The simplest answer to me has always been, if I'm questioning wether I should call off the dive, that's reason enough to call it off. Even if I'm not sure why I feel that way.
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Everyone will say don't do "trust me" dives, but in reality, when you are just starting out most dives feel like that. However, even if you are with a guide - or an experienced buddy, you should independently have a good idea of the plan, depth, time, dive objective, basic protocol for getting in and out, minimum gas pressure, air sharing plan (primary or secondary donate) and what to do if separated.As a new diver this is really interesting to read. Just as stories of incidents, accidents and near misses. But I find it difficult to judge things as an inexperienced diver. The line between challenging and overwhelming isn't a clear one. On my first dive trip post certification I was obviously thrown in situations that were new to me. Some dive sites involved a little current or a quick swim through a little cavern (all dives were guided). Did the briefing scare me? Yes. Like most first times do. I discussed my hesitation and lack of experience. Ultimately I trusted the guide which probably isn't always a good idea. I'm really glad I went along though, as it helped me grow and gain confidence.
That sounds like you didn't know what you were getting into, until you were on the boat (or at the site). IMO, that was the big failure on the part of the dive-op. If the dive is beyond what a relatively inexperienced diver should be trained and comfortable with, they should be informing divers ahead of time.As a new diver this is really interesting to read. Just as stories of incidents, accidents and near misses. But I find it difficult to judge things as an inexperienced diver. The line between challenging and overwhelming isn't a clear one. On my first dive trip post certification I was obviously thrown in situations that were new to me. Some dive sites involved a little current or a quick swim through a little cavern (all dives were guided). Did the briefing scare me? Yes. Like most first times do. I discussed my hesitation and lack of experience. Ultimately I trusted the guide which probably isn't always a good idea. I'm really glad I went along though, as it helped me grow and gain confidence.
Agreed with all of this.Everyone will say don't do "trust me" dives
That's the difficult part. I understand I'm responsible and not to blindly trust. But the distinction is difficult.Everyone will say don't do "trust me" dives, but in reality, when you are just starting out most dives feel like that. However, even if you are with a guide - or an experienced buddy, you should independently have a good idea of the plan, depth, time, dive objective, basic protocol for getting in and out, minimum gas pressure, air sharing plan (primary or secondary donate) and what to do if separated.
Hopefully, new divers expand their familiarity with new environments on an incremental basis and are able to distinguish situations that they can pretty much "get out of" without too much help from those that they are entirely dependent upon a buddy.
No, I didn't know what to expect. How could I? I mean looking at a map or being in the situation are two very different things, esp. as a new diver. The shop had descriptions of the dive site and possible difficulties when I signed up. At the site (land, not boat) there was a more in depth briefing and in one case the choice to take north or south route. The house reef also had a small cavern. I had the choice to go in or not, but in the end it was a really quick swim through (in on one side, out on the other, exit in plain sight). Same for the current. He did say he was expecting some current. For all dives I was buddied up with the group's guide or in some cases an extra guide. I see no fault on the side of the dive shop. I felt safe with them, would definitely recommend them and am glad I did those dives. I just wanted to point out that making the call on a dive when you're new is difficult as you will naturally experience new, challenging situations. "Don't dive beyond your limits" is all good and well but somehow you have to gradually expand those limits. And there is no real way to know up front if you're up to the challenge or not. The only one who can make an educated guess is the teacher / guide. Which brings us back to trusting them. It's not that clear cut.That sounds like you didn't know what you were getting into, until you were on the boat (or at the site). IMO, that was the big failure on the part of the dive-op. If the dive is beyond what a relatively inexperienced diver should be trained and comfortable with, they should be informing divers ahead of time.
Discussing your lack of experience and hesitation was definitely the right call.
Whether this guide did the right thing by leading you on that dive anyway is difficult for me to judge without being familiar with the site. Based on the description, I probably wouldn't have lead a brand new open-water certified diver through such a place, unless it was very large and open, and if the diver got separated, it would be trivially easy for them to surface on their own safely 99.999% of the time.
I qualify squarely as a calculated risk taker. I love doing high stakes stuff, and living to tell the tale (and do it again!). Long ago I learned to trust my gut. It’s never steered me wrong. If your Spidey sense is tingling, scrap the dive. There’s something wrong with the picture that your conscious brain can’t put together logically, but your instinctive brain isn’t ok with. Trust that tingle. There will be another day, but today isn’t the time to take the risk.As a newbie, and after reading a significant number of posts here, I have all kinds of question. My primary work background is in telecommunications, including climbing towers. My recreational background includes rock climbing and mountaineering. At work, we had very good safety equipment and thorough safety briefings before each tower climb. If anyone wasn't physically well or if they just "weren't feeling it", they could stay on the ground; no problem, we needed climbers and ground pounders. And on mountaineering trips, I appreciated others who "knew what they knew" and "knew what they didn't know" and were willing to cancel a climb despite having invested a goodly sum to get there.
What are your absolutes that would prompt you to scrub a dive? And do you feel like the dive community does a good job teaching situational awareness and how to recognize and respond appropriately to sketchy conditions (weather, equipment, mental state, etc)?
That's why you seek out information about a dive, determine if it "feels" right. If you feel you need a professional guide to be comfortable then seek one out - or skip the dive.That's the difficult part. I understand I'm responsible and not to blindly trust. But the distinction is difficult.
No, I didn't know what to expect. How could I? I mean looking at a map or being in the situation are two very different things, esp. as a new diver. The shop had descriptions of the dive site and possible difficulties when I signed up. At the site (land, not boat) there was a more in depth briefing and in one case the choice to take north or south route. The house reef also had a small cavern. I had the choice to go in or not, but in the end it was a really quick swim through (in on one side, out on the other, exit in plain sight). Same for the current. He did say he was expecting some current. For all dives I was buddied up with the group's guide or in some cases an extra guide. I see no fault on the side of the dive shop. I felt safe with them, would definitely recommend them and am glad I did those dives. I just wanted to point out that making the call on a dive when you're new is difficult as you will naturally experience new, challenging situations. "Don't dive beyond your limits" is all good and well but somehow you have to gradually expand those limits. And there is no real way to know up front if you're up to the challenge or not. The only one who can make an educated guess is the teacher / guide. Which brings us back to trusting them. It's not that clear cut.