What would YOU do if the first mate on your charter was a Gilligan?

[redacted]

I would warn my friends and provide them enough information that they could avoid the same experience.

 

[DennisS]

I get a kick out of deckies on dive boats that call themselves first mates.

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I hear what you are saying, but on the other hand these words can be used to signify roles as well as official licenses. If I go out sailing for the day with some friends, one person needs to be the captain. .

I'm easily amused, if I see someone in a 20' sailboat referring to themselves as the captain, I'm amused, especially if they have the hat to prove it. I like their sense of humor

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I get a kick out of deckies on dive boats that call themselves first mates.

First mate is actually a coast guard license like master of a vessel (captain) 1060 days at sea or graduation from a maritime academy is the minimum for a third mate, 360 sea days after that they can take tests and apply for a second mates ticket, 360 sea days after obtaining a second mates ticket they can take tests for ther first mates ticket.

Next time a dive boat deckie claims to be a first mate, ask to see his ticket.

The deck hand on the charter I was on today IS the first mate ... the skipper is her husband ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[daniel1948]

The Skipper is in charge. The Sipper is responsible for what the crew does. The Skipper is responsible for selecting, managing and disciplining the crew. It is not a guest's duty or right to direct or discipline the crew or to make comments when a crew member is a Gilligan. Address issues to the Skipper and let the Skipper deal with the crew. The primary exception is when you like and are friendly with a crew member and can competently suggest a better way of doing something.

Navy ships have chains of command, but a commercial boat taking paying passengers is not a military vessel. A passenger does not have the duty to comment to anyone, but has the right to speak to anyone. Keeping in mind that a polite comment is always more effective, and less likely to create hostility than an angry one, and that in a given situation a person pay prefer not to get a crew member in trouble with his employer, a passenger who feels so inclined may always speak to a crew member to ask that person to do something differently, particularly as it relates to their own one-on-one interactions.

 

[DennisS]

The deck hand on the charter I was on today IS the first mate ... the skipper is her husband ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Conch Republic Divers down in the keys has a similar arrangement, there's Capt Gary and Admiral Brenda

 

[DivemasterDennis]

You might also drop a note to Undercurrent, an online publication that creates an annual book about diver's comments about sites, boats, resorts and etc. world wide. They call it the Traveling Diver's Chapbook and its full of stuff like you report, bad and good reports. I find it really helpful. So is their monthly edition. By the way, I am a member, but not an owner and get no kickbacks- it's just a good resource- like scuba board. Check them out at undercurrent.org.
I think the approaches to your situation are either/or. Either ignore the guy, enjoy the trip as best you can, and then don't return, or speak to the guy briefly. However, your report suggests that in your case it may have just been a waste of breath. Hopefully you won't have to endure the same in the future.
DivemasterDennis

 

[The Chairman]

I don't think he ever referred to himself as the first mate. In this case, I am referring to his role on the boat and prefer that to the use of Dive Master. To be sure, I have left out a lot of what happened to keep things simple. Remember how I said that there were air tanks filling all the spots? That meant that our second NitrOx tank was stored away from us. During our dive, they pulled out fresh the Nitrox tanks and put them where ever there was a hole. They just had no idea which hole. Gilligan went on to splain to everyone, that all you really needed to do was to grab ANY NitrOx tank. Fortunately, I had a red one with the number 12 on it in yaller letters (distinctly different from yellow), so I had MY tank. Those less fortunate had that deer in the headlights look. In reality, if I had used my red tank first, I might have been a part of that herd! My buddy, LowVizWiz, had brought his tanks, so we were probably the only ones diving the tanks we measured. No, no one was told to remember their tank numbers. Mind you, I had seen each and every tank measured and they were all within a percent or two, but Gilligan didn't know that. He was too busy complaining about everyone else to be a part of the NitrOx brigade.

Also, I missed the owner's return call to me yesterday. I'll call him back today and fill him in. He's a good guy and runs a great op.

 

[The Chairman]

You might also drop a note to Undercurrent,

Far more people read ScubaBoard. If I feel a need to out or commend a dive op, I'll do it right here where it will get MAXIMUM exposure.

 

[drbill]

Tips are earned. If the crew doesn't earn one, they don't get one. However, I can't remember a US dive boat I didn't tip on. If I met a crew member like that, I'd tip out the other members of the crew (if any) and not him/her.

Remember the day I worked a dive boat as a deckhand for tips to help out the dive op. Three of us worked our butts off for 10 hours that day... to split $103 total in tips from 33 divers. I don't think we didn't perform.

 

[Lead_carrier]

I'd start looking for MaryAnn to see if I would have a good enough reason to skip the dive.