Why would charters block people from using any GPS

[-JD-]

It is a plot by Shearwater to force all the Garmin and Apple users to switch ...

 

[Cthippo]

I would be sorely tempted to record a GPS track and then publish it because $)*! them. Yet another reason to never go on a charter operation.

 

[Justin Phillips]

I will respect rules or not dive with them I just have never seen it.

 

[Tracy]

I can see it. Spend a few thousand dollars in fuel and months of time looking for new wrecks, find one and run a charter to it, the next weekend you see your competitor tied into because somebody logged the info and shared it.
I could definitely understand their reasoning in an area with a lot of charter operators.

 

[Vicko]

I lost a good chunk of income because a dive charter took guests to a wreck I gave them and let them keep their phones, now the wreck is overfished to the point that I'm not even bothering to go there.

 

[Vicko]

I would be sorely tempted to record a GPS track and then publish it because $)*! them. Yet another reason to never go on a charter operation.

How many days have you spent digging trough archives and driving grid patterns over nothing?

 

[Cthippo]

How many days have you spent digging trough archives and driving grid patterns over nothing?

Quite a few, actually. My hit rate on the Wildcat Cove wreck is about 20%, and despite multiple attempts, I still haven't found the General Meigs. I've spent years trying to put names to wrecks, and some I'm still working on.

But you know what?

I share everything I find that's worthwhile, right down to the GPS coordinates because I want to share the adventure. I hate secrets and strongly believe information should be free and freely shared. It is only because others have shared what they know that those archives exist, and my empty holes and targets that are too deep for me to reach may be the info needed for someone else to discover something awesome.

 

[Eric802]

Quite a few, actually. My hit rate on the Wildcat Cove wreck is about 20%, and despite multiple attempts, I still haven't found the General Meigs. I've spent years trying to put names to wrecks, and some I'm still working on.

But you know what?

I share everything I find that's worthwhile, right down to the GPS coordinates because I want to share the adventure. I hate secrets and strongly believe information should be free and freely shared. It is only because others have shared what they know that those archives exist, and my empty holes and targets that are too deep for me to reach may be the info needed for someone else to discover something awesome.

I respect that, but I'm sure you can see the difference between what you do and someone doing the same type of thing (finding new wrecks or areas to dive) as a for-profit venture.

For anyone wondering about the legality of confiscating phones, etc - it's a contract issue. If the charter tells you at the time of booking that they don't allow use of GPS, and you agree to go out with them, you're agreeing to their terms and conditions. You, as a consumer, have the option to go out with a different charter. Their boat, their rules, and you agreed to follow them.

 

[johndiver999]

The reasons for the rule should be obvious, but the recent advancements in technology and the ubiquity of integrated GPS capabilities is rapidly making the rule obsolete.

I don't steal numbers, it is pretty much an issue of personal integrity.

 

[sheeper]

total BS. The reason is that if you GPS the site, you'd find their "secret" spot is the same spot we all know but the captain gives it a different name. Florida's coastal areas have been charted/mapped/etc extensively. Spots are not really secret. We all know those spots.