No gloves..but

[ggunn]

Yes, I agree that DM’s have a responsibility to know the experience of those in their care. Again, they only have the info given to them that is provided by the divers. Should these divers in question have been on the dive, no. But the office running interference and providing info to DM for the following day does not always have the truth. Obviously, lying divers who lie about their experience can and have caused a number of problems in the past and will do so in the future. Those who do it can put themselves in danger as well as those they dive with. That is going to a bit of the extreme but when your dealing especially with advanced dives, people can get into serious trouble. When divers show up at the boat in the morning 5 minutes prior to departure how is a DM supposed to have adequate knowledge of the diver’s actual experience to “communicate” to the office staff? I am being frank with that question and not a SA….lol. A DM can’t make that call by looking at the divers or their gear. Talking to someone for 5 minutes can provide data but not everything. Obviously not all protocols are infallible. That’s my point.

Of course, I wasn't there and I don't have any firsthand knowledge of what you encountered, but in my experience, most Cozumel dive ops won't take your word (or your cert card or your log book) for it that you are ready for Punta Sur or Barracuda if they don't know you. As you say, divers sometimes will be, shall we say, optimistic in their self-assessment. As Christi says, they will generally have to dive with you for a day or two before they will take you somewhere like that.

 

[driftin' by]

There is no better assesment than actually diving but, IMHO, you can get a good idea about someone's experience by observing their behaviors. The one I always like are the ones that arrive at the boat with their gear in a suitcase or huge bag full of everything including a save-a-dive kit. Or the guy that insists sitting on the bow when the boat is underway. The guy that asks: "Where's my flippers and goggles?" They guy that has no clue as to how much weight he needs. The guy that straps on a pig sticker (leg mounted knife). The one that calls the captain "the driver" and gets the DM's attention by yelling "hey you!". The guy that mounts his BC on his "oxygen" tank backwards and routes his primary over his left shoulder and calls it his respirator. And I don't know why because I dived with some darn good divers only wearing a swimsuit but swimsuit divers usually don't cut if for me either although I'll reserve judgement until we're in the water.

 

[scubawife]

driftin, what's wrong with bringing a "Save a Dive" kit? Mine is always in my bag and it has not only saved me a day of diving more then once, but also come in handy for my boat mates on more then one occasion. (But my gear comes in a bright pink mesh bag, not a suitcase. :blinking: )

 

[driftin' by]

driftin, what's wrong with bringing a "Save a Dive" kit? Mine is always in my bag and it has not only saved me a day of diving more then once, but also come in handy for my boat mates on more then one occasion. (But my gear comes in a bright pink mesh bag, not a suitcase. :blinking: )

I know, I used to bring one too and in general I do when I go diving but I've found with boat diving in Cozumel that just about anything that may go wrong with your gear, they'll have the tools and extra stuff on the boat to get you into the water. If they don't, someone else will. IIRC, In my 64 logged dive in Coz the only thing that kept anyone from diving was when my wife's battery immediately failed on her Suunto Cobra at the start of a second dive. That was when we found out that they bring an extra reg set on the boat but since my wife didn't know the specifics of her prior dive, she choose not to risk it switching to tables. Beyond that, there is nothing a fin strap, wrench and zip tie are going to fix, and FWIW, not at the risk of my safety trying to McGuyver my way out of the situation. YMMV.

Sorry to hijack the post.

To the OP, no gloves are their rules... if you don't like it, may I suggest you try a place like Grand Cayman? Incidental run-ins with suspended hydra or jellies is just part of the scuba diving game.

 

[judydivescoz]

I always carry an extra battery for my as well as my husbands computer in my "save a dive" kit. We have handed out O rings when needed and used our wrench to help change out someones dead computer for their backup guages. We have used our kit diving in cold water as well as Cozumel. It has defiantly saved a dive on many occasions!
We never travel without it

 

[billindenver]

I have some few inch patch of rash or irritation from a hydroid floating by this past week. I can say without question I have never grabbed a reef or any other living thing under the water of coz, but next time I am there....I WILL be wearing gloves. If I have to sneak them down in my BC and then put them on, so be it...but either I am alergic or those are some pretty vicious little needles. Got caught by a flyby when hovering behind a coral head waiting for the group in a fast moving current. Either way, gloves are my new norm down there.

Besides, with gloves on I can hug the Moray's, kiss the sharks, ride the turtles like horses....and then box it out with the Aldora DM who would be intent on bagging me like a lionfish by that time.

In all seriousness, I have dove with 4 dive ops in Coz and all of them have treated the reef with the utmost respect....to the point of letting a diver know in an unpleasant manner to keep their hands, fins, etc off. I think it was Aldora's Javier during our March trip that had to tell one of the group underwater to knock it off. I don't think the PADI hand signals have a word for 'or else' but it was fairly well communicated anyway. Then he got a bit of a lecture in the boat. He handled it well though, apologized for his miss-steps and moved on. I do find it rather funny to see divers hugging eels etc in my PADI AOW book though....and then we wonder how divers get the wrong idea.

 

[driftin' by]

I always carry an extra battery for my as well as my husbands computer in my "save a dive" kit. We have handed out O rings when needed and used our wrench to help change out someones dead computer for their backup guages. We have used our kit diving in cold water as well as Cozumel. It has defiantly saved a dive on many occasions!
We never travel without it

Funny thing was that it happend when we used to bring the SAD kit which had batteries and the tools to change it. However, we didn't realize it was the battery as it showed 4 bars (full) before the first dive. I thought it was a catastrophic failure. Much less, she discovered it upon decent. After ascending, boarding the boat, considering alternatives, the group was long gone and there was no time to remove the back and replace the battery. Today, still given the circumstances, it'd be something she or I would sit out. I guess I'm just conservative that way. The dust ball on our Apeks regs has a tank o-ring that attaches to it so as long as I have my regs, I'll have one of those. However, I let the boat supplies one of theirs when they go saving mine for when I really need it.

Not doubt, any other circumstance, a SAD kit is a very good thing to have and I don't leave home without it. I've just not needed one, on a boat in Coz yet [knock on wood] and feel it's unnecessary. Moreover, what I said above about it being a sign of diver lacking much experience was said tongue-in-cheek. Perhaps its the reason for the stink-eye looks I get when boarding the boat because I don't have one? Or maybe it's my huge camera and body-builder physique?

 

[Pony]

To the OP, no gloves are their rules... if you don't like it, may I suggest you try a place like Grand Cayman? Incidental run-ins with suspended hydra or jellies is just part of the scuba diving game.

Bravo....Bravo!!!! It's about time someone stated it the way it should be.