Smoking on a dive boat

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jar546

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First, I am an avid non-smoker who never smoked, ever. I am a pretty hard core anti-smoker. I just thought I would preface this thread and my post.

For the first time in a very long time I came across a boat where the captain smokes while underway and the divers are allowed to smoke anywhere but under cover(they do anyway). I am not use to divers getting ready for their next dive, placing their equipment on with a cigarette hanging out of their mouth with the smoke going into my face. It is interesting to see them take their cigarettes out just as they put their regulators in and watch the smoke come out of the side ports of their regulator as they drop in the water.

So now while at the dock, there are approximately 2-4 smokers lit up on the boat and the smoke goes everywhere. Many go topside to smoke with the captain while underway and the ashes just fall down onto the rest of us below and while getting ready for our drops during for drift diving, there is constantly smoking going on.

So my question is: How prevalent is this becoming and is anyone aware of any boats that allow this? In recent years, most boats won't even allow you to smoke at the dock, let alone on the boat at all.

Could this explain why the boat is usually empty?
 
I've never been on a boat where someone actively smoked. However, usually my smoker friends are courteous to do it away from non-smokers.

On a dive boat with scuba divers where SAC, time underwater, and air quality is a factor, I'd assume that people would be even more aware of their smoking habits. It's disrespectful to smoke where the smoke gets in fellow divers' faces. I respect your right to smoke; just don't do it in my face, especially when I'm about to dive.

From my limited diving experience, this type of behavior does not happen on dive boats. I assume that overall it happens rarely. I hope that boat doesn't get your business again.
 
It could explain why the boat is empty. I used to experience this in Nanaimo, BC ... where the captain and crew of one of their formerly popular dive ops smoked while divers were onboard. They eventually went out of business, and I'm convinced it's at least partly due to the increasing number of divers who refused to go out on their boat.

I don't have a problem with divers who want to smoke ... that's their choice to make. But I also don't have a desire to share it with them. Whenever possible, I'll make my choice of dive boat accordingly ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
When I first began diving, smoking was not uncommon. However, in the past 15-20 years, it has fallen off and more recently, it is very rare. I have been part of a group which spent the evenings on the aft deck with a rum and a cigar, but that was a special charter and special occasion.

That said, in a similar situation to the one you describe, I would look elsewhere for a ride to the dive site.
 
The comments so far further confirm how many of us see the world from the map where US and Canada are in the center.

Now that SCUBABoard has lifted the spell-check prohibition against using the word "Nazi", I would venture that stating that one is an "avid non-smoker" is a pleasant way to say that you might be a Smoke Nazi. Some people have real actual problems when exposed to it, a few just panic when they simply see it happening. There are some people in between, but in every group there will be a representative from each.

Behaviors that has been described so far should not be tolerated. I agree, I have no use for smoking on a boat unless there is no impact and confined to the aft decks while underway. If somebody want to stand downwind over diesel exhaust and have one, they should feel free.

But at the same time, y'all might want to avoid dive trips along with anyone from the European continent. It can get pretty smoky with divers from about Belgium on over to Russia~ and these people tend to show up in the darndest places.

I once was about to do a backroll with an unlit cigar in my maw. I mean, we SCUBA divers are all biased towards oral fixation. I want to state for the record, that I do not have a pink snorkel. (see my sig line)
 
I'd second Doc's point about Europe. There are plenty of smokers on all the boats I've been on - and the DM's are often the worst offenders. I've never seen anyone smoke while actually kitting up, though.
 
The only place I now see smoking is on the top sun deck of live aboards. It is the one place the smokers are allowed to light up. I vaguely remember a few people having a butt up on the bow of a day boat many many years ago. I have not seen boat smoking on the dive deck in years.

But we do get rudely made aware that we are no longer in the great white north every time we enter a restaurant in the Caribbean. They do not seem to have any anti smoking laws. And the Euros seem to love a puff with their meal.

the situation described by the OP could not occur on a commercial dive boat in Canada. It is considered a workplace. Smoking is not allowed in workplaces. We force the smokers to go outside and stand in the snow. The rules are so explicit that many government buildings now have a line painted on the ground around doorways to indicate how far from the door smokers must be.
 
I am thankful that it is rare to see smoking on dive boats, and here in Colorado it is getting more rare every day to see smokers anywhere, except in the designated outdoor zones that our laws require them to congregate in to smoke. We have smoking rules for day boats and liveaboards in our Scuba Snobs books. Here is a the short version for each:

Day Boats. DON’T SMOKE No smoking. No smoking of anything, at all. Don’t even bring smoking materials on board.... Recently in Mexico, we had “the torch” puffing away all the way out to the dive sight. He was also the guy who of course geared up late, delayed the entry for everyone, and was the first guy out of air. ... No one wants your smoke destroying the wonderful aroma of the salt air, and if you flick your butt into the ocean, you should be banned from all dive boats forever. Liveaboards (see Chapter 4) may have a place for you to engage in your habits, but day boats don’t. And why is anyone even smoking at all these days? If you have a one-pack-a-day habit, over the course of a year you are spending the equivalent of the cost of an entire set of scuba gear, including a decent computer, just on your cigarettes. It also adds up to be the equivalent of the price of a dive trip with airfare to many fine Caribbean dive destinations. Do the math. It’s your call. Smoking, or Grand Cayman for a week?
On Liveaboards. SMOKE ONLY IN DESIGNATED AREAS. If there is a designated smoking area, smoke there and nowhere else. Never smoke in the dining area or any common area not designated for smoking. Dispose of your butts as directed by the captain or crew. Pay attention to wind direction and stand down wind of others. If there is no designated smoking area on the boat, then feel free to smoke underwater but nowhere else.
DivemasterDennis
 
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When I worked offshore it was not unusual to have divers coming out of the chamber after a month in sat and lighting up immediately!

I rarely encounter divers smoking on boats though and most are usually aware of their habit and smoke at the stern when the boat is moving.

I did witness a rebreather diver go ballistic at a smoker when he was setting up his kit, citing that a high ppCO could kill him if the smoke entered his system
 

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