Not so much as a near miss, but lessons learned

[Diver0001]

Responses welcomed
Alex

Well..... This unfortunate (and sadly not uncommon) practice is bound to get the thrashing it deserves.

Part of it is clearly the fault of the DM. It shows bad judgment. Correct procedure is to plan the dive and dive the plan. A DM should always be prepared for the heavy-breathers and procedures for ending the dive early (at different times) should be part of the the briefing. Clearly a DM who ties him/her-sefl up with air-sharing with someone during the dive is no longer in a position to adequately supervise the rest of the group. If something else should happen then the s-hit would really hit the fan, wouldn't it!

One has to wonder, however, what would motivate a DM to do something like that.... In my mind the operator isn't entirely beyond suspicion either. It could be--for example...and this is pure speculation--that the DM doesn't get paid for people the operator has to reimburse. It's possible that if a dive like that gets totally derailed, for whatever reason, that the DM may not get paid at all and for the wages most DM's make we could be talking about the difference between eating and not eating. Night dives also pay better in a lot of places so the DM in question could have been all the more motivated to keep the train moving.

This is all speculation but it does give you an idea of what *could* have been going through his mind.

R..

 

[SquattingRadishDM]

When did Dive Guides on a boat become role models?

I was talking about the PADI system as that is the agency the original poster is doing his DM course under. Under PADI you have to be DM or higher to supervise/lead divers, and part of the PADI DM course talks about being a good role model. I mentioned it so as to explain to Alex (original poster) why I feel the DM was at fault, not because he put anyone in danger (he did not) but because he didn't follow his dive plan and as such was not being a good role model.

When I was a newbie I always watched the dive leader and learned a great deal from using them as a role model. Both in their general diving and in how they handle emergencies/unformseen circumstances, such as OOA. Several instructors have mentioned that their students copy them exactly when doing skills, one instructor scratched his nose during a mask clear and then his students kept scratching their noses during mask clearing drills. My point is that like it or not DMs/dive guides/dive leaders or even divers with 10 more dives than a newbie are seen as role models and are copied in their actions and opinions.

I wonder if the next time any of the divers concerned in this particular incedent have a OOA situation they will just share air and continue their dive and not ascend straight away. "Well I saw the DM do it, so why not" - because the donar may not have factored in that he/she will now use more air on their ascent and consequently both divers will be OOA during decompression, not good.

DMs/Dive guides ARE seen as role models by newbies, they have a duty to act like one.

 

[scubamoo]

Of the multitude of things wrong with this scenario, 500psi at 55ft is still plenty of air to make it safely to the surface with a safety stop and reserve.

You can't be serious. Are you swimming the ocean alone? You're certainly making assumptions there that could have dire consequences. Think about it.

Can you make a direct ascent to the surface (current, boat traffic, etc.)? I certainly don't know that from what was mentioned.
What is the visibility like?
Entaglement hazards?
Skill level of buddies? Aren't they strangers/unknown?
Air consumption level of buddies?
Most importantly, do you have enough air for you and your buddy if a catastropic failure occurs at the worst possible time? With both of you under stress?

I can see that it's time for a paradigm shift in thinking here.