What if...? Dive Planning & Trust Me Dives

[diver_doug]

What would you do if you reached your agreed upon turnaround pressure and your buddy or the DM pushed on with the dive (rather than turning around)?

Proceed onward. If there's one thing I learned in school, it's that authority figures are not to be questioned.

What would you do if the DM leading your boat dive went into a cave or other overhead environment?

Tap him on the shoulder and show him my slate that says: "Silt-out Competition!!!" Then proceed to scrape my fins all over the floor.

What would you do if your buddy inexplicably descended deeper (100+ fsw) than the two of you had discussed during pre-dive planning?

Trick question. At it's deepest point, the ocean is 86ft.

What would you do if your buddy wanted to go diving but you weren't comfortable with the dive conditions (high surf, current, low vis, rough seas, etc.)?

Have a few drinks, try to get my courage up. Also, hope that he would say something motivational like: "quit bein' a little bitch", or "you might get injured during the dive, but if you thumb the dive, I'm definitely gonna **** you up!"

What would you do if your buddy gave you "the thumb" on the dive but everything seemed like it was OK?

Give him "the finger" and keep diving.

 

[xyrandomyx]

Yeah. I think my regular buddy's unlikely to understand that question signal (unless I show it to him before we dive again, which I might do), but he (and pretty much everyone else) would get the 'shrug' signal.

 

[Zeldah]

Alright here goes


* What would you do if you reached your agreed upon turnaround pressure and your buddy or the DM pushed on with the dive (rather than turning around)?

I would signal a WTF sign even if I have not learned that one yet. If it was in our dive plan we should follow it. If after some serious pointing at the gauges they did not turn around then I would head back if I knew the way or head for the surface as I have lost my buddy. Oh and would never dive with them again. So there!


* What would you do if the DM leading your boat dive went into a cave or other overhead environment?

Well this one I can cover - on my first and only post cert dive last week, the DM had 6 of us following him and he dove down through a hatch into a room on a wreck. I was in the middle of the line and my buddy and I signalled to the next person in line that we were not going inside and would go around the outside. Certain death averted! Seriously though in the briefing I asked two DM's who insisted that the wreck is not an overhead enviroment and it would be fine to go in as there were lots of windows out (Kittiwake, Grand Cayman) I felt a bit of a loser saying it didn't sound good to me but my buddy is my 12 year old son and I have read far too much on Scubaboard to risk it!! Yay Scubboard!


* What would you do if your buddy inexplicably descended deeper (100+ fsw) than the two of you had discussed during pre-dive planning?

Well if it was my 12 year old son as my buddy I am afraid that if the DM was not within signalling distance and my son did not respond to the tank banging then I would be going down for him and doing a tank grab. Oh yeah and he would be grounded for life too

* What would you do if your buddy wanted to go diving but you weren't comfortable with the dive conditions (high surf, current, low vis, rough seas, etc.)?

You can't pay me enough to dive when it is not 84 degree water, calm seas and 600 ft vis. I err on the side of a cautious person being really cautious!!


* What would you do if your buddy gave you "the thumb" on the dive but everything seemed like it was OK?[/QUOTE]

This one relates to me! My son knows I am an air hog so on one of my cert dives I was so in awe of my surroundings I gave a thumbs up to my son. He looked at me strangely and signalled o.k and then the out of air sign while reaching for an octo. After a few confused seconds he discovered that no I wasn't going up because I was out of air it's just that his Mom is an idiot. He did give me an earful on the surface and taught me a WOW sign - no idea where he got that one from He should have known I had air as we checked our SPG's every 5 mins together but hey he is 12 and thought that would be the most reasonable explanation for me thumbing the dive.

My thumbs are for up or down signing only and yes I have flashed the o.k. sign to people on land - who look at me a tad weird. :sigh_2:

 

[xyrandomyx]

What would you do if you reached your agreed upon turnaround pressure and your buddy or the DM pushed on with the dive (rather than turning around)?

Proceed onward. If there's one thing I learned in school, it's that authority figures are not to be questioned.

