I have read both threads on this subject, and yes I appreciate that you may have felt the comments on the other thread a little harsh.
It is usual practice for dive operations where I sometimes work (Sharm el Sheikh) to insist on a local check dive on the first day. You would be surprised by how many divers take great exception to this, yes they may well have plenty of dives under their belt, however a break since their last dive, change in kit configuration etc, can make the check dive a huge benefit a chance to do a buoyancy check, make sure all is nice n dandy, and just to get mentally back in the water so to speak. It also gives the guide a chance to see what kind of diver you are, and suggest sites accordingly. It is also normal practice to brief dives quite thoroughly (especially with a new group of divers) warning about any potential for strong currents in Tiran and Ras Mohammed in particular.
Having said that, this is not always usual practice worldwide, and I think because of the popularity of this destination with a whole range of divers, extra precautions are taken to ensure that only those up to it are sent to the more challenging sites.
As certified divers it is essentially our decision to make. If they felt inexperienced, they should have double checked this with their centre (I certainly did when I first started there was no way I wanted to find myself on a challenging, deep, drift dive at that stage!).
Yes it would have been better to brief them that the current can actually get quite strong a current check before anyone else entered the water would have probably been a good move. Then they could have made sure everyone entered the water and descended quickly as one group. There again many highly experienced divers do not appreciate this kind of molly coddling. As has been mentioned on more than one occasion, some people merely want a lift to the site and the basics of a briefing, which is absolutely their right.
I always go on the premise that it is my life, so I take my own considerations, I ensure that the dive is with my experience range, I also check my own air often. That is certainly not up to the guide, they may ask how much you have at some point, as an indication to see when to turn the dive around or start shallowing off, however air management itself is absolutely the diver's own priority, regardless of current, or any other circumstances. In fact as we all know, when there has been a stressful situation, we are likely to have sucked a big chunk of air, so first priority is to check it.
I think that issue is what the other divers had focused on, as it indicated that the two divers were not entirely up to diving independently. The supervision aspect is the fundamental difference between Open Water diver and the more basic Scuba Diver qualifications in PADI. Maybe they had been used to being supervised quite heavily on previous dives, however a new dive centre will bring a slightly different system and personally I would have made it my own business to double check what kind of experience was necessary for that day's diving.
Having said that, I would be a touch concerned if a centre did not want to see me in the water prior to visiting a challenging site, and I would certainly expect to show my Certification card as well as at least the last few pages of my log book before being taken on a dive.
So in conclusion, I would say that we have a combination of both. But as a diver I would always watch my own back certainly my own air that really is my own responsibility.
It is usual practice for dive operations where I sometimes work (Sharm el Sheikh) to insist on a local check dive on the first day. You would be surprised by how many divers take great exception to this, yes they may well have plenty of dives under their belt, however a break since their last dive, change in kit configuration etc, can make the check dive a huge benefit a chance to do a buoyancy check, make sure all is nice n dandy, and just to get mentally back in the water so to speak. It also gives the guide a chance to see what kind of diver you are, and suggest sites accordingly. It is also normal practice to brief dives quite thoroughly (especially with a new group of divers) warning about any potential for strong currents in Tiran and Ras Mohammed in particular.
Having said that, this is not always usual practice worldwide, and I think because of the popularity of this destination with a whole range of divers, extra precautions are taken to ensure that only those up to it are sent to the more challenging sites.
As certified divers it is essentially our decision to make. If they felt inexperienced, they should have double checked this with their centre (I certainly did when I first started there was no way I wanted to find myself on a challenging, deep, drift dive at that stage!).
Yes it would have been better to brief them that the current can actually get quite strong a current check before anyone else entered the water would have probably been a good move. Then they could have made sure everyone entered the water and descended quickly as one group. There again many highly experienced divers do not appreciate this kind of molly coddling. As has been mentioned on more than one occasion, some people merely want a lift to the site and the basics of a briefing, which is absolutely their right.
I always go on the premise that it is my life, so I take my own considerations, I ensure that the dive is with my experience range, I also check my own air often. That is certainly not up to the guide, they may ask how much you have at some point, as an indication to see when to turn the dive around or start shallowing off, however air management itself is absolutely the diver's own priority, regardless of current, or any other circumstances. In fact as we all know, when there has been a stressful situation, we are likely to have sucked a big chunk of air, so first priority is to check it.
I think that issue is what the other divers had focused on, as it indicated that the two divers were not entirely up to diving independently. The supervision aspect is the fundamental difference between Open Water diver and the more basic Scuba Diver qualifications in PADI. Maybe they had been used to being supervised quite heavily on previous dives, however a new dive centre will bring a slightly different system and personally I would have made it my own business to double check what kind of experience was necessary for that day's diving.
Having said that, I would be a touch concerned if a centre did not want to see me in the water prior to visiting a challenging site, and I would certainly expect to show my Certification card as well as at least the last few pages of my log book before being taken on a dive.
So in conclusion, I would say that we have a combination of both. But as a diver I would always watch my own back certainly my own air that really is my own responsibility.