
You can even add pop quizzes on the dive boat. That will show the noobs who's boss.

 

[Web Monkey]

Worst. Idea. Ever.
I'll worry about my diving. If you want to worry about everyone else's diving, start an agency. You can have all the rules you want.
You can even add pop quizzes on the dive boat. That will show the noobs who's boss.

I'm not worried at all. The renewable certifications would protect the people who haven't been diving in 10 years, but who are too stubborn to accept that their skills might need a little "dusting off".

It would be both trivial and quick for proficient divers to demonstrate the basic OW skills. However, you have nothing to worry about, since the chances of this happening are slim.

Terry

 

[friscuba]

On the renewable certifications, I'm all for it. Maybe every 3-4 years and make it relatively quick and easy. For those who dive enough not to need it, it would be a minor inconvenience, for those who really need it, it'd be very worthwhile.

I don't get a lot of requests for refreshers, but most of the ones I get seem to be from people who tend to need it the least. There are plenty of good divers who really would see no benefit from a mandatory checkup, however there are lots of divers who overestimate their abilities and would unknowingly benefit from a checkout every few years.

 

[Charlie99]

capt cannot go in water,USCG regs...

That's the reason that all the DMs on one of my favorite boats have 100 ton licenses. During the SI for the customers and DMs, the Captain and mate go for a dive. It's legal as long as one of the DMs has the license.