What would you do if the DM leading your boat dive went into a cave or other overhead environment?

Tap him on the shoulder and show him my slate that says: "Silt-out Competition!!!" Then proceed to scrape my fins all over the floor.

What would you do if your buddy inexplicably descended deeper (100+ fsw) than the two of you had discussed during pre-dive planning?

Trick question. At it's deepest point, the ocean is 86ft.

What would you do if your buddy wanted to go diving but you weren't comfortable with the dive conditions (high surf, current, low vis, rough seas, etc.)?

Have a few drinks, try to get my courage up. Also, hope that he would say something motivational like: "quit bein' a little bitch", or "you might get injured during the dive, but if you thumb the dive, I'm definitely gonna **** you up!"

What would you do if your buddy gave you "the thumb" on the dive but everything seemed like it was OK?

Give him "the finger" and keep diving.

Ah, finally an expert has weighed in with their opinion. I look forward to your upcoming publication, 'Diver Doug's Guide to Doing it Wrong'.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Dive Planning & Trust Me Dives
* What would you do if you reached your agreed upon turnaround pressure and your buddy or the DM pushed on with the dive (rather than turning around)?
* What would you do if the DM leading your boat dive went into a cave or other overhead environment?

What if the plan has no turn pressure?

What if the plan is to go into an overhead environment?

I have guided at dozens of dive sites and very few are "out and back" dives. Most guided dives I know of start out intending to circle an area of interest, visiting known highlights. In the briefing I inform the guests that I will ask what their tank pressure is when I am at ~2/3 tank and in the briefing the guests are instructed to tell me when they reach 1/2 tank and when they reach 1/3 tank. Depending on the various x-factors of up to 6 unknown divers "following" me, I vary the length of the circle, pace and/or depth in order to get the heaviest breathers back to the ascent point with enough air for a proper ascent. If there is still time left on the planned dive, "figure eights" kind of describes the ensuing micro tours away and back to the ascent point as needed. If none of the divers is limited by air pressure, NDL's and/or planned dive time bring us all back to the ascent point for a proper ascent. In the last case the "circle" may be larger and the pace may be slower. Even on sites I have guided hundreds of times, the current or surge at depth is not "exactly" predictable from surface observation, so the "tentative plan" may evolve underwater. Marine life also sometimes causes a plan hijack; school of barracuda, pod of dolphin, hunting or feeding rays, just to name a few.

Why are you using the term "cave" in a question regarding a boat dive? Even if the newer divers following the guide understand the definitions of a cave, unless there is a restriction within sight from the entrance, one would usually have to be significantly inside the overhead to get to the point where they would have to decide if they would follow the guide into a cave. Most briefings I have heard or given for boat dives where there is the possibility of overhead environments, the overhead is mentioned in the briefing, as well as the concept that following through the overhead is not mandatory; and I have never heard of boat guides guiding beginners into caves.

 

[diver_doug]

Ah, finally an expert has weighed in with their opinion. I look forward to your upcoming publication, 'Diver Doug's Guide to Doing it Wrong'.

How about I create a book consisting of interviews with multiple DIW divers and call it: "Different Strokes."

 

[Georgiadaybreak]

What would you do if you reached your agreed upon turnaround pressure and your buddy or the DM pushed on with the dive (rather than turning around)?

Proceed onward. If there's one thing I learned in school, it's that authority figures are not to be questioned.

What would you do if the DM leading your boat dive went into a cave or other overhead environment?

Tap him on the shoulder and show him my slate that says: "Silt-out Competition!!!" Then proceed to scrape my fins all over the floor.

What would you do if your buddy inexplicably descended deeper (100+ fsw) than the two of you had discussed during pre-dive planning?


Trick question. At it's deepest point, the ocean is 86ft.

What would you do if your buddy wanted to go diving but you weren't comfortable with the dive conditions (high surf, current, low vis, rough seas, etc.)?

Have a few drinks, try to get my courage up. Also, hope that he would say something motivational like: "quit bein' a little bitch", or "you might get injured during the dive, but if you thumb the dive, I'm definitely gonna **** you up!"

