What do you expect from other Divers?

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DivemasterDennis

DivemasterDennis
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Divemaster
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Location
Lakewood, Colorado
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I'm a self proclaimed scuba snob. I define that term (see scubasnobs.com) as follows: A scuba snob is an avid and active diver who loves everything about diving, who has worked to acquire and maintain competent diving skills and good diving habits, exercises and demonstrates those skills and habits when diving,AND EXPECTS OTHER DIVERS TO DO THE SAME. When someone has gone through accredited dive certification, even as a new diver, they should have a certain skill level. In fact, I find that new divers are often better to dive with than the casual diver who dives maybe once every year or two, and is indifferent to many safety issues, does not know their equipment, can wreak havoc on the environment, and can be just plain a pain in the butt. So, is that wrong? What do you expect of other divers?
DivemasterDennis
 
What I expect from other divers depends on whether or not they're diving with me.

If they're not diving with me, about the only thing I expect from them is that they not interfere with my diving experience. In other words ... don't destroy the visibility or environment through poor diving techniques ... don't poach or disturb a subject I'm taking a picture of ... and don't be stupid or inattentive to the point where your actions affects my dive. Other than that, I don't much care what you do.

If they're diving with me, there are some additional expectations revolving around sticking to the dive plan and following acceptable buddy protocols. Those will really depend on both the diver and the dive. I expect far less from someone who's new, although at whatever level I do expect my dive buddy to take the dive plan seriously and make their best attempt to be a responsible dive buddy.

That's about it ... we go down to have fun, and as long as both of us are doing that, I can be pretty flexible with how they're doing it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
To have a questioning attitude and willingness to learn. With 6,000 dives and 2,000 days at sea running dive boats, I don't know it all yet, so I still try to learn from the folks who come diving with me. Whether or not I learn something, I often gain a different way of looking at things, or another approach or solution to a problem.
 
I dive with pickup buddies a lot since I often show up at the boat alone. Usually the capt or DM do a pretty good job of fiinding me a buddy.

Basic thing I want is *communication*. Look at me often, I'll do the same. This is more important than experience level. If you're having a problem or a question, let me know. if you're fine, let me know now and then.

We can work around the problems, the inexperience, the low air. But you need to tell me. Know the basic hand signals and let me know early on how your air consumption is, so we can figure out the 'pace' of the dive before it's half over. So let me know when you hit 2000, if not 2500.

I don't mind a new diver, or even a rusty diver, as long as they let me know what's up. These can turn out to be fun dives. The experienced divers were patient and good to me when I was the newbie. But I didn't keep secrets from them or "same ocean" dive with them.

Communicate with me on the boat before the dive, too. Take the equipment check seriously. Let me know how you like to dive (or that you don't know) and what gives you trouble. Chances are we can work it out. Just don't inflate your experience along with your BC. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised underwater than the opposite.


PS edit: sometimes I wonder why I'm posting on the "Advanced" Diver forum, but here ya go anyway.
 
I'm with Bob for the most part. However, I expect ALL divers, whether they are diving with me or not, to stay off the bottom! I cringe when I see divers clawing their way on the reef, pulling up sponges and kicking over coral because they were not taught to control their buoyancy. :no: I also expect ALL divers to not harass the marine life. I saw one diver who had a lion fish tamer and was poking fish and eels with it. :depressed:

If they are not diving with me, I don't care what they do (except what I stated above). If they are diving with me, I expect that the dive we planned be carried out. Oh, one other thing: I expect all divers to dive safely. An incident can really ruin everyone's dive when an accident could have been prevented by a diver using common sense.
 
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Well, my answer is similar to Bob's. If you aren't diving with me, then I really don't care what you do, as long as it doesn't impact my dive. Please don't silt out the site, or crash into me, or run out of gas and ask me to save you.

