Is this really OW diving???

[richdrogpa]

Maybe guiding safely...

• richdrogpa
• Aug 28, 2017

20170828-G0128328 Web

Guiding safely...

• richdrogpa
• Aug 28, 2017

20170828-G0148338 Web

So, I've seen it before around popular warm water dive spots in Southeast Asia, but today it was just ridiculous... I took these pics while on my safety stop... And that was only one of the 3 other instances on the same dive today where I've seen DM/guides literally dragging or holding their dive guests by their cylinders through their dives... Is this what a safe open water diver is nowadays??? The guy didn't even try to fin, just moved his hands a little... Before I get slammed, this was no emergency situation, the diver didn't look stressed, at different point he was using his gopro filming mantas while being held like this... Our DM even signaled to the other DM if he needs any help, he just flashed an OK sign that he's got it under control... I guess just a 'normal' Discover Scuba diving day for the other guide... smh

I know we all had to start somewhere but why dive beyond our own abilities and endanger ourselves and others??? I don't even want to get into how the hell they even keep their buoyancy over the reef without stepping all over it... Sad, really sad...

 

[Diver0001]

How deep was it there? Is it possible that what you were seeing was a DSD (try dive)?

R..

 

[richdrogpa]

The deepest sandy parts were about 70-80 feet tops, the most folks stayed over the reef which is around 40-50 feet deep and around cleaning stations it could be as shallow as 15-25 feet.

 

[Diver0001]

Seems highly unlikely that it was a DSD unless it was done in the most shallow parts.

Was the diver having a problem?

R..

 

[OldPhotog]

Wonder why I cannot access those links. I am logged in.
ScubaBoard - Error

You do not have permission to view media within this album.

 

[kelemvor]

Wonder why I cannot access those links. I am logged in.
ScubaBoard - Error

You do not have permission to view media within this album.

same here.

 

[Birddog1911]

Can't see the pics due to error, but just hazarding a guess, it sounds like DSD to me. I'd like to know the depth where they were at.

 

[richdrogpa]

It didn't really looked like he was having a problem. I saw them a couple times and the DM was always holding him by his tank. At one point the client was taking a gopro video of a passing by manta ray, so I deduced that's how they dived this dive, in a 'tandem'... I can only guess/speculate that his DM didn't trust his client buoyancy control and was afraid he might just go and flare up to the surface, uncontrollably, or down... I have no idea... But from watching them for a while it looked like they just accepted that this was a 'normal' way to dive. The client was completely reliable on his DM, which handled it well, but if he let go of him, I think it might have ended badly for his client, or not...

Maybe I'm over-dramatizing it, but that's what it looked like to me at the moment... Plus, seeing a few more other divers being held down by fins, or held tightly onto their DMs arms, because of really hard time to keep proper buoyancy, it all added up to the whole image that there were quite a few divers really uncomfortable in the water and shouldn't have been diving OW yet... It's a popular spot for seeing mantas and some want to see it, no matter what I guess, ignoring their own safety, or readiness to dive...

 

[richdrogpa]

Can't see the pics due to error, but just hazarding a guess, it sounds like DSD to me. I'd like to know the depth where they were at.

Sorry, fixed the album... Was marked private by mistake. My bad

In the pictures they were at their safety stop, so around 15 feet... I've seen them both together, DM holding his client like that, during my dive a couple times, they couldn't have been deeper than 40 feet, at most.

 

[richdrogpa]

same here.

Fixed, sorry.