Man, you're right. You're some diver.

[saying]

So I wind up on a boat with a dude who goes on and on about how he's been diving since nearly the only way to get wet was to be an ama. He drops a few hints about some caves and talks about how he's done pretty much every deep wreck short of the Titanic.

My bull**** alarm goes off instantly but... talking to his buddy he says a few things toward confirmation that the guy might really be Kong. As I'm alone I figure these dudes might be the ones to buddy up with.

I shoulda listened to my bull**** alarm.

When I suggested a deep stop he scoffed, "Just set in his ways, I guess. I'll just stay a little shallower." His rig was nowhere near the streamline of any deep wreck or caver's I've ever seen, but I'm willing to overlook this, "He's on vacation," I figure. But as soon as we get to the bottom he starts kicking the crap out of every piece of coral he can find and manages to vanish sight a couple of times. It's been a few days, so I can't remember all the transgressions of the dive. Assume the worst short of a rocket to the surface or a full-on accident. It was like diving with a cow in a Mark V.

So I'm curious: do people generally just shake their heads and move on to a different buddy while mumbling something about their ears bothering them as I did?

But I'm even more eager to hear the stories about these big-mouthes getting the humbling they deserve.

 

[JPBECK]

That sucks man---Thats the problem with diving outside your group---- I personally choose not to dive with someone I dont really know--- If the dive masters have a problem with that --Which most dont-- I go in the water with the person who I know will only dive for 10-15 minutes--- Get them back to the line and then go do my thing---

As a rule I stay away from the guy who has the biggest mouth---It's a sign of stress ---
If you know what to look for you can look at the other divers and (for the most part) pick out the ones who are stressed --its not rocket science--- If they are stressed on the surface they will be a mess underwater.

Also you might want to consider taking the Stress Rescue class---It will teach you the signs and on some boats it is a requirement that you have it to dive solo (if thats what you want ot do).

 

[Snowbear]

I've noticed most really good divers don't say much. Ive noticed the divers who say a lot usually don't hold a candle to the really good divers. I'm not a good enough diver to ever have tried to humble one - I'm not sure it's possible anyhow.

 

[Tractor Tom]

...of how good a diver is.

I did my AOW (25 years after my OW) in the Keys last Thanksgiving week. I made a number of dives with some good divers. Even new divers who were trying very hard.

Near the end of the week, we went out for some shallow reef dives, and I was buddied with a new guy, lets call him Al. I spoke to him for just a couple minutes, and then rigged to dive. I told him that we would turn at 1500lbs and head back. We got into the water and headed down. He got down to the bottom, swam over to where the reef hit the sand and made a turn. No problem, dive along the edge of the reef, lots of fish and sea life to see, good idea. Then he headed out, and I began following. I watched the back of his fins quickly headed along the reef, he never looked back, and seemed to have some kind of a plan. I tried to keep up, but it was tough. Most times, I was 30-50' behind him, trying to figure out where he was going. Followed him a long way, the quality of the reef declined, and still he went. Fish population dropped off, reef became blighted looking, still he swam. Finally I was at about 1400 lbs when he happened to look my way. I signaled that I had 1400, he nodded and continued to swim away from the boat. I sprinted up to him, grabbed him by the fin and signaled I was heading back to the boat and showed him my SPG. We had crossed a lot of the reef and I wasn't sure where the boat was. Guess what? He didn't know either!

We finally made our way back to the boat and after as short safety stop, I got on the boat. He (younger and more fit than me) still had about 800lbs in the tank to my 400. When I asked him where the hell he was going, he said that he wanted to "cross the reef and dive the other side." So why were you swimming along it's lenght??? No answer. How come you didn't turn when I signaled I had 1400lbs left? "Oh, I thought you signaled 2400." How were you going to navigate back to the boat, were you watching your compass? "No, I never carry a compass, I JUST KNOW, where it is."

Oh mister divemaster, could I have a new buddy for the next dive please?

Face it, when you are down with an unknown buddy, you are ON YOUR OWN. Don't depend on him/her to be there to help you in case you get into trouble. I had been diving all week without any problems, and then "Mister Solo Diver" shows up. What a pain that was.

 

[ABQdiver]

What's that old adage:

"Better to keep your mouth shut and seem like a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt!"

 

[TCDiver1]

But I'm even more eager to hear the stories about these big-mouthes getting the humbling they deserve.

From my experience it doesn't work that way. Like any other situation in life it rarely does any good to "debate" with mouthy egomaniacs. Years ago i had a rare chance to embarass the crap out of one of these people though.

I had certified the guy in question less than a year earlier when this happened. He was a decent student but was one of those that always had something add, usually of limited value.

Anyway, don't ever think its not a small world because on chance, i ran across him in Coz. I approached him to say hi but before i got to him and before he saw me, i overheard what he was saying. So i stopped, still out of his sight, to hear more of what he was yappin about.