If you are diving with me, I expect that you will participate in creating a dive plan and will join me in a gear check before getting in the water. Once there, I expect that you will stay where I can see you and be as attentive as you can to signals. I expect you to monitor your own gas (although with real beginners, I'll make sure of it) and will stick to the gas plan we made on land. I expect you to have the competence to perform any role we discussed beforehand, or if anything is shaky, you will have communicated that ahead of time. And, on that note, if there is ANYTHING -- healthwise, experience-wise or otherwise -- that could reasonably be expected to impact our dive, I would like to know about it ahead of time.

The only other expectation I have is you are down there to have fun!
 
To have a questioning attitude and willingness to learn. With 6,000 dives and 2,000 days at sea running dive boats, I don't know it all yet, so I still try to learn from the folks who come diving with me. Whether or not I learn something, I often gain a different way of looking at things, or another approach or solution to a problem.

Agreed, but I think basic watermanship skills are above that. I have observed a frightening number of divers that are obviously not very comfortable in the water. Dependence on their equipment is absolute. They are fine until the first little thing goes wrong like a loose a fin or a leaking mask. You can see a sense of urgency in their face and movements.

I feel for those reluctant girlfriends who are only there because a BF is pushing them too fast. I am a less compassionate for the marshmallow loudmouths who know everything, but hit the water in pre-panic mode. These are usually the same guys that shove somebody’s reluctant girlfriend off the drift line, not from rudeness but from momentary fear.

It probably happens, but I have never observed this kind of reaction from people with good swimming skills, even the inland landlubbers. In fact, those are the ones who are glad to get off the boat and back into their element.
 
I am mainly a quarry diver being landlocked in KY, so...
Dont ruin my visability because you cant control your buoyancy, keep horizontal as to avoid fin thrust downward into the silt/sand etc
Stay within site of me if you are my buddy, cant tell you how many times my buddy doesnt pay attention to me (I can only see 5-10 feet, stay close)

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD... if I use my tank banger or aqua marraca, at least stop and look around to check on me
 
My answer is more like TSandM's, from this newb's point of view.

The problem with a ScubaSnob is their attitude tends to be projected through vocal tones, facial expressions, and body language. New divers, already afraid of doing something wrong, now have self-induced stress from "omg, what am I doing or not doing?!?!?"

Communication is my primary expectation, because the rest falls into place. I might say, "I really dislike it when divers hit the reef - if you think you are going to, please feel free to grab me. I'll do my best to help you." As long as we are talking, we can then set expectations and desires. The fun comes along naturally.
 
Jax, I hear you. I don't ever ridicule new divers by word or expression. I am attentive, and if asked, love to assist them and answer their questions. I will say that I have been in the water with other divers ( not necessarily new divers) whose buoyancy control was so bad they kicked the bottom and the reef, descended on top of me, and through exertion used up air at an alarming rate. I have had to retrieve "runaway divers" who then have an attitude of "I was fine" despite descending to 130 feet when the dive profile is to 80 feet. And I have had to "rescue" an experienced but inactive diver who determined to ascend from 70 feet by inflating his bcd and "bubbling" to the surface. I have searched for divers and brought them back because they couldn't read a compass and didn't pay attention to terrain. I had to calm a panicked diver and help her replace a mask that another diver kicked off her face when he charged in front of her to see whatever it was she was looking at, and was rude above the water and below. My point is all divers should stay current with both knowledge and skills. If you don't dive for a while, take a refresher course, or at least go to you LDS pool and get re-acquainted with your gear and the water. I observe other divers on the boat. When they struggle with which way the 1st stage goes on the tank valve, forget to hook up a low pressure inflater, have their octo and gauges dangling without control, and are talking or distracted during the dive briefing, I get worried and a little pissed. When I hear divers after a dive say things like "how deep did we go" or "is my buddy back on the boat yet" I react the same way. I love diving, and love sharing our sport. I just think that there are an awful lot of alleged divers out there who for one or more of the reasons I have stated, or others, are not people I want to dive with. So am I the a..hole or is it them?
DivemasterDennis
 

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