Stuff hanging down.

[Eric Sedletzky]

I was cruising the new post list and clicked on a Cayman picture thread. There I saw a pic of a couple divers on a reef, one was reaching out petting, or so it apeared, a grouper of some sort, but aside of that what I noticed the most was all the crap hanging down like the octo and the gauge console ready to bang into one of those beautiful tubes.
I run into many of these types of images and it seems like a standard thing...in magazines, on the net, ect.
I'm just wondering, this is accepted as normal now?
How hard would it be to just clip that stuff up and out of the way so it doesn't bang into everything on the bottom. The octo will get packed with sand and the console gets all scratched up. You'd think that people would see this damage on their equipment and get a clue, plus the damage to the reef.
How many people here see this as a problem?
Do any of the people who dive this way ever think about this?

 

[scoobydrew]

Some don't know and some don't care.

 

[muzikbiz22]

I was cruising the new post list and clicked on a Cayman picture thread. There I saw a pic of a couple divers on a reef, one was reaching out petting, or so it apeared, a grouper of some sort, but aside of that what I noticed the most was all the crap hanging down like the octo and the gauge console ready to bang into one of those beautiful tubes.
I run into many of these types of images and it seems like a standard thing...in magazines, on the net, ect.
I'm just wondering, this is accepted as normal now?
How hard would it be to just clip that stuff up and out of the way so it doesn't bang into everything on the bottom. The octo will get packed with sand and the console gets all scratched up. You'd think that people would see this damage on their equipment and get a clue, plus the damage to the reef.
How many people here see this as a problem?
Do any of the people who dive this way ever think about this?

It's not accepted as normal, but I would say "tolerated". I had "an incident" last year where I gave my piece of mind to a diver that might as well have been called the "Human Lawnmower". Besides crap hanging off all over the place, buoyancy was not just bad, but ATROCIOUS, and was literally crawling on the reefs leaving a path of destruction much like what tornado would leave. This person was absolutely clueless, not to mention had his "stuff" all over the boat in everyone's way, etc. A true Hot Mess. The "challenge" is that more times than not, the dive op or crew is not going to "scold" a paying customer.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

This is what got my attention.
Not that it's a "HUGE" deal, it's just mildly annoying and makes me wonder if this is something never discussed in OW training. Would it be that hard to just tell new divers to not drag their crap accross the bottom?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/80825593@N08/15575535858/

 

[Dhboner]

One of the problems is that some of the shops that offer OW training sell all sorts of "danglies" and encourage their students to buy them. A good rule is to only bring on a dive the things needed for that dive and secure them so they don't drag bottom and are not entanglement hazards. Simple steps like wrist mounting your computer and compass, securing your SPG to a d-ring on your waist strap go a long way to making you "cleaner" in the water. If you like to have stuff dangling from your body go stand in the living room at Christmas and let the kids decorate you

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Perhaps what we need to do is have more people post pics of scenes like this so others can see what NOT to do.

 

[Festus]

It's everything any more. Lots of people just are not self-aware or don't care. No consequences anymore.

 

[redacted]

I suspect many were taught that way. When is the last time you saw dive shop rental/training gear with an effective octo retainer or gauge console clip?

 

[diver 85]

That was my pic you saw(I believe)------here it is again.....

[/URL]IMG_0738 by GEAUXtiger, on Flickr[/IMG]

That was a younger couple(age 40'ish---from San Francisco if I remember correctly) that was @ C Brac the same time my wife & I were.....She---amazingly--was a fairly experienced diver--he not so much, remember?? they only dove maybe 3 outta the 6 days that week......I just happened to be with them the last 5 or 10 minutes of that dive(I don't do the buddy thingy) & took these couple pics....Guess some don't learn as well as others........Myself??---everything is strapped on tighter than a drum--octo in a necklace over my neck, SPG on a short 20-something" hose clipped on the left side @ my hip, SBM & reel attached in the middle of chest, etc etc etc.......

Here they are about 5 minutes later---heading to the boat.......

[/URL]IMG_0757 by GEAUXtiger, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/URL]IMG_0758 by GEAUXtiger, on Flickr[/IMG]

EDIT:----please don't shoot the messenger-----I just call em(take pics) the way I see em(the way it happens)........lol

 

[TSandM]

We had to fight with the shop we teach for to get retractors for the consoles. They use snorkel keepers for octo holders, which are really bad about letting the second stages go. But we do impress upon our students that things should be tidy. They are reminded to clip everything up before diving, and during the dive, if anything is dangling, we go up to them and tell them, and fix it. It's all we can do.