Am I being unreasonable if I believe that...

[fairybasslet]

When I read posts like this, I thank my lucky stars that most of the divers on the trips I've been on have been courteous, aware and skilled. There are the few bad apples, but I've tried my best to stay away from them. But never, never have I had an experience like your's. I would be mighty ticked off too if I had traveled all that way and spent all that $ and encountered what you did.

 

[RJP]

bet these same 'divers' walked on the bottom too....

On the Fujikawa Maru 4-5 of them were doing their safety stop STANDING on top of the kingpost. Looked like a friggin' bus stop!

 

[Steve50]

On the Fujikawa Maru 4-5 of them were doing their safety stop STANDING on top of the kingpost. Looked like a friggin' bus stop!

This is what spearguns are for

 

[letterboy]

[rant]If you cannot hover motionless (or reasonably so) while trying to take a photo undewater you have NO BUSINESS DIVING WITH A CAMERA.



I just returned from two weeks on the Truk Odyssey where I have to say I was absolutely appalled by the complete lack of bouyancy control, crappy finning technique, and overall poor dive awareness exhibited by several of my fellow passengers.

Seems though that the main thing these people had in common was they were all carrying cameras and committed to getting as many pictures of everything as possible in as short a period of time as possible.

In order to accomplish this mission these folks would...

- Stand on whatever deck, gun, propeller, rudder, etc was handy
- Lay directly on coral, artifacts, torpedos, tanks etc
- Fin constantly in a vertical position in engine rooms and cargo holds resulting in a complete silt-out
- Race around the wreck at top speed with fins, consoles, lights, etc dragging
- Dodge between other divers and their photographic subjects

On most dives these folks rendered each dive site absolutely un-divable within minutes of descent. Certainly reducing the enjoyment of others who paid thousands of dollars to travel to Truk Lagoon to see these wrecks, but frequently creating real safety hazards for other divers, especially in engine rooms, inner passageways, etc.

Now, I'm often accused of being a bouyancy, trim, and finning ****, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect someone to have at least rudimentary skills in these areas before diving on/in 65yr old WWII wrecks. Honest to god, it looked like a bunch of "Operation Hailstorm Re-enactors" attacking the Japanese fleet for a second time!

[/rant]

Is it to much to ask for you to use the proper rant brackets?

 

[fnfalman]

I can definitely feel the OP's pain. It doesn't have to be at Chuuk Lagoon or any of the other cool tropical dive spots. It's anywhere and everywhere. People told me that California water is crappy with viz already so who cares if they kick up more sand and silt.

That's why I'm always geared up and be the first one off the boat and underwater. At least I'd get a good taste of the dive site before the bottom huggers come down and stir everything up.

 

[Abidon]

I completely agree with you RJP. I do have one question, though. When back on the boat, were these underwater paparazzi informed by you or others regarding their poor habits? I know it's an uncomfortable situation, but would certainly be justifiable. Divers like these could make this site off-limits to everyone in the future if they continue causing damage.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I completely agree with you RJP. I do have one question, though. When back on the boat, were these underwater paparazzi informed by you or others regarding their poor habits? I know it's an uncomfortable situation, but would certainly be justifiable. Divers like these could make this site off-limits to everyone in the future if they continue causing damage.

It is also very easy for the captain to make an announcement that anybody caught touching anything in anything other than an emergency, will be kept out of the water. This makes it general, and nobody is centered out. I personally believe there would be nothing wrong with that and because I am not the one bouncing on the bottom, I would not be worried. Those who take exception to it, are likely the ones that are standing on the mast.

 

[adurso]

It is also very easy for the captain to make an announcement that anybody caught touching anything in anything other than an emergency, will be kept out of the water. *snip*.

And how would this be enforced? Clapping the offender in irons? Tossing them in the brig?

 

[tiggrr]

It would be nice if OW focused a bit more on what will kill coral. That would be in a perfect world though because, there is only so much time in OW and life saving skills are waaay more important.
All I knew when I got out of OW was I didn't want to kill anything so, I stayed a few ft above the reef for quite a few dives. Didn't even start with a camera until around dive 100.


Anyhoo, my point is that sometimes it seems as though either new divers don't know what they are doing is killing the coral or they don't care. I would assume that they just don't know. I certainly didn't know the difference between what as dead or alive and had no business using 1 finger to steady me anywhere.

See this way too often...

 

[Blackwood]

If you cannot hover motionless (or reasonably so) while trying to take a photo undewater you have NO BUSINESS DIVING WITH A CAMERA.

Well, given that their snapshots will likely be blurry and haphazard at best, I certainly wouldn't buy any of them.

Unless I'm an odd many out, their business won't be very successful