Dear DM's around the world...

[billt4sf]

Dear DM's:

May I encourage you to remember that you are guiding PEOPLE, not the reef. Putting your head down, swimming along, and never looking back (to the point that you lose your charges) isn't the greatest idea.

Also, when guiding someone for the first time, if they say "We want a checkout dive, we have some new equipment" that is a coded message to indicate that they might need a bit of help at some point.

Great questions to ask before the dive are: "How many dives do you have?" and "When was your last dive?"

Dear Divers:

Do not assume that your DM will "save you". He or she may have less experience than you.

<comes down off soapbox>. No, nothing bad happened. We are good buddies to one another FIRST.

- Bill & Emily

 

[charlier]

Bill & Emily - great post. It made me smile. We will visit Bali from 4-7 November. Charlie

 

[Neilwood]

Dear DM's:

May I encourage you to remember that you are guiding PEOPLE, not the reef. Putting your head down, swimming along, and never looking back (to the point that you lose your charges) isn't the greatest idea.

Also, when guiding someone for the first time, if they say "We want a checkout dive, we have some new equipment" that is a coded message to indicate that they might need a bit of help at some point.

Great questions to ask before the dive are: "How many dives do you have?" and "When was your last dive?"

Dear Divers:

Do not assume that your DM will "save you". He or she may have less experience than you.

<comes down off soapbox>. No, nothing bad happened. We are good buddies to one another FIRST.

- Bill & Emily

Great post but worth commenting on a few things:
1) If the guide/DM is simply doing a heads down/ follow me that then they are doing a poor job of guiding. They should be looking at how they can maximise enjoyment and safety all the time such as keeping an eye on the buddy pairs and also pointing out interesting things
2) A checkout dive should be a requirement for any new gear. Doesn't have to be long or intensive - just long enough that everyone can get weighting and trim reasonably accurate and get used to any new gear (such as dump valve locations on BCDs etc).
3) Checking out experience should be a must - even though the person is OW or AOW (or the equivalent) does not mean they are experienced, comfortable or indeed competent at that point. It might be they have not dived for a year and their skills are rusty.
4) Divers should always remember that the person who is truly responsible for their safety is themselves first, buddy second and DM third.
5) If a diver says they have a limit such as no penetrations on wrecks, don't pressure them. It just gets you both annoyed (happened on my recent holiday). Work around it by agreement prior to the dive or having a plan B in place (we did as the person had indicated prior to the dive and we had agreed to switch buddies at that point to ensure everyone was buddied properly).

 

[billt4sf]

Bill & Emily - great post. It made me smile. We will visit Bali from 4-7 November. Charlie

We will be in Misool and the Philippines. Otherwise would love to meet. Want to visit Singapore in January! You around?

- Bill & Emily

 

[Darnold9999]

My response to such a DM/Guide is to simply let them go. I find that they usually eventually figure out I am no longer with them and they return and from that point on things usually get better. Not always, but trying to keep up just reinforces the behaviour.

 

[OMANDIVER]

A guide is not an instructor, even if they are a padi DM. They are there to do what you pay them for. Take some personal responsibilty and tell them how many dives you have and what you want. Plan the dive and dive the plan. Say no to trust me dives.

 

[WetPup]

Bill, you are a certified diver. A DM is there to guide, not babysit. You are responsible for organising your own checkout dive with the dive shop manager, not with the dive guides. That is not their job. If that is different to how it works where you live, that is an anomaly.

 

[Peter69_56]

Dear DM's:

May I encourage you to remember that you are guiding PEOPLE, not the reef. Putting your head down, swimming along, and never looking back (to the point that you lose your charges) isn't the greatest idea.

Also, when guiding someone for the first time, if they say "We want a checkout dive, we have some new equipment" that is a coded message to indicate that they might need a bit of help at some point.

Great questions to ask before the dive are: "How many dives do you have?" and "When was your last dive?"

Dear Divers:

Do not assume that your DM will "save you". He or she may have less experience than you.

<comes down off soapbox>. No, nothing bad happened. We are good buddies to one another FIRST.

- Bill & Emily

Dear Divers,

The person responsible for your safety in the first instance is you. Never forget that.

Dear Bill

Please do not lump all DM in the one basket, some are very good and conscientious and others not so much. Would it be fair to say all OW divers are useless, I suggest not and yet your post suggests by its title that ALL WORLD WIDE DM's are less than competent. Note I say suggests or perhaps implies.

I understand what you are probably trying to say and agree in general terms. I have witnessed it as well, but far be it for me to imply that all DM are bad. I am one and I am very aware of keeping visual contact with those I dive with, also with helping new divers or inexperienced divers who stay silent. I however find offense that your post implies DM world wide dont make the grade.

I would also differentiate between dive guides and dive masters. Also how a Dive Guide/Master in say Bali operates can be different to one in USA or OZ. Based simply on the local business expectation and how they run their business and team. It should be based on a standard but sometimes its based on cost and simplification, which is not the way its supposed to be run, but thats different countries and local standards.

Still my disappointment with your post is not that some DM are sub standard, but that by implication you lump us all down to the lowest common denominator.

 

[TMHeimer]

Peter, I thought of saying something like that but didn't as I've never DMd charters. I did a week vacation in Panama and the DM was excellent. On the charters I've taken in Canada and U.S. the DMs mostly didn't dive with a group--well there were no groups, just buddy teams. A DM may be seen shadowing a team of newer divers at times, or showing them the neat stuff..

 

[lowviz]

@billt4sf , that was a nicely worded reminder of the vagaries of diving with a DM. I for one appreciated the insight as I have never dived with a DM. (local diver)

Lately, I just get in the car and go somewhere to dive and clear my head. I don't even talk about it anymore.

You and yours should take a serious solo course together.