should i have said something?

[paintsnow]

while on vacation a few weeks ago i got AOW certified during the first few days there.
Later another teenager came and got OW followed by AOW certified. On one of my last dives of the vacation i was buddied up with him, i believe it was the day after he finished his course or it might have been the second dive, i dont recall exactly. well his instructor was leading the dive, but I was his buddy.

i explained my gear to him on the boat as it is a different setup from what the shop was renting(5 foot hose, octo-z and a dive alert, also the location of my sausage and regular whistle, and the weight rip cord on the zeagle ranger.)

first thing i noticed was he wasnt comfortable in the water. he was busy trying to float instead of paying attention to directions from the instructor while we were floating. then he was having trouble getting down and was a horrible finner, kept switching sides around me and was either way behind or way ahead of me, which i delt with and understood that he was a new diver and still easily distracted by things. so i did my best to stick near him.

now im not saying im a perfect diver myself, im guilty of having a polaris incident from 15 feet during my nav dive, because i didnt bother doing a weight check and started with 8 kilos, by the end of the week i was diving 4. i take full responsibility for not fixing the issue from the begginning instead of listening to the shops advice.

well
during the dive, he ran low on air.
which again is almost expected of any new diver who hasent figured out how to stay horizontal and relax (which im not perfect at myself either, i need to work on my trim a bit.)
well
what he did was he told the instructor he was low on air. i understand he would be doing the right thing during a course, but he was MY buddy and if i wasnt paying attentinon i wouldnt have known at all.
so after i noticed he had under 200 psi i stuck next to him like white on rice, and periodically swan underhim to check his pressure myself.

well we got to the boat and did a normal ascent while the others and the leader swam around for a few mor minutes under us.
after we were all on board and has switched over out tanks
(it was a rib, not much time for talk between passing tanks and trying the keep the 3 nearest you from falling over)
i was thinking about bringing it up with him about how he should have told me

well
i didnt, mostly because the instructor was a nice guy, but could get peeved easily and turn a little jerky(if thats a word) and being only 16, i didnt feel i would get any respect form either and that my advice would not be headed.

now i feel bad for not standing up for myself and telling him to inform his buddy first, so that then him and his buddy could swim to the leader TOGETHER and inform them.

so
as a 16 yearold
should i be pointing things out if nobody else does?
or is it not my place because, although i have a lot of the knowledge, i dont have the experience to go aloing with it

 

[MrRoo]

It seems like the instrcutor never explained to him the importance of your buddy knowing whats going on. Iw ould have just said in a nice way 'hey, the dive instructor will not alway be there, but your buddy will and you need to communicate better with your buddy'

 

[MeiLing]

Even in a course, the appropriate thing would be to tell his buddy also. And I'm quite surprised that at around 200 PSI, the instructor didn't have him breathing off an octo. For that new of a diver, 500 PSI is theoritically considered out of air. Under 200 PSI is seriously pushing it. While you may be able to breathe the tank down to nothing and survive, a totally drained tank is now going to require a VIP to insure that it is still dry inside. As little as 100 PSI is still enough to keep water out, but might still cost you the price of a VIP if you do so.

For my 2 PSI, this is a pretty bad practice for what basically amounts to a new diver and his instructor!:no And yes, don't ever feel as though you shouldn't say something. Even if no one listens, at least you've said your piece!

 

[Garrobo]

16 or 60, you were diving with an incompetent diver who needed someone to point him in the right direction. Anything you might have said could possibly have gone over both his and the instructor's head but you would have said your piece and you won't in the futue have to deal with either one of them if that is you choice. So speak up, even if you are pissin' in the wind. It will help your ego if nothing else and maybe save someones life next time. When I started diving a couple of years ago, at 66, I wouldn't have thought a thing of taking instructions or a suggestion from a kid since I realized that I didn't know a damn thing about diving and he/she probably did.

 

[scubadobadoo]

You are a teenager, he was a teenager. You are a new diver, he is a new diver. You two being buddied up seems very logical to me even if you have more basic knowledge than the average new teenage diver. (btw good for you for being an active and adult minded diver)

All that said, if you feel unsafe, you have the right to say something but of course being a new teenage diver, you are likely going to get attitude from an adult instructor. Basically, life is all about picking and choosing your battles. In this specific case, my opinion is to just go diving and learn from others mistakes. This one wasn't worth battling over.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Hes not incompetent - hes an Advanced open water diver...

 

[Damselfish]

so after i noticed he had under 200 psi i stuck next to him like white on rice, and periodically swan underhim to check his pressure myself.

a tip for the future about gauges - they may not be perfectly accurate. It could say 200psi and really be 20. That's another reason its not recommended to get too close.

 

[trucker girl]

Hes not incompetent - hes an Advanced open water diver...

Do I sense sarcasm?

I'm very impressed that, as a 16-year-old, you know your stuff- even if you didn't say anything. Where you might want to pipe up next time is BEFORE the dive- I'm not sure I would be comfortable diving with a guy who just got certified. Not because I'm the Mac D of divers but because I'm not certain I'm capable of handling the potential emergency situations we might find ourselves in as a result of him being brand new. Thus, no way would I dive in the open ocean with a brand new diver I didn't trust as my buddy.

Anyway- yeah, you probably should have said something. But I wouldn't beat myself up over it. He'll eventually have to learn for himself- people tend to not listen to good advice. I wouldn't go so far as to call him up or anything. But next time, you can feel free to stand your ground.

Or just smile and nod. That works okay, too.

 

[SharkDiver36]

If you see something that is unsafe it is never wrong to say something. For a new diver to still be in the water with 200psi is asking for problems because in a way he/she is already pushing limits that shouldn't be pushed. The SPG is red below 500PSI for a reason....

I will say though that how you tell them is as important as what you tell them and can be just as difficult especially when telling an Instrcutor. That said, I've had Training Assistants and DM's tell me I forgot something and at least for me, I always say "thanks". We all make mistakes, even instructors.

Stick to your 'guns' as it were and never be afraid to ask a question or comment if you think safety is at risk. It's never the wrong thing to do.

 

[Teamcasa]

You are a teenager, he was a teenager. You are a new diver, he is a new diver. You two being buddied up seems very logical to me even if you have more basic knowledge than the average new teenage diver. (btw good for you for being an active and adult minded diver)

All that said, if you feel unsafe, you have the right to say something but of course being a new teenage diver, you are likely going to get attitude from an adult instructor. Basically, life is all about picking and choosing your battles. In this specific case, my opinion is to just go diving and learn from others mistakes. This one wasn't worth battling over.

Sound advice. As a new diver, you will be faced with this again. Good for you in going over the gear on-board. Next trip, go over what to do when you or your buddy are at 1500 psi, 1000psi and again at 500psi and God forbid, Out of Air. Then go over it again.

Asserting yourself as a 16 year old, especially to an older diver may be tough but do it and the more seasoned diver may appreciate your efforts more than scorn then. If they are a jerk about it – better to find out before you trust your safety to them.

Dave