Pretty New Diver Looking for Tips to Better Handle Future "Situations"

[Pittsburgh_Mom]

@Scraps, thank you so much for all of this feedback. It really helps to put a breakdown in perspective. We did not plan to dive separately (and never wonder off looking at fish)--we're really good about sticking with each other... when we're in the water. While we believed we were supportive of one another on the boats, too, we clearly did not plan for a circumstance like this, and we weren't prepared for the crew to separate us. While I am sure the crew had good intentions, our lack of being prepared (and lack of experience) led to quite the storm for the two of us. I felt like I was overthinking things and being paranoid. I feel really encouraged by all of the support here, and more confident to advocate for myself in the future. Thank you!

And--hahahaha, regarding your P.S. I had no idea it would read like that. With 3 boys 3 and under, I think that is the LEAST of my worries these days!

 

[SlugLife]

Thank you for your response. These were all good lessons. I'll be really honest, as stupid as this sounds, I did not really think I could "call it" (did not know that was quite a thing), and I did not really think, as you say so simply, "but you are a certified diver. You decided to enter the water in those conditions, you determined that the conditions were within your capacity." I guess in my mind, I thought, the dive operator knows how experienced or inexperienced we each are, and they would not bring us out if it weren't safe... or they'd tell some of us the site was not optimal for us. The day before, the operator formed small groups of solos/buddies that seemed to be based on experience level. Frankly, I think in our society, we've all gotten so used to litigation causing businesses to coddle us that I, foolishly, just figured the operator would take full responsibility for where it put us. That is, if they said it was okay to dive, and they knew how inexperienced some of us were, then clearly it was fine to dive. Except... it wasn't. Again, I know that sounds really stupid... but I am glad I learned it NOW instead of in the future, when the situation may even have been more dangerous. Thank you again!

Thanks and remember this idea as you contemplate a shark dive. The operators have ZERO control over sharks, if you think otherwise....well...

Good catch, I missed that comment.

If you look through the accidents & incidents section or near-misses, there are numerous instances where a dive-guide or dive-operator leads a diver into danger. Here's one example:

I f*** up and I am ashamed

You should always be responsible for your own safety. As a new diver, it can be hard to determine if what a more experienced diver is leading you to do is unsafe. Conversely, an advanced diver may not know you are relatively new and lead you towards something that requires special training.

You told several stories of dive-operators on the boat giving you bad advice, not really caring about the customer, and generally having a bad experience. An employer willing to hire those kinds of people to operate a boat, would also be willing to cut corners when it comes to hiring dive-guides. Telling a new diver to solo-dive to the bottom and wait for everyone else is a pretty good example of them not being concerned for your safety.

 

[johndiver999]

When it is quite rough, the person is/has suffered from sea sickness and the depths are very shallow, the benefits of waiting on the surface versus going down a line 25-30 feet where it is relatively calm has some definite advantages.

The text book answer is everyone is 3-4 feet away from each other, but sometimes diving in the "real world" is a little different.

 

[Centrals]

A
I am super interested in trying drift diving now. Just more practice and comfort in the water first, but I am planning for a summer of diving and practice to get more experience!

Do divers who rent BCDs still carry some of their own gear like safety sausages?

Drift dive.
It is easy or difficult.
Pay close attention to the pre-dive briefing first. Do not let the fun carry you away.

Very good question on how to stow a smb in rental bc.
Some divers keep the safety sausage in the pocket of their dry/wet suit. You can buy a special diving shorts with pocket(not cheap). Some jackets bc have pocket but usually not very secure because the Velcro strap no longer work. Some jacket bc have open pockets but unless there is a small D/O ring inside where you can clip you smb otherwise do not put anything in it.
DGX Gears Glue-On Thigh Pocket
Adhesive is extra.

 

[FishWatcher747]

This thread is a good example of the difference between the lure of diving presented by glossy photographs of diving in a magazine or in the training materials and the reality of going through the growing pains of learning real world diving.