What would you do if your buddy gave you "the thumb" on the dive but everything seemed like it was OK?

Give him "the finger" and keep diving.

New Divers and Those Considering Diving New to Diving? Have a question about training? Want to find out more about this thrilling activity? Post your questions here for other divers & instructors to help you on your path!

Please note: This forum has special rules. This forum is intended to be a very friendly, "flame free zone" where divers of any skill level may ask questions about basic scuba topics without fear of being accosted. Please show respect and courtesy at all times.

Remember that the inquirer is looking for answers that they can understand. This is a learning zone and consequently, any off-topic or overly harsh responses will be removed.


Sorry, diver_doug, I don't understand your answers. Please provide the appropriate resources to validate your answers.
If this is just another joke thread....will someone please direct to a thread that is taking What if..... scenarios more seriously. I was truly hoping to read a thread with meaningful posts. I'll socialize and joke on my down time.

 

[diver_doug]

New Divers and Those Considering Diving New to Diving? Have a question about training? Want to find out more about this thrilling activity? Post your questions here for other divers & instructors to help you on your path!

Please note: This forum has special rules. This forum is intended to be a very friendly, "flame free zone" where divers of any skill level may ask questions about basic scuba topics without fear of being accosted. Please show respect and courtesy at all times.

Remember that the inquirer is looking for answers that they can understand. This is a learning zone and consequently, any off-topic or overly harsh responses will be removed.


Sorry, diver_doug, I don't understand your answers. Please provide the appropriate resources to validate your answers.
If this is just another joke thread....will someone please direct to a thread that is taking What if..... scenarios more seriously. I was truly hoping to read a thread with meaningful posts. I'll socialize and joke on my down time.

The fact that you even "kinda" took what I wrote seriously scares me.

"I'll socialize and joke on my down time." You're online in a SCUBA forum...this is your down-time!

 

[flots am]

Again, it's situational, if I knew the divemaster well, I'd consider it part of my continuing education. If it were the sorry SOB that dropped a 4 pound weight in my pocket when I was having trouble with my BC, I'd wave it off.

That's one of those "what you don't know, can kill you" moments.

Once you enter a hole, you're committed to a swimthough with an unknown length, an unknown exit point at an unknown depth, and you also have no ability to share air (too narrow for side-by-side and your hose won't reach lengthwise ), and you have no ability to get out because generally there's someone both in front and behind of you.

If you run OOA on a group swim-though of a single-file area, you're pretty much screwed.

It doesn't really matter if the DM is a nice guy or not.

flots.

 

[Cave Diver]

Once you enter a hole, you're committed to a swimthough with an unknown length, and unknown exit point at an unknown depth, and you also have no ability to share air (too narrow) and no ability to get out (generally there's someone both in front and behind of you).

I did a trip to Mexico many years back. There were three older ladies on the trip who hadn't been diving for a long time. Their buoyancy, to put if frankly, sucked. One in particular. She was constantly drifting up or hitting the bottom, kicking stuff and once even got a really nasty cut on her knee where she hit part of the reef.

On about day 3 of the trip, we went through a swim through. I can't recall the site, but it was fairly deep and a fairly long swim through and there was only enough room for single file diving. I ended up behind that lady and she was constantly kicking up sand. It wasn't a complete siltout, but it definitely obscured my vision.

About half way through, she panicked. All of a sudden she was kicking and twisting and she wanted out of there RIGHT NOW! She knocked my mask loose, almost knocked my reg out and somehow managed to turn herself around to face me, determined to go back out the way she came.

By this time a couple of other divers were behind me and we were bottlenecked and the only way out was forward. I managed to grab a hold of her tank valve and get her pointed back out. I held onto it the rest of the way, getting kicked in the ribs and stomach several times for my effort.

Once we cleared the swim through, she shot for the surface with a DM following. Back on the boat, I found out her mask started flooding and she was having problems clearing it. She started feeling claustrophobic and panicked. That was her last dive of the trip much to the relief of several of the rest of us.