Open letter to boat dive masters

[Jax]

Am I the only one that thinks a lot of people are pole-vaulting over a mouse turd, that should never have been shat had some polite discussion happened first?

"Hey, DM, listen, I prefer to do all my gear stuff myself, so would you be so kind as to not mess with it? Especially my valve - I've had a bad experience with it being turned off."
"Well, sure, if that is what you want, but shop policy says I have to personally check each valve"."
"Okay, well, can you check it right before I gear up? So mine can be the last hand on the valve? I'd appreciate it."

Heelllooo . . .

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Why not just comply with the rules of the boat?

Because mindlessly complying with the rules of the boat could well result in your plummeting towards the bottom, shrink-wrapped in your drysuit so you cannot reach your valves, on a one-way trip to your untimely demise. New divers would do well to let the DM check their valve, but there are dives when you simply have to be last person whose hand was on the valves before entry. If you have to let someone else touch your valves before entry, make sure you stop and verify they didn't up.

It's amusing to me that this board tends to vehemently oppose 'trust me' dives... but 'trust me' entries are apparently NBFD.

 

[Akimbo]

… I would far rather you prove your air delivery system works by demonstrating it in the jump-gate than by any other method…

Great point. I had not considered it when the suggestion was made but proving your air delivery system is a good lesson to teach divers who have not learned to make it part of their pre-dive.

 

[Drewpy]

I guess that's why I like boat diving in Monterey...DM's dont check your gear, hell they dont get in the water with you either.

But if I am in the tropics..I don't have an issue although my tank is usually right behind me?

 

[daniel f aleman]

As a charter boat DM for twenty years, I never touched diver gear. Before splash we would simply ask each diver to read aloud the presure on his SPG and then show that reading to the diver sitting next to him for conformation. (We record the presure upon diver water entry and diver water exit; thus giving the DMs a redundant head count as well.)

 

[Akimbo]

This must be an issue for so many replies to be posted in such a short time. Interesting.

---------- Post added December 28th, 2012 at 01:35 PM ----------

…Before splash we would simply ask each diver to read aloud the presure on his SPG and then show that reading to the diver sitting next to him for conformation. (We record the presure upon diver water entry and diver water exit; thus giving the DMs a redundant head count as well.)

I like that too.

 

[Oldbear]

Am I the only one that thinks a lot of people are pole-vaulting over a mouse turd, that should never have been shat had some polite discussion happened first?

"Hey, DM, listen, I prefer to do all my gear stuff myself, so would you be so kind as to not mess with it? Especially my valve - I've had a bad experience with it being turned off."
"Well, sure, if that is what you want, but shop policy says I have to personally check each valve"."
"Okay, well, can you check it right before I gear up? So mine can be the last hand on the valve? I'd appreciate it."

Heelllooo . . .

Using tactful communication on both sides of the regulator :cool3:

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

More practice? More exercise? Quit smoking? Lose weight?

Sure ... but I'm thinking more in terms of their next dive. If they're worried about a few breaths, how much air are they coming back up with?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Akimbo]

… If they're worried about a few breaths, how much air are they coming back up with?...

Coming back up with??? Why would anyone climb back aboard and waste perfectly good air? BTW, does anyone know of an SPG that also reads vacuum levels?

 

[agilis]

I always, always make certain that mine is the last hand on my equipment. It's almost inevitable that a DM will check my tank's valve without commenting or asking permission. I thank them, reach back and recheck my valve, and then reach (quickly) for the DMs tank valve and return the favor. They tend to take this rather badly, but there it is. One good turn deserves another, so to speak.

I have seen both extremes in this connection; DMs closing an open valve and, far more frequently, DMs turning on some fool's closed valve. I've been diving a long, long time, and there is no doubt that dive boat staff on recreational head boats increasingly treat divers like idiot children. This is probably because the percentage of recreational divers who are idiot children has increased dramatically. The routine infantilization of divers by DMs may be necessary for any number of reasons, but I suspect that this approach makes already lazy incompetent divers evem lazier and more incompetent.