There are new divers and experienced divers... both at every dive venue. And then there's a lot of folks in between.
Demonstrating regulator recovery and flooding a mask on the first day of the first dive is hardly invasive. It is the simplest minimal that a DM might request to ascertain that you are not a hazard to yourself or those around you. Even more invasive tests are not a guarantee, but I call that regulator and mask drill a non-issue.
I know that the occasional very experienced diver and also some divers who are unsure of their skills bridle at any assistance or DM checking process. I am often reminded of the scene in Stripes, where "Psycho" says, "Call me Francis, and I'll kill you. Touch my stuff, and I'll kill you. Touch me...and I'll kill you." Then Sgt. Hulka responds: "Lighten up, Francis..."
The DM's have been doing this every day, four times a day for 3 to 15 years and that trumps my untold thousands of dives any time. They can poke me, prod me, check my tank valve, whatever they want. I have done dive stuff they wrote books about- but any DM at CoCoView knows 1000x more about diving in their operation than I'll ever know. I would say, the same applies to most better dive ops in the world. I am always the Noob there.
At CCV, you do that first day Orientation dive, and that is just what it is. They show you around the "Front Yard" dive site, with all of the objects and navigational aids. The 140' wreck, the chain, the buoys, the walls, the DC-3 wreck, the way home through the coral heads.
Some boneheads try to refuse doing that "orientation dive", fearing for whatever reason that it will evolve into Open Water Skills Test #3. Not at CCV.
You do the first day orientation dive and you are as free as you wish. If you are going below 100' on any dive, the Divemaster asks to be advised lest he thinks you're unaware of what you are doing and has to streak after you. Do whatever you want, but don't forget to tell the DM.
After that first CCV Orientation Dive where you learn the Front Yard landmarks, you are free to do Solo Night Dives. Knock your socks off. I do them there all the time, but I paid close attention to the DM's for many dives.
Certain things may cause a trained DM to get his radar up. These are observational skills that are taught right there in DM School. They will watch your social demeanor looking for nervousness, they will watch how you rig your gear, they will watch you during the minutes they call out to you- "gear up".
It's fairly easy to spot the Noob diver. Sometimes its the fumble factor, sometimes it's the equipment being all sparkly new, matching your newlywed dive buddy, and rigged all wrong. Sometimes it's easy.
Or then, sometimes you see the old salt diver, sometimes with beat up minimalist gear. These guys usually get ignored, at least in terms of gear being a cautionary sign.
When I first started "warm water pretty fish" diving, I had 1500 dives in cold water or under ships. I was experienced enough to know that I didn't know much about Caribbean diving for fun. Like I always say, pay attention to the DM's and procedures- If he were your guest back home in the big city, how many times a day would you be telling him what to watch out for? Diving is no different.
Then there are the heavily equipped divers. Having all of the right gear in the right place does not a qualified vacation diving survivor make. Many divers who are most comfortable with heavily structured gear configurations are sometimes worth a second look for DM's. Many folks compensate for experience and level of ability through acquisition and positioning of gear in a codified manner. I have seen divers show up in Tobago with wreck reels and wrenches. Long clanky wrenches they call adjustable spanners.
If you show up in gear that is selected for the type of local diving, you are less likely to cause interest. Many divers show up in full DIR rigs to CoCoView, and blend right in. CCV used to be considered to be very advanced diving, largely due to the difficulties in transportation when it was discovered back in the 1980's. The diving there now, at least out of CCV, is simple, shallow and essentially very safe in terms of the operation, the boats, the shore dive and local conditions.
I once watched a heavily (matched) geared couple ($300 fins and all) refuse to do a weight check test dive on their first day in the Galapagos. In the next six dives, they ran out of air twice among other issues. Can't tell much by looks.
I think carrying minimal surface signaling gear is always a must, but those little inflatable life rafts tucked into the BPW, the pony tank, the ePirb, the underwater case for the Sat Phone, the SCUDA... that is an attention getter, and yes- I've seen them even at CCV. Certainly, people will wish to argue, but all I can say is that it is a matter of having gone beyond dogma and having reached the level that SEALs operate, being "mission specific". Take what you need.
So, my intent was really not to hi-jack this thread, but in that some readers might think that CCV's Dive Masters are invasive or pushy... no, far from it.
Oh- there is another class of divers who raise attention. The ones that light off as if it were a race, the ones that blow down to 85+ feet on every dive, the ones that simply refuse to follow the Dive Master so he can find the really cool stuff. The CCV DM's are the best on the island for this task.
The DM's know where the interesting critters hide. Whether they are a safety cushion or a Naturalist Tour Guide, as many thousands of dives I have off of Roatan's Southern shores, I am following that DM as if he were my new best friend.
Because he is.
