Yesterday something happened while I was guiding a dive I feel is important to discuss here on SB, hopefully in a place where many people will see it. I was guiding four divers, two of whom I'd taken diving before, two that were new to me but who dived with the shop all week. As I do when conditions or diver experience dictates I included in my briefing, "We're all going to descend down the line together, we'll need to stay well within eyesight at depth and we're all going to ascend together, again using the line the whole way up."
First dive my two "new-to-me" divers do their best impression of mud-darts and then proceed to take off at a fast swim for parts unseen. Eventually we caught up to them, and I spent the rest of the dive herding cats. This particular buddy team chose to ignore my thumbing the dive and due to one young-lady's NDL I began my ascent (my other dive guide took over watching them).
Due to the first dive on the second dive I re-itered the above brief and talked about safety.
Second dive the same buddy refused to come up when I thumbed the dive, including flashing me impolite gestures. After swimming after them and strongly emphasizing the need to surface they finally did.
Here's the deal guys: If you're paying me to take you diving and I determine the conditions warrant a group dive the fact you have more air, or you needing to get one more picture does not give you the right to blow off a signal to end the dive. It's for your safety. If you think you got ripped off on the dive by all means address it -- but at the surface where we all have plenty of air!
Thanks
Michael
First dive my two "new-to-me" divers do their best impression of mud-darts and then proceed to take off at a fast swim for parts unseen. Eventually we caught up to them, and I spent the rest of the dive herding cats. This particular buddy team chose to ignore my thumbing the dive and due to one young-lady's NDL I began my ascent (my other dive guide took over watching them).
Due to the first dive on the second dive I re-itered the above brief and talked about safety.
Second dive the same buddy refused to come up when I thumbed the dive, including flashing me impolite gestures. After swimming after them and strongly emphasizing the need to surface they finally did.
Here's the deal guys: If you're paying me to take you diving and I determine the conditions warrant a group dive the fact you have more air, or you needing to get one more picture does not give you the right to blow off a signal to end the dive. It's for your safety. If you think you got ripped off on the dive by all means address it -- but at the surface where we all have plenty of air!
Thanks
Michael