Am I being unreasonable if I believe that...

[fairybasslet]

Well, this thread went downhill fast.

However, I wanted to add something about people sometimes being unaware that they are kicking up sand, and sometimes, just a little sign while still underwater will help them. It happened to me recently in Cozumel. A fairly new diver had no idea she was kicking up the bottom, so I pointed to the trail she left, and she thanked me. This was on a sandy bottom, not a reef.

 

[cerich]

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

Check out this months Dive Training magazine, full page add for the new IMAx movie showing the two camera men standing on the coral...pissed me off.

 

[fisheater]

Check out this months Dive Training magazine, full page add for the new IMAx movie showing the two camera men standing on the coral...pissed me off.

Letter to the editor time.

 

[cerich]

Letter to the editor time.

well, I'm not holding it against Dive Training, just not ever gonna see the movie.

 

[fisheater]

well, I'm not holding it against Dive Training, just not ever gonna see the movie.

Agreed. I imagine that your letter would be more educational to the general readership and not a flame towards the editors.

 

[Doc]

I've done Truk twice on "Japanese chartered liveabaord".

Hory Schritt. Looked like one of those climbing walls.

Same for many other nationalities.

I have a c-card.
I have the money.
What's the bestest dive trip to go on?
I'll be buying that camera as I'm getting packed.

 

[redacted]

Hory Schritt.

I was wondering how to spell that.

 

[SkipperJohn]

While I can see your points and completely agree with the OP given this was inside of a wreck-so camera or not, they should have had some skills, what about the occasional recreational diver who got certified and will be diving only once or twice a year while on vacation, should he be denied a camera?
Does this apply to spelunking? Should only professional spelunkers take pictures? Should only well trained fully skilled sky divers take a camera with them? How about boaters? Skiers?
My point is, people see something unique, they want to share this with their friends & loved ones. I took up diving because I have an underwater camera (previously only used for snorkeling). I was encouraged by my instructors to bring it on my OW check-out dives. I was not obsessed with it. I snapped a few "TREASURED" pictures. I did my skills thing. No I have NOT mastered buoyancy. But I don't think I did anything wrong that the others in my group (non-photographers-vacation divers) didn't do as well.

 

[adurso]

I don't see a problem with not allowing people to dive who are damaging the environment. The captain can say no in fact and if they are in a park or sanctuary I suppose the authorities could become involved. I don't see a problem, loosing 2,500 dollars on a trip might be incentive to learn how to dive before undertaking another scuba DIVING trip.

Walking on the reef or laying on it to get a picture is like carving your initials into a Joshua tree or a red wood tree or spraying graffiti on a cliff face. Once you have been told not to do something if one continues to do it then I have to assume it is willful.

N

Would you quietly abide by such a decision?

Damaging a Joshua tree or Redwood is prohibited by law, spray painting a cliff face is prohibited by law.

Being an underwater oaf is not unlawful.....insofar as I am aware.

 

[RJP]

I was encouraged by my instructors to bring it on my OW check-out dives.

Please share the names of these instructors publicly so that people can know to avoid them. I think it's absolutely irresponsible to allow - much less encourage - a student to bring a camera on OW checkout dives.