What do Safe Divers do that Unsafe Divers don't?

[vladimir]

No one is touching or setting up my equipment. That might sound like I am an ass, but it ain't happening. My gear, my life, keep your hands off.

Instead of being an ass, I let the crew set up my equipment if that is policy. If not, I am just as happy to do it myself. Either way, though, I do a pre-dive check to make sure everything is as it should be. I would give up diving altogether if I thought my life was hanging on whether or not the boat crew had touched my stuff.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I always get a kick out of watching a boat crew trying to set up my gear ... especially since it always happens at a tropical vacation area where most folks are completely unfamiliar with the backplate and long hose setup I prefer to dive. I usually just let them go about their business ... and then go fix it after they're done. If they're interested, I'll even take a couple minutes to explain to them how it works.

I had an especially fine time at KBR when, as they were putting my stuff on the boat, the resort manager turned and asked me if I knew Lynne ... who had been to the same resort a year and a half earlier. Apparently that was the last time before me that they'd seen a hogarthian setup ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[JamesK]

Instead of being an ass, I let the crew set up my equipment if that is policy. If not, I am just as happy to do it myself. Either way, though, I do a pre-dive check to make sure everything is as it should be. I would give up diving altogether if I thought my life was hanging on whether or not the boat crew had touched my stuff.

I don't feel like "my life was hanging on whether or not the boat crew had touched my stuff". I just prefer to setup my own gear. Plain and simple. I don't feel it is being an ass, and I do not act like an ass. I simply explain that I prefer to set up my own gear.

 

[drdaddy]

Someone who has the testicular fortitude to NOT dive or abort dives when the conditions exceed their training or experience level.

Or calls the dive just because it doesn't feel right (comfort level).

 

[Scubagolf]

Just got back from a day of Cenotes diving near Playa Carmen.
The Answer to the OP's question = Follow The Rules. Period.

 

[Alucard]

The OP asked what we had personally witnessed. I have two experiences. One was a conversation with a guy who wanted to dive with me. He had tons of experience over many years of diving. He believed that the "on the boat with 500 psi" was totally garbage - his logic "I paid for a full tank and I'm gonna use it all". Needless to say, I will never dive with this person.

The other one was in St Martin - a married couple were diving together and from the get-go we knew they weren't safe - he was darting around us all, looking at everything he could, while his wife stayed glued to the dive leader. They quite plainly couldn't have had a clue where the other one was. Turned out he ended up with a problem with his BCD leaking and had to surface early. His wife had absolutely no clue what had happened and was just following the DM until he signed to her, and asked where her buddy was. She plainly had no clue. The DM back-tracked a short way (vis wasn't that special that day) and found him bobbing on the surface....

I only dive once or twice a year in foreign waters, but own my own gear, which gets a full service once a year. The first two days we make it very obvious to the crew on the boat that we need to take it easy and they have nearly always respected it completely. We also tend to dive very conservatively those first couple of days. Does that make us inherently unsafe? It sounds by the way some of posted here that we are.

 

[TMHeimer]

My gear is very standard, with the exception of the Apollo Bio Tank Lock on my BC strap. Once crew switched out tanks and set the bolt too tight--that can be damaging to this $90 item after it gets wet and tries to tighten even more. I now check it to be sure it was done right.

 

[Ulfhedinn]

when i think about unsafe divers, i think about the line from top gun: "your ego is writing checks your body can't cash."

i think attitude has the most to do with it. Someone who is thoughtful and prudent and is capable of a reasonably objective evaluation of their own capacity is unlikely to be an unsafe diver. Someone who is cocky, careless, arrogant, dangerously cheap, or badly disorganized is unlikely to be a safe diver. Someone who doesn't respect his buddies or respect their requested limits for the dive is not, to me, a safe diver. Someone whose behavior is unpredictable or who does not have themselves under control is an unsafe diver.

I've only done two dives ever with people i thought, by the end of the dive, were unsafe. One went on to fix her problems. The other i haven't dived with again.

spot on!

 

[Rich Poorman]

I have a funny set-up too, and I usually have to explain it to the crew. I always check carefully before strapping up, and that includes something I've not seen a crew member do: check for a good seal at the O-ring. They usually turn on the air, take a quick look at the reg, gauge, power inflator, etc. and shut off the tank until entry time. I put my hand across the top of the valve, turn the air on full, and put my ear right down on my fingers to listen for leakage. It's just my thing, but I have seen divers go into the water with leaking first stage connections.

 

[LeafyGirl]

A few things I've seen: A DSD student dragged around by instructor by her SPG hose (later some explained to me this is the way it's done?) and the 3rd diver in the trio (Newly OW) dog paddling and over breathing trying to stay with instructor and her DSD friend. My dive buddy and I were watching all this and stayed close to Ms OW. She came over to me, grabbed my forearm and signaled "me and u buddy up" and of course I gave her the OK, so we were the new trio.
I remember being a new diver and appreciated more experienced folks being around and approachable. Not all of them were open to being so toward a newbie. Don't think it says much for this instructor either? As an inspiring instructor, am I wrong?