others setting up your gear

[Wendy]

Ok I started thinking about this after reading another thread. How do you guys feel about having the boat crew setting up your gear? What if its rental gear from there? Your gear?

I personally won't let anyone else touch my gear. This one time I was on a charter and the 15 year old boat boy walked around and was making sure everyone's air was on and I stood there and watched him turn mine off! I asked him he was planning on making me dive with my air turned off and I made sure that he didn't touch my gear the remainder of the trip.

 

[Corregidor]

..but I check it/adjust it before going over. In Asia the boat help expects to do this because it's their job. For the most part I find that they don't miss anything, but sometimes I adjust the height of the tank because they've got it too low for my liking.

Jim

 

[crazed_dolphin]

I do let the boat crew set my gear up but I double check that everything is ok before the dive. ONe time I let the crew set up my gear but during the dive my integrated weights fell off during the dive!!! After that I kept sure I put my weights on myself and double checked everything else.

 

[scuberd]

It is a life saving device that I depend on, not them; therefore I am the only one to assemble it!

 

[O-ring]

There is no way I would let anyone setup my gear.

 

[Big-t-2538]

hmm...well, I fortunately have only had to deal with thaat one time.

The boat crew in LaPaz was insistent on setting up our gear in between dives. They were actually surprised when we all started changing out our own tanks.

After a day or so, I got used to them wanting to do the work, and was o.k, with them doing it...but under a watchful eye.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I do my own. The only thing I need the boat crew to do is drive the boat.

 

[diverbrian]

That one person is me. I will assemble it and set it up. I double check my own air prior to going in so if the crew wishes to check valves open, fine. But I will not have them putting in weights, changing tanks, and the like. I will take responsibility for loose tanks, loose fitting regs that leak, weights falling out and the other misfortunes that happen due to inadequate gear assembly.

I have been known to let people help route hoses to expediete things (act as tenders), but it is under my watchful eye and they do exactly what I tell them.

In short, I am responsible for my safety and the safety of the people with whom I am diving. I will not pass it off to a boat crew.

 

[5615mike]

I used to allow the crew to set up my wife's and my gear but no longer. On a trip to Coz one year my wife was doing her first night dive. She was a bit nervous to say the least. She does very well in the water and is very comfortable. Until that dive I had never seen any concern in her eyes.

We were in about 50ft of water, drift diving, on her first night dive and her weights came loose from her weight integrated bc. Now they do have a bit of a strange set up but I DID NOT check her weights before we departed the boat. She started ascending and luckily I was close. I grabbed her, pulled her to the bottom.....about 15 ft, and found her weights. I did everything I could do to calm her down as I could see it in her eyes that she was very concerned. I tried the best I could to let her know she was ok and I got her weights back in the BC. The rest of the dive she seemed fine but later she told me the entire dive was one she would rather forget. At the safety stop she again got a bit uncomfortable with the pitch black...again I could see it in her eyes. She said not have any reference points was a very strange feeling. To top it off we surfaced to a huge jellyfish army.

Things did not go well for her on that dive but she managed. Since then, I don't let anyone setup our gear. Bottom line, DiverBrian is right, we are all responsible for our our gear and safety........IMO

 

[Big-t-2538]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...
The only thing I need the boat crew to do is drive the boat.

I can think of a few other things I'd like the boat crew to do outside of my gear.....but this is a family board....and the price of trips would probably increase a little.