Reminder of boat etiquette as we emerge from covid

[chillyinCanada]

Classic management fallacy; fixation on process not objective.

Voting with your feet is the standard workaround. Many of us have switched to other dive shops for similar reasons.

I have never experienced anything like this at any op in 25 years and diving all over the world.

Yes, I have changed ops for other reasons but never such a thing as this. Extraordinary

 

[BlueTrin]

I have never experienced anything like this at any op in 25 years and diving all over the world.

Yes, I have changed ops for other reasons but never such a thing as this. Extraordinary

Was he maybe a young DM, maybe that’s why he overreacted?

Anyway, makes sense to vote with your money if you are unhappy with the service of a dive ops.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Was he maybe a young DM, maybe that’s why he overreacted?

Anyway, makes sense to vote with your money if you are unhappy with the service of a dive ops.

Yes, he was young.

 

[scubadada]

Oh, it should be noted that despite my disagreement with him and me telling him that it was SOP for me, depending on the dive site and conditions, I followed his instruction/demand that I wait on the surface for the group.

The problem was that I had questioned his Ah Thor A TEE.

I

What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.

I was recently on Bonaire and, as usual, did some boat dives with Dive Friends. There were quite a few new employees due to the pandemic, in addition to people I knew from previous trips. My habit is to splash first or early and meet the group under the boat, usually 5-10 minutes later.

On one trip, the guide for the 1st dive was a young woman who I did not know. Before back rolling, I told her that I would see her under the boat. She replied that it was not allowed and that we would descend as a group. Fortunately for me, the other employee, who knew me well, overheard the conversation and intervened. If that had not happened, I would have been forced to comply with her rule. I saw her a couple more times over the 2 weeks and we became pretty friendly. Clearly, she was only trying to enforce the procedures she was taught by her employer.

 

[Searcaigh]

My habit is to splash first or early and meet the group under the boat, usually 5-10 minutes later.

Occasionally I have ear issues on the first dive of an overseas trip and I like to start descending first to take my time clearing my ears. I make this known to whoever might be leading a group and usually try to splash first with a plan to meet at the bottom of the anchor / mooring line. I don't recall having any issues with the dive op using this strategy.

 

[Hoag]

@chillyinCanada I have had the total opposite happen (at Stuart Coves) in Nassau. I was there with a couple friends and it became obvious that the three of us were not the typical "Cruise Boat Divers" and actually knew what we were doing. By the second day, we were told to set up at the back of the boat and to get our gear ready as the boat was leaving the dock. A few minutes before we would get to the dive site, we were discreetly told to get into our wetsuits fins & get ready. As soon as the boat came to a stop, the 3 of us were ready to jump in and were told to go. We got about 5-10 minutes longer than the rest of the divers and were still back on the boat in time to get the rest of the group back to the cruise ship in time.

 

[tarponchik]

I was recently on Bonaire and, as usual, did some boat dives with Dive Friends. There were quite a few new employees due to the pandemic, in addition to people I knew from previous trips. My habit is to splash first or early and meet the group under the boat, usually 5-10 minutes later.

On one trip, the guide for the 1st dive was a young woman who I did not know. Before back rolling, I told her that I would see her under the boat. She replied that it was not allowed and that we would descend as a group. Fortunately for me, the other employee, who knew me well, overheard the conversation and intervened. If that had not happened, I would have been forced to comply with her rule. I saw her a couple more times over the 2 weeks and we became pretty friendly. Clearly, she was only trying to enforce the procedures she was taught by her employer.

Descending as a group only makes sense under some special conditions, but why anyone would require this in Bonaire, of all places?!

 

[chillyinCanada]

@chillyinCanada I have had the total opposite happen (at Stuart Coves) in Nassau. I was there with a couple friends and it became obvious that the three of us were not the typical "Cruise Boat Divers" and actually knew what we were doing. By the second day, we were told to set up at the back of the boat and to get our gear ready as the boat was leaving the dock. A few minutes before we would get to the dive site, we were discreetly told to get into our wetsuits fins & get ready. As soon as the boat came to a stop, the 3 of us were ready to jump in and were told to go. We got about 5-10 minutes longer than the rest of the divers and were still back on the boat in time to get the rest of the group back to the cruise ship in time.

I've had that experience too but don't find it offensive

 

[Marie13]

This really varies by location and boat. It's pretty common and accepted practice for people to bring big roller bags onto most dive boats in southern Calif (the bigger ones that can take 20 to 30 divers.) The crew expects it, usually has space on the bow (or similar area) to store all the empty bags after everyone has set up their gear.

So maybe the best advice for this issue is that if you're not certain what the expectation for bags is on the boat you're going to board, find out in advance from someone who knows.

Imagine bringing one of those big rolling bags on a Great Lakes 6 pack. Barely enough room for divers and their gear, let alone those big ass bags. Pretty much tells you who is a warm water diver. The locals all have soft sided bags or maybe a small crate.

 

[Belzelbub]

Easy way to avoid a lot of drama is dive private boats or smaller charters. Last thing I want to do is drop on any site with a lot of people I met on a dock an hour ago. Or a lot of people. Or with people I don't know. Made lifetime friends diving off each other's boats or on a small charter.

Exactly. Last time I did a cattle boat was in 1997. That was for OW checkout. That was enough for me. 6 packs or private boats for me after that.