The reality is it is a dangerous sport and sometimes the conditions are not ideal. The reality is sometimes one forgets the things one was taught in training and things start to go south.

I was on a boat in Key Largo doing a double dip on the Spiegel Grove Wreck in rough conditions (but nice underwater) this March when half the 16 or so customers were vomiting and turning green. Some of the "corkers" had hundreds of dives. There were not enough buckets or places on the rail to vomit.

I felt sorry for the staff as you know the customers weren't going to clean the boat.

I would encourage the original poster to look at this as you get a badge of courage for pursuing this crazy sport.

 

[Pittsburgh_Mom]

@SlugMug , YIKES! I am going to be reading a lot more in the Accidents & Incidents board. I have been reading and talking through the learning scenarios here with my husband/dive buddy. I'll keep learning to help me be more prepared.

You told several stories of dive-operators on the boat giving you bad advice, not really caring about the customer, and generally having a bad experience. An employer willing to hire those kinds of people to operate a boat, would also be willing to cut corners when it comes to hiring dive-guides. Telling a new diver to solo-dive to the bottom and wait for everyone else is a pretty good example of them not being concerned for your safety.

I think that's largely the case, but I know a lot of folks like this op, including a lot of folks on here. I get the sense they've expanded a lot, and maybe the dive industry has been hurt in staffing like so many other fields. I don't know if the crew knew how new I was or not. I informed the place when I called and asked questions, as did my husband, and when we booked. But I think a lot of communication did not trickle down to the crew. No matter what, I will be as careful as I can picking ops in the future, and I'll be quicker to call a dive for sure. My husband and I are also going to keep practicing together and working on communication as a diving team, not just a married couple.

 

[uncfnp]

Do divers who rent BCDs still carry some of their own gear like safety sausages?

You absolutely can. In fact, in WPB a DSMB or safety sausage are required with most ops and if you don’t have one they will loan you a simple 3 foot sausage to inflate on the surface if you ascend away from the guide/float and the boat’s not right there. It simply clips to a ring on your BCD.

 

[Pittsburgh_Mom]

uncfnp, thank you so much! I may have learned and forgotten that, but I won't forget it again! I so appreciate your guidance!

 

[lowwall]

Any tips at all to make it easier? Someone made an offhand comment about getting bungees to hold their fins on, but I have never tried them. Thank you, too, for the tips on timing the ladder. I think that sounds super savvy and doable, especially if I can get my nausea under control.

If your are on a boat that requires you to hand up your fins and the sea is rough, don't take them off until you have one hand securely on the ladder . Then take off one fin with your other hand, hand it up and then take off the other fin and hand that up.

Edit - This works for low seas, but not for large swells. See @VsubT 's follow-up on the next page.

Another option unless you have full foot fins is to get on the ladder or close to it on the tag line, take off one fin and stick your arm through the strap then do the same with the other. You now have both hands free to grab and climb up the ladder.

If you think you'll have trouble with either of these options, talk to the DM. He or she will probably arrange to meet you on the tag line or ladder and take them from you in the water. Make sure you are close to the boat before you hand them over.

I was on a budget liveaboard in Thailand that was so used to dealing with inexperienced, poorly trained divers that the DMs would pull your fins off once you were on the tag line, you would then pull yourself to the ladder where 2 or 3 boat crew were waiting to pluck you out and guide you all the way to your seat. The few experienced divers among us made them stop it after the first dive, but most were still having it done to them through the whole week.

I thought this was so strange that I took a short video on a day we had some mild chop. I'll put it up on youtube. You can see the DMs bringing up the fins. With the last diver, you can see why all this was necessary as the crew saved her from bashing her head into the ladder.

Do divers who rent BCDs still carry some of their own gear like safety sausages?

You certainly can and probably should, but it's not common.

 

[uncfnp]

You certainly can, but it's not common.

It’s actually quite common in the area of Florida we are discussing.