Is this the average diver?

[boulderjohn]

About 5 years ago I did a day trip on the great Barrier Reef with one of those huge boats that seem to hold hundreds of passengers. We were divided into bite sized groups, and during the trip out, a staff member sat with our group and reviewed the OW curriculum from start to finish. By far most of the boat's passengers were using rental gear. My 2 dive friends had decided not to pack their gear for the trip, so they were using rentals as well. I had brought my own.

When we were done with that briefing, I quietly went up to the DM and made a quick description of my gear so she would not be surprised. She looked at me as if I were a space alien; she clearly did not know what I was talking about. I took her over to my gear and showed her. She shook her head in wonder. Who would even think of using such gear? I assured her it was OK, and she left for another room. A few minutes later another staff member came out and took a look at it. He decided it was OK. Over the next 20 minutes, until it was time to dress, 3-4 other staff members came by to have a look at this curiosity.

I wonder how many thousands of divers that staff sees each year.

 

[Compressor]

The majority of divers I see diving locally or when traveling (Bonaire, Caymans) are using standard BCs. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing wrong with that if they have good buoyancy and trim.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

About 5 years ago I did a day trip on the great Barrier Reef with one of those huge boats that seem to hold hundreds of passengers. We were divided into bite sized groups, and during the trip out, a staff member sat with our group and reviewed the OW curriculum from start to finish. By far most of the boat's passengers were using rental gear. My 2 dive friends had decided not to pack their gear for the trip, so they were using rentals as well. I had brought my own.

When we were done with that briefing, I quietly went up to the DM and made a quick description of my gear so she would not be surprised. She looked at me as if I were a space alien; she clearly did not know what I was talking about. I took her over to my gear and showed her. She shook her head in wonder. Who would even think of using such gear? I assured her it was OK, and she left for another room. A few minutes later another staff member came out and took a look at it. He decided it was OK. Over the next 20 minutes, until it was time to dress, 3-4 other staff members came by to have a look at this curiosity.

I wonder how many thousands of divers that staff sees each year.

What were you diving that looked so alien to them? If it was a bp/w I would say that they were not very good professionals. As pros we should understand different gear configs and not look like a deer in headlights when we see something that is not a jacket bcd.

 

[broncobowsher]

So what is the divisor? The number of dives dove? 1 diver who has 1500 dives and each dive counts as a data point?
Or the number of people who have some sort of cert card? Did the training dives, a half dozen dives on one vacation all in rental gear, never been in the water since?

The bucket list in rental gear will drive the average into 2 short hose and a jacket BC direction and ignore the dive nearly every day data.

But one backplate diver counting each dive can offset 100 bucket list divers.

The pool of data here is a bit biased in one direction as well. I bet a great majority of the vacation divers don't even know there is a long hose option.

 

[Stoo]

In Tobermory, a good percentage of "serious/active" divers where bp/w, double steels, long hose. I don't typically use a long hose... I have yet to hear a valid reason for one in open water.

The more "touristy" diver is wearing a single Al 80, BCD, regular hoses... lots of octos jammed through that D ring... I think that's a PADI thing.

 

[TMHeimer]

In Tobermory, a good percentage of "serious/active" divers where bp/w, double steels, long hose. I don't typically use a long hose... I have yet to hear a valid reason for one in open water.

The more "touristy" diver is wearing single Al 80, BCD, regular hoses... lots of octos jammed through that D ring... I think that's a PADI thing.

That's me for 15 years (except only one octo--who has more than one?). Never considered myself "touristy" (though I'd like to take more tropical trips....).

 

[Martijn]

Why what? Why do I see them? Why do they use them? Why are they going to die? (The latter because SB says so )

Yeah, the why are they going to die

 

[ToneNQ]

What were you diving that looked so alien to them? If it was a bp/w I would say that they were not very good professionals. As pros we should understand different gear configs and not look like a deer in headlights when we see something that is not a jacket bcd.

I've had similar but more measured experience with my BP&W, The instructors are often okay but the DMs and DMCs have never seen anything like it. The big boats out to the GBR are factory boats, its a production line of diving. Its nearly all shop gear and the staff are PADI centric, they've probably gone from AOW to OWSI with the same organisation doing nothing but tourist dive trips. Its all jacket BCDs, standard regs and console computers. The serious divers have wrist computers. The shops are run by Course Directors that pre-date PADI having any sort of technical diving activity.

It might not be right, but it is what it is.

 

[KDAD]

I brought my SB set up on a mixed dive/family trip recently. BP/W, long hose, Jet fins for me; my daughter's kit is a step up with a Freedom plate.

Flying on a small plane for a few days to a small island we had weight restrictions and left our gear back at the hotel. We used rental jacket bc and regs when we dove there. Somehow not only did we survive but also we able to maintain bouyancy and trim during the dive.

 

[Ukmc]

Combine the HydrosPro with split fins and it's an almost sure death sentence.

I dive Hydros Pro with split fins. I am pretty new to SB. Am I a laughing stock for some reason? I sense sarcasm but not sure what it is about. I assume an inside joke...
I thought people would make fun of me for having two alternates, but I suppose it is possible people were making fun of me all along behind my back for more than one reason