trust but verify

[johnhuntga]

I took an advanced student to a Desitn for a deep night dive. I spoke with "Capt Cliff" during the briefing about tide, conditions the standard. The Cap stated no moon, slack tide, current not an issue. During the first dive, I felt a noticeable tug that started to increase. By the time we were at the safety stop my student and I resembled flags on the boats anchor line. By the time we were in the boat, I notice a full moon coming up. Not dangerous for the guy I was diving with, we merely adjusted to the conditions for the second dive ... trust the captain, but check for yourself.

 

[Van Isle]

Agree. It's reasonable to trust an instructor to some degree while you are receiving instruction, but it is still up to each diver to plan his or her own dives. This is a lesson that can be hard to grasp. I've had a few instances of wasted charter money and time earlier in my dive days because I failed to check tides and currents, not because I didn't know how but because I failed to verify the data given by the experienced instructor leading the program. Never again. (I have also never used that instructor's services again)

With excellent free tides and current programs for Mac and PC , as well as information often published in local papers, this should never really be a problem. (But it sadly often is).

Trust. And verify.

VI

 

[biscuit]

"trust but verify"

Sage advice for every experience level!

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I think it's a bit much to expect to expect someone to be able to guarantee perfect conditions given the ocean is a constantly changing environment. I've spent a lot of years around the water and I never met anyone that could predict conditions to the precision you're suggesting.

 

[Maladryne]

I think it's a bit much to expect to expect someone to be able to guarantee perfect conditions given the ocean is a constantly changing environment. I've spent a lot of years around the water and I never met anyone that could predict conditions to the precision you're suggesting.

Agree, to a point. However, OP said capt. stated "no moon, slack tide, no current". Sounds like the captain either hadn't checked the tide charts, or dropped them off late. The "noticeable tug that started to increase" tells me they missed the slack; they dropped in and felt current which picked up. If you're diving on the slack, typically you should feel some current in one direction, which decreases to nothing, then switches and runs the other way & picks up.
I have no idea where the OP was diving (Desitn? Is that Destin, FL?), or what kind of currents they have there. I've dove plenty in the Georgia Strait, where we can get some wicked tides. Slack dives are fun; rather than starting your dive into the current, you drift WITH the current until slack, then have a brief period of calm, then drift BACK with the current to your entry point. It can be almost like drift diving, but the boat can wait for you to come back where they dropped you off.
If you miss the slack, though, and don't notice that the current is picking up instead of slowing.... well, you can go a long, long way. All that said... I completely agree. Trust that the captain knows his waters and is on the mark, but verify too.