Boat Crew Setting Up Gear?

[TheRedHead]

Hi All:

Just returned from a cruise to Cozumel, Roatan and Belize. Diving was great, but I hated the cruising. We dived with Hugh Parkey's in Belize and while I feel they were a top notch dive operation, I was uncomfortable handing over my gear for the crew to assemble. They literally strapped on your BC, stuck your fins on your feet and even pulled the stray hair out of your mask before you back rolled into the water.

It made me feel a bit uncomfortable as I have always assembled my own gear. Couldn't do the normal buddy check had to spend several minutes going over my gear before I could descend.

While it was easy and convenient, I just didn't like it. It violates everything I learned in OW class (no buddy checks, not checking your own gear). Is this normal for travel diving?

 

[Phil@1877SCUBAUSA.COM]

Stand your ground. Safety 1st. It seems that you learned the correct procedures. Do not let anyone rush you into the water. Remember "comfort is everything"

 

[matt_unique]

Hi All:

Just returned from a cruise to Cozumel, Roatan and Belize. Diving was great, but I hated the cruising. We dived with Hugh Parkey's in Belize and while I feel they were a top notch dive operation, I was uncomfortable handing over my gear for the crew to assemble. They literally strapped on your BC, stuck your fins on your feet and even pulled the stray hair out of your mask before you back rolled into the water.

It made me feel a bit uncomfortable as I have always assembled my own gear. Couldn't do the normal buddy check had to spend several minutes going over my gear before I could descend.

While it was easy and convenient, I just didn't like it. It violates everything I learned in OW class (no buddy checks, not checking your own gear). Is this normal for travel diving?

It is normal in my experience for the worst reasons. It tells you how many new divers in warm locations allow boat crew to assemble gear. They do it to offer good customer service. When I travel I am as polite as possible but I don't allow anyone near my gear.

--Matt

 

[mempilot]

I never allow anyone to touch my gear. Many DM's aren't nearly as experienced as you'd think, but more so, I want to be responsible for my life.

 

[TheRedHead]

This trip was a real eye-opener for me. The majority of the folks diving from the cruise were sheep - they did what they were told without question. No one seemed to follow safe diving procedures and I didn't notice any buddy checks except by married couples. There was one woman who hadn't dived since she was cerified on another cruise in St. Thomas a year ago. She was scared to death and had no buddy and we dived a wall to 80 feet. She latched on to me and my buddy and pushed and battered us trying to control her buoyancy on the first dive.

Almost everything I read on this board about unsafe divers happened on one of the six dives of this cruise.

 

[salty]

If I were lucky and on a trip like this I would gladly tip the crew befor hand to NOT touch my gear.

I crew on a boat in the Northeast. I never touch anyones gear. There are too many problems....some people want to do it themselves, some have a certin way of doing things, and god forbid if they have a problem the first thing they will do is blame whoever set up their gear.

 

[ScubaFreak]

You show great maturity as a diver, I wish there were more like you.

But what others have said are oh so true. Lots of DM's aren't as experienced as we imagine, and they do it for a "good" service. But you're dead right, and as mempilot said- Nobody goes near my gear but me.

Scubafreak

 

[jbd]

This trip was a real eye-opener for me. The majority of the folks diving from the cruise were sheep - they did what they were told without question. No one seemed to follow safe diving procedures and I didn't notice any buddy checks except by married couples. There was one woman who hadn't dived since she was cerified on another cruise in St. Thomas a year ago. She was scared to death and had no buddy and we dived a wall to 80 feet. She latched on to me and my buddy and pushed and battered us trying to control her buoyancy on the first dive.

Almost everything I read on this board about unsafe divers happened on one of the six dives of this cruise.

As mentioned above by matt_unique, there is an element of customer service and they do want their tips. I think this became an instilled practice though in response to the fact so many divers in these areas are just as you described here. For the boat crew its probably easier if they just do everything and attend to every detail including stray hairs in the mask to prevent leaking. Prevents a ton of problems for them.

 

[miked]

I agree- I want to be the one responsible for setting up and checking my gear-after all, it's my life.

When I have encountered crew people who offer to set up the gear, I decline-if they insist, there is a problem. I have seen people let the crew set up their gear, then the diver would take it apart, and set it up themselves!

About as far as I will go in letting a crewman deal with my gear, is to allow them to carry the tank/bc set up to the platform area-if they insist( once it was due to"insurance reasons"- then I don it and check it before getting into the water.

I have been on boats where the crews prefer to watch as the divers set up their own gear, because it sometimes reveals to the DMs which divers might need a bit more watching/help/etc. during the dives.

take care,
Mike

 

[miketsp]

It really depends on your confidence level.
For many once-a-year warm-water tourists it's convenient and safer on average to have everything done for them. As was said, it probably reduces the DMs overall problems by simplifying things.
On the other hand, if you are diving regularly, then like me you probably prefer to set up your own gear. I've never had stress over setting up gear - I just state beforehand that I prefer to set up my own.
What I have had stress with is somebody checking my gear just as I'm about to do a giant stride. Sometimes I dive a wing BC and I put the right amount of air in to support me at the surface vertically. When overfilled it just slams me forward in the water at the surface. A couple of times I've had crew members top up my wing to bursting just as I'm leaving the boat.
Also a few times I've felt that somebody has turned the tank valve so I move back away from the platform and make a point of checking for myself if they've opened it or closed it. On one occasion doing this I found it just half a turn open!