Unsafe divers on my boat!

[Bayou Platypus]

It sounds like whoever was signing the divers up for the trip was not checking if it was apropriate for them. We have that a lot here as a large proportion of our clients come from travel agencies and sales people who wouldnt know a regulator from a rubber duck.

Would certainly agree with that...been diving several times in NC with a couple different dive ops in Morehead City and Wilmington. Not once did the dive ops ever ask for a c-card or dive log from anyone.

 

[Mako Mark]

Would certainly agree with that...been diving several times in NC with a couple different dive ops in Morehead City and Wilmington. Not once did the dive ops ever ask for a c-card or dive log from anyone.

Wow, I would have thought that with the liability issues that the US would be really strict about this.

We have recently expanded our "no card no dive" rule to include a medical/experience declaration for certified divers.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

My question is this: there are stupid divers and good divers for ALL agencies - this is certain - but how can I, as another diver on a boat trip - protect myself and others from BLATANT STUPIDITY like this?????
...
Obviously the dive shop was FAR more interested in the money than the safety of the dive so - how can we protect ourselves from being put in these situations?

Sounds like you answered your own question. Dive with a different boat next time.

From the sounds of this, it had absolutely nothing to do with the training agency of the divers and everything to do with the business practices of the dive operator.

To avoid this type of situation in the future, take special notice of the questions which the dive operator asks you when you sign up. Chances are that if they don't ask you about your experience level, then they aren't asking any of the other divers.

I would not dive with an operator that did not ask for proof of certification. Hopefully they also ask how recently my last dive was and some more questions to get an idea of my experience such as total number of logged dives as well as experience in the type of diving planned.

 

[miketsp]

On just about every boat dive I do with a charter, I see someone with a slipped tank--I've learned to keep an eye out for it, and say so after the dive on the boat--hopefully, each of those people will never have it happen again.

The only time I ever had a slipped tank was when a DM insisted on setting up my gear because the boat was so overcrowded that there wasn't space for everybody to get near their own cylinder at the same time. Needless to say that was the first and last time I accepted this.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Why blame the oporator?

You have a c-card packin diver who wants to do a dive and has the money to pay for it. Why turn them away? They're trained, c-card packin responsible adults right?

Why the need for a baby sitter?

 

[BubbaFetta]

Let's throw a monkey-wrench into the discussion here.

What if YOU are qualified as a DM / Instructor, but are diving as a regular paying customer on this boat?

Let's say crap hits the fan on one of these dives, and one of these questionably-qualified (but nontheless, certified) divers gets injured / killed.

What are the legal implications for you when (not "if") investigations reveal that you are qualified as a DM / Instructor?

(Assume that you are NOT the buddy of the injured / deceased diver in this hypothetical situation.)


-BubbaFetta

 

[diverbrian]

Why blame the oporator?

You have a c-card packin diver who wants to do a dive and has the money to pay for it. Why turn them away? They're trained, c-card packin responsible adults right?

Why the need for a baby sitter?

I see this as about half-right. A boat captain/ dive operator has a moral responsibility to run as safe boat as he can. This means that if it is obvious that someone is not capable of executing a dive, the captain has the right to sit them down for a day. We had Garry Binieki this weekend out of Sanilac and he has recovered bodies off these wrecks working for the dive team. The sad statistic that he quoted me was that of the seven serious ones that he has looked at six or seven where DM's and/or instructors were the hurt/ dead divers. Further proof that arrrogance knows no boders, I guess.

 

[murphdivers286]

I just read Rick Murchison's posting (http://www.scubaboard.com/t61446.html) and know that a bad diver doesn't necessarily come about because of bad training - or vis-versa. That being said, however, I have to admit that I have to resist cringing when I get on a boat and find that there are inesperienced divers from one particular agency: PADI.
On a recent trip to NC for some deep wreck diving, our first trip was on a 6pack with my team (3 of us: all Advanced Certified and one of us a certified Rescue Diver) and 2 PADI divers. We were going 34 miles out into the Atlantic and diving on a wreck at 117 fsw. We signed in on the clip board and the other two divers were PADI Open Water certified - one with only 13 dives and who had been certified 12 years before! The other diver had 33 dives. We later found out that the more experience diver was diabetic and had siezures... none of which was shared with the other divers. The other divers did NO BUDDY CHECKS and one of them didnt secure his tank and it came out of his BC at depth.
My question is this: there are stupid divers and good divers for ALL agencies - this is certain - but how can I, as another diver on a boat trip - protect myself and others from BLATANT STUPIDITY like this?????
Neither of them had the training or certifications for these dives and should have not been on the boat. One of them had medical problems that VERY EASILY could have lead to his death and possibly the death of his partner too. Obviously the dive shop was FAR more interested in the money than the safety of the dive so - how can we protect ourselves from being put in these situations?
Or - am I just stupidly naive? Should divers go on a boat and not give a damn about the other divers? This isnt what Rick did (see above) and I would hope that when (not if) I make such an error that someone "does the right thing" and helps me out.
Open to all suggestions here.....
Signed,
Frustrated Marc in Decatur, GA

Hmmmm, sounds like a dive op I know in Jupiter, Florida.

You have no control over how a dive op operates their boat. As a good diver, you will always look out for other divers... I do. If every diver would make sure they were prepared for the dive and met the requirements, this post would probably not be here.

Guess what, they don't. All you can do is what you can do!!!!!!

 

[alemaozinho]

good on you to watch out,they shouldnt be on that boat for that particular dive.The Agencies state it clear in their standard sections how deep an open water diver is qualified to go and most new divers have been briefed about that,there is no control on the dive boats and i personally havent seen that Log books or c-cards have been checked,so its up to that diver to take that risk.In my opinion its not a matter of certification level but a matter of dive frequency and dive profiles,peace

 

[mlcircle]

"fmw" - I am not an experienced diver - only 60 dives - but I dont hide my limitations. To violate the Open Water limits on diving when you havent dived in years and when you know you might have seizures is way beyond careless. I have had quite a few fun dives with "newbies" on shallow dives that are within their dive limits! Its not newbies that aren't appreciated... its liars.