Are there idiots on every dive boat?

[JCDdiver]

Opinion. That's what makes idiots. It's kind of like "experienced" divers. Subjective matter.

I wonder if everyone realizes that there are just "idiots" in the world, and some of them happen to dive.

Very true! Unfortunately there is another born every minute.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

I say no. I've been on boats where it's just me and one other person who isn't too dorky; I try to not be too idiotic, so I say no, not always.

 

[Falco]

That's the advantage of having a buddy with a boat. You get to choose the site and more importantly the participant.

 

[RumBum]

Idiot is a relative term so there must be someone in any given group who is more idiotic than the others.

 

[fairybasslet]

I was on a dive boat in NC with a father/son idiot team. Before we even leave the dock, the dad is running around screaming "Where's my red bag? Has anyone seen my red bag?" He found it eventually. They took over the whole boat with their gear. I come up from a dive and want to sit down to take my HEAVY steel 100's off, and they have their masks, glasses, etc, in every slot on one side of the boat. They leave their fins and other gear on the deck for suited up divers to trip over. When it was pointed out to them that it would be better if they kept their gear under the seat, the dad got all huffy and said they were seasick. So if you're seasick, that gives you an excuse to be a slob?
Then there was another clueless guy on a liveaboard who wanted his photo taken with a particular woman every time they were gearing up, and then he would stand, in front of my gear when I had to suit up, looking at the photos in his camera. Uh, can't you drool on the other side of the boat so I can get my gear on?

 

[Ron Brandt]

On a recent vacation my wife and I dove a good bit and almost every time we went out there were idiots on the boat.

Sad but true...

Ron

 

[trigfunctions]

My first couple dive trips were on vacations where our group had the entire boat. Because of that, I initially assumed that all divers were like my friends - considerate, friendly, good-natured, envrionmentally conscious, etc.

After a few dives on cattle boats full of 30+ strangers, I quickly learned that divers as a group are, unfortunately, just like the rest of society. Most are nice, but there are usually one or two idiots (obnoxious, selfish, environmentally ignorant, etc.) to make things unpleasant for everyone else.

 

[mjh]

I think it is inevitable with day boats. But have to say on the last couple of live-aboards we have been on all have been competent divers and reef friendly.

 

[DennisW]

The poll is an absolute yes or no. Since there are no absolutes in life, the answer has to be no.

 

[Sandbar]

My first couple dive trips were on vacations where our group had the entire boat. Because of that, I initially assumed that all divers were like my friends - considerate, friendly, good-natured, envrionmentally conscious, etc.

After a few dives on cattle boats full of 30+ strangers, I quickly learned that divers as a group are, unfortunately, just like the rest of society. Most are nice, but there are usually one or two idiots (obnoxious, selfish, environmentally ignorant, etc.) to make things unpleasant for everyone else.

Well put. Divers are but a sample set of the overall population...you shouldn't expect anything different than you deal with everyday.