He was basically holding court poolside, telling everyone who would listen about all his experience with mixed gases and diving on some of the deeper wrecks we have in the great lakes. I have to admit, he must of really done his research because he was quite convincing and i knew what a sack of wind he could be.

I slowly edged my way into his line of sight wearing the biggest cheshire grin i could muster. We he saw me, he got so flustered he excused himself from the group and never came back while i was there.

He lives in the same town as i do and i still see him from time to time. He totally avoids eye contact and walks the other way and its been like 5 years since it happened LOL!

Sometimes you don't have to say anything.

 

[GDI]

Character is what you are when you think no one is looking.
Talk the dive Dive the Dive

 

[Mark Vlahos]

So I'm curious: do people generally just shake their heads and move on to a different buddy while mumbling something about their ears bothering them as I did?

HI,

I am not the best diver that there ever was, but I have pretty good bouyancy skills and I like to think I can deal with any reasonable problem I might encounter. That aside I too have been paired up on a boat with this type of guy.

Twice upon return to the boat the divemaster has come up to me and indicated his desire to re-pair me with a different diver for a second dive. Each time the divemaster has said quietly to me that he saw the other guys bubbles going off; away from the interesting stuff, and mine chasing him, and, that if it were him, he would have let the guy go. The first time it was with a diver who was experienced but just didn't listen and the second time it was a newbie on his first day of diving after certification. The experienced diver I should have let go, the newbie I felt right about chasing, even though we did get separated in the kelp and finally rejoined at the surface (after about 5 minutes for him). The experienced diver I did not dive with on the second dive, the newbie I did. The newbie learned a lesson about moderate vis (25 feet or so) and kelp, and how important it is to have both divers look for their buddy. He figured that since he was new I would look out for him and he did not need to keep me in his sights. He got a little rattled when he realized that he was alone in a kelp forest.

Like so many things we learn as life goes on and at least one of the guys learned a lesson, the other must just like to kick hard with the current at his back.

I thought I had a pretty good handle on diving when I had about 50 dives. When I got to 100, I realized just what I did not yet know at 50. I am still learning, the day I think I know it all, is the day you would not want to be my buddy, because it is the day I indicate to all those around me that I am a complete idiot!

Dive safe and dive often,

Mark Vlahos

 

[CuriousMe]

Since it's hard to organize schedules with folks on the ship, I end up getting on boats a bunch and diving with boat buddies. One of the first things I look for now is to avoid the very vocal folks. In my experience, the more air they use for blowing their own horn....they less they tend to have for diving.

One of the scariest dives I've done with with a guy who was a Rescue Diver.....of course we knew he was a Rescue Diver because he introduced himself that way....and kept talking about how experienced he was, oh and how everyone should buy the gear he had.....cause it was the best! My buddy choices for the day were Mr. Rescue Diver and some dude who certified last week in a quarry and had never been in an ocean....who was also BTW plainly terrified to be there. I made the wrong choice....chose Mr. Rescue Diver. He was a train wreck underwater...kicked everything that couldn't kick back....and he blew through his air as fast as the newbie did....then the DM sent the 3 of us up (I had close to 2000PSI still)...the newbie shot up like a cork because he didn't empty his BC before ascending, I grabbed him to stop him for a safety stop and hurt my ear pulling him down with me...looked around and Mr. Rescue Diver was no where to be found! I had to hold onto newbie's arm for the safety stop because he was bug eyed the whole time and kept ascending due to his constant kicking and moving around... Found Mr. Rescue Diver on the boat afterward.....he said it looked like I had it under control so left us?!?!? (FWIW I haven't taken Rescue yet....trying to organize it on vacation...he knew I hadn't taken the class yet, because he asked me...guess he wanted to prove how much of a better diver he was)

I had a quick talk with the newbie about things he'd like to remember while diving (which he appreciated) then spoke with the DM and buddied with him (the DM) for the next tank.

Needless to say I don't dive with that operator anymore either....the newly certified guy shouldn't have diving the dive we were doing in my opinion.....he certainly shouldn't have been buddied with the DM, since the chances of him going through his air first were pretty darn good.

Anyway...after a long story....I avoid folks that are to vocal about their diving credentials.

Peace,
Cathie

 

[Paco]

I just got back from a Cozumel trip. On a two tank boat dive, I was assigned a buddy by the dive leader (who happened to be an instructor rather that dive master). My buddy and I talked a bit, he was friendly and cordial; we connected right away sharing dive experiences, etc. This guy didn't have the use of his legs, he was paralized waist down. I'll tell you that this guy was an excellent diver and even better buddy. He had told me that he had over 2000 dives before his accident and that he dove in the British military. He stayed with me and I stayed with him. We shared marine life sightings and continually checked on each other. So... not all unknowns are bad divers. I was honored to dive with such an excellent diver and nice guy. Just wish I would have exchanged email addresses and such.