Little Cayman as a new diver - what to expect?
- Thread starter Marie13
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OP
And you are of the same ilk as my so called friend. Off to find the ignore button.
Fears are quite normal and can sometimes be very irrational. Does that make it wrong to the person feeling that fear?
Some common ones:
Spiders - household spiders in most places are entirely harmless
Mice - what is a mouse going to do to an adult human?
Dogs - most dogs are very friendly but people are afraid of them
Aerophobia - flying is very safe but lots of people are afraid of it.
You would rather push a new, inexperienced diver into doing dives and trips she isn't happy doing?
It may seem irrational to you but if anyone has any fears and is brave enough to admit them, then good on them. Marie has already stated she does not want to do swimthroughs/ dives with sharks etc so best bet is not to do them. Having dived with someone that was almost forced to do them by a DM guide (we had discussed this with the diver in question prior to the dive and she was happy to join up with us as a trio while the others did the swimthrough , and the look of near panic on her face, avoiding them (until taking further training and raising her own comfort level) is entirely sensible. I would rather skip a dive than dive with a buddy on the ragged edge of panic.
We had more than one person on the boat who didn't want to do t swim throughs. I would rather someone not do it than get in there and panic.
Sharks were a non-issue. No bull sharks, no aggressive sharks, nothing more dangerous than nurse sharks.
All that being said, if someone is not comfortable with a dive trip, they should not go. There is no sense making everyone else on the boat miserable because one diver is unhappy. One diver can ruin it for the rest of the group both on the boat and in the water.
Sharks were a non-issue. No bull sharks, no aggressive sharks, nothing more dangerous than nurse sharks.
All that being said, if someone is not comfortable with a dive trip, they should not go. There is no sense making everyone else on the boat miserable because one diver is unhappy. One diver can ruin it for the rest of the group both on the boat and in the water.
AdivingBel
Diver
I think it's fine you made your own decision based on your own criteria. You're responsible for your own diving. It will keep you safe. Not too crazy about publically tossing your dive buddy under the bus. IMHO, it's perfectly natural to be dissapointed about not sharing such a nice dive locale with a friend/buddy especially if you initially showed interest. Sounds like you both dodged a bullet. Safe diving.
OP
Frankly, some of you guys just flabbergast me. If your wife or girlfriend said she didn't want to go X depth, would you just poo poo her concerns and force her down to the depth she didn't want to go to? Would you ignore her thumbing a dive unless she was clearly having a medical issue?
It was pounded into me in my OW class: know your limits/don't do anything you're clearly uncomfortable with. I'm a cautious person by nature. My other passion is shooting, and I'm actually an NRA certified range safety officer, so I'm something of a safety nazi on the range. I deal with federal regulations for work and have to make sure all my ducks are in a row.
Even if I didn't have the "irrational" (your words, not mine) fear of sharks and rays, your dismissal of my hesitancy regarding depth and overhead environments just floors me. You'd prefer me to go on "trust me" dives and if something happened to me, "oh well, at least she didn't give into her fears"? You've got to be kidding me. Because that is the vibe you are giving off. I have read repeatedly on SB that "complacency kills." That was pounded into me in my OW class, too.
Friend didn't start on in on "you will go down to 100 ft and do swim throughs" until a few weeks *after* I'd said I'd go on the trip. Friend is not a member here and never will be. I never knew she was somewhat casual about safety issues. She hasn't gone diving in several years and laughed at me when I asked her if she was going to take a refresher class before the LC trip. I've actually had to block her on FB because she keeps harassing me about the trip, even when I've nicely asked her to stop, I wasn't going, and that was that.
It was pounded into me in my OW class: know your limits/don't do anything you're clearly uncomfortable with. I'm a cautious person by nature. My other passion is shooting, and I'm actually an NRA certified range safety officer, so I'm something of a safety nazi on the range. I deal with federal regulations for work and have to make sure all my ducks are in a row.
Even if I didn't have the "irrational" (your words, not mine) fear of sharks and rays, your dismissal of my hesitancy regarding depth and overhead environments just floors me. You'd prefer me to go on "trust me" dives and if something happened to me, "oh well, at least she didn't give into her fears"? You've got to be kidding me. Because that is the vibe you are giving off. I have read repeatedly on SB that "complacency kills." That was pounded into me in my OW class, too.
Friend didn't start on in on "you will go down to 100 ft and do swim throughs" until a few weeks *after* I'd said I'd go on the trip. Friend is not a member here and never will be. I never knew she was somewhat casual about safety issues. She hasn't gone diving in several years and laughed at me when I asked her if she was going to take a refresher class before the LC trip. I've actually had to block her on FB because she keeps harassing me about the trip, even when I've nicely asked her to stop, I wasn't going, and that was that.
drrich2
Contributor
vs.
Not a good match. People vary widely in terms of conservatism and adherence to official party lines about risk management. Sounds like you guys veer opposite ways from center, have different goals for diving (e.g.: tropical reef vs. cold water wreck diving), and this wasn't going to end well. So it's better it ended now.
Learning what people & mindsets you are & aren't compatible with can be an important part of growing as a diver. And as a forum member. Rightly or wrongly, if you express negativity about someone else/their mindset (hard not to do when they've aggravated you irrationally & without just cause in your opinion), that may trigger a negative counter-response in another. An interesting dynamic worth being aware of. You'll see this play out on the forum from time-to-time. I'm just pointing it out, not blaming, telling you or anyone else what to do, etc...
Hope you enjoy the kind of diving you want to do. Best wishes.
Richard.
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Rapid Star
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No ones fears are ever unwarranted! Yes it may in your mind and the minds of others diving in the Cayman's may be easy and relaxing but you are missing the overall point here. No ones fears should ever be cast aside and since the OP expressed her concern about encountering sharks and rays as well as diving to depths where she may not feel safe or comfortable it really has little to do with how easy the diving in the Cayman's may be. Since there is a high probability of encountering sharks or finding yourself on a dive (or being pressured into a dive) that exceeds a depth in which she feels comfortable with her concern and ultimate decision to not go are quite understandable.
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