What do you expect from other Divers?

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I have only one rule..DONT KILL ME!! cuze I wont forgive you.

I'll dive with anyone you never know what kind of diver they are so why not.
And after the day is done you either say I'll dive with them again or I wont. Whats the rule of thumb "First time shame on you, second time shame on me"
 
I expect any diver i dont know to be absolutely terrible and to have zero skill, knowledge or experience regardless of what they say or how they appear. Since i started expecting the worst from all new dive buddies, i have been pleasantly surprised on several occasions but never unpleasantly surprised :D
 
I have only one rule..DONT KILL ME!! cuze I wont forgive you…

I like that, but don’t die on me is a close second. Don’t kill someone else is third. Don’t die while I am onboard is fourth. Otherwise, I am resigned to letting Darwin do his work.
 
I was always told when learning to drive, to treat other drivers as idiots, certainly true for Dubai!

Diving is similar if diving from cattle boats or resort diving unless you are with a planned buddy.

Instabuddies on the whole are a disaster, although I have been pleasantly surprised on occasions.

As already mentioned as long as the divers around me don't destroy the reef, ruin my visability, scare off my photographic subjects or provoke the wildlife, and if diving as a buddy be prepared to dive real slow and be aware that if I find a nudibranch that I have never seen before I might be taking a lot of photos of it.

And if somebody starts tugging on one of my fins while I am patiently waiting for a goby to reappear from its hole they better have a good reason to do so other than show me a moray eel, or they might find their snorkel relocated (if they wear one).
 
I'm in the camp of "don't screw up my dive" folks. If I see someone banging on the reef due to poor skills I will certainly point it out to the divemaster / leader of the group and expect them to take action. I won't talk to the diver about it but I will followup with the divemaster if the problem persists. After that, another reason to carry a dive knife. I had a bad experience last yr with a photographer who took forever getting several shots of subjects found by and pointed out by the divemaster while everyone else was waiting in line for a look. That bugged me. IF said photographer found her own stuff it is hers as long as she wants but that was not the case here. Now I have to be carefull as I just got a new camera and strobe so I don't follow those footsteps/finstrokes. No real worries, my wife will keep me in line:D
 
I'm pretty much in agreement with DiveMasterDennis, on all but one: "The only exception is that if you are a currently licensed and insured dive professional and see someone doing something dangerous to themselves or others. Then take the initiative. "

IMHO, as a retired professional with 35 years diving & 25 years teaching experience , if you see someone doing soemthing dangerous either to themselves or to others, you SHOULD SPEAK UP, regardless of your credentials!

Mike D
 
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As usual, Bob hit the nail on the head. The issue is however one of perspective. As I diver, I only ask that people not diving with me don't place me in danger and dive within their diving envelope. Running out of gas at depth and requiring assistance doesn't qualify.

As an instructor, I expect that divers apply their training and be attentive to their safety and that of their Buddy. Application of prudence and common sense is mandatory.

As a dive charter operator, I expect that divers dive safely within their envelope, stick with the dive plan and look after their Buddy. Too often rescues have had to be made because the diver didn't possess basic skills and shouldn't have been certified in the first-place.

If the diver is my Buddy, he has to have an ability to rescue me; otherwise I'll dive solo. To me, this is a basic skill (like clearing a mask) and is included within my initial training programs.
 
I dive solo 95% of the time because of the frequency of my diving, the fact that most other regular divers here are professionals and are working and the fact that I don't want to be distracted by another diver while I'm working.

What do I expect of other divers in the water where I dive. I expect them not to kick me in the face while I'm stationary on the bottom filming a subject. I expect them not to swim over to where I am filming a subject and place their hand down right on it (without even seeing me a foot away). I expect instructors NOT to lead their class on top of my while I'm horizontal on the bottom filming a subject. Yes, one did just that with the instructor and all of their students WALKING on top of me in 35 ft of water!

I offer these true situations a bit tongue in cheek. Basically, I expect a reasonable degree of situational awareness from others... but since it often isn't there, I dive areas within the dive park where few divers usually go.
 
Thanks to everyone for what I think is a really good and animated discussion. Sadly, not all divers retain, maintain and exercise good skills and environmentally responsible behavior. Thanks to all of you out there who do, and who model that behavior for others. I try to do that as does Debbie. We encourage new divers and in fact often invite them to dive with us. I resolve to be more postive and encouraging of others. I have learned alot from all of you in this thread.
DivemasterDennis
 
The only proper time to give advice is when you are asked for it, and then only if you are competent to provide the information requested. ... Do not give unsolicited advice to other divers on the dive boat. Ever. Not even if you are a bona fide Scuba Snob. The only exception is that if you are a currently licensed and insured dive professional and see someone doing something dangerous to themselves or others. Then take the initiative. Please.
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Happy diving everyone!
DivemasterDennis

I have to say there are exceptions on this. I did a local shore dive with a new buddy, never met him before and he was just certified the year before. After the first dive, I noticed he was having a lot of trouble with his buoyancy, and going through air like crazy. I asked if he wanted to do a weight check after the 1st dive. Turns out he was 20 LBS overweighted!!!! I would never, ever have been able to bring him up in an emergency! Getting rid of all the ditcheable weight just left him neutral. Now this was a really big guy, and the last time he did a weight check was in training with an al80, and double 7mm suit. This dive he was in 3mm and steel 121 tank.

So according to you I never should have talked to him about it. But either no one brought it up or he didn't understand from before that changing tanks and exposure protection would have that much of an impact.

I had a lot of people showing me the ropes patiently (and still do), and I think we should all continue to help newer divers learn. Just don't be an ass about it

On topic: I expect a buddy to be honest about their skill level. If they aren't comfortable, let me know and we will adjust. Don't lie about your past experiences, I really don't want to be put in a dangerous situation. Let me know how comfortable you are, because that affects my limits as well. For example, I am comfortable taking a relatively new person to 60 feet, but I am not going to take them to 90 feet because at that depth I am not comfortable supervising.
 
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