Dive boat dive guide VS my computer?

[stiebs]

kalvyn once bubbled...
While we were down, I was watching my Mosquito computer, which also gave me ~26 minutes. At about 2 minutes of NDT left by my Suunto, I signaled the DM by pointing at my computer, then up.

To parrot everyone else who has posted before me, listen to your computer. It may send you up earlier, but the consequences will be sending it into deco, and if you blow the stops, your computer stays on the surface for two days, or stays in guage mode for the remainder of your trip.

If you see the NDL time dropping down to the point where you feel you're going to blow it, ascend a few feet, and you will probably find that it will reward you and increase the NDL again.
Of course this may or may not be practical depending on the dive type.

 

[lanun]

i'd follow my own plan (used to be computer+tables, now dabbling in tables only).
why ? because at the end of the day, i feel responsible for my own safety. i dive with my wife half the time. if i do something unsafe, i woulda put 4 people at risk (yup, the two young 'uns spending time wif gramma).

i remember one time when the DM had a lot more minutes than i had so i did like what ladycute1 said - ascended to shallower depth. i saw as much neat things as the other divers, too. and i stuck with my plan.

there was one time that i did follow another's computer - actually her depth gauge because mine went kaput.

 

[Big-t-2538]

This is one time when you have to be watching out for yourself. If the DM simply isn't going to listen to you, and your tables/computer say it is time for you to surface, it is time for you to surface. What is he going to do...pull you back down....The worst that could happen is that you aren't allowed to make the second dive b/c you didn't follow the DM, but hey you'll be getting off the boat at the end of the day without having to be escorted to the chamber.

There is no reason a DM shouldn't respect someone's wish to surface b/c he is uncomfortable at depth, or is out of air, or would be violating his plan. Be Safe, prep for being safe, and dive safe. Then I'd find out how never to dive on that charter or with that company ever again.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

No worries about staying a bit shallower or ascending earlier, but let me add a couple more bits of advice.

If you have chosen to dive with a DM as your guide, then please...
1. Be certain you signal to the DM if you are returning to the boat.
2. Stay with your dive buddy at all times.
3. Allow the DM to navigate the entire group back toward the boat.
4. Pay your full attention to emergency auditory (or other) signals from the DM.

I had a group that violated many of these and it nearly turned into a full fledged disaster. One guy (let's call him Joe) decided to return to the boat. Joe signalled, ditched his buddy (his father) and then swam the wrong way out into blue water away from the wall. I pursued Joe as he ignored my emergency signal. The current off the wall was running. Not good.

It got worse. One diver did one of those slow descents. Couldn't find her depth gauge. Didn't realize she was descending. I caught her at 120ft with little air remaining. While catching her, Joe got out of sight. I'm still clanging away on my tank. Surfacing with 3 out of 4 divers is not fun. Joe's father was in a panic.

Fortunately, Joe did surface a few hundred yards away a few minutes later after completing a safety stop. By now we were all hundreds of yards from the boat. Out came the safety sausage and we gathered the group. Boat comes to pick us up. Nobody injured, and everyone was safe.

 

[MikeFerrara]

ditto, A group dive needs to be planned to satisfy the requirements of all (most conservative) computer/table ect.

I stress to all my student to never ever do what your DM wanted you to do. I hear of things like this so often I could travel the world feeding DM's to sharks. It is best to account for such things in the dive planning but in the event your calculations or computer tell you to head up you simply end the dive (signaling of course). Once someone signals an end to the dive the dive team ends the dive.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

had guided dives. At the time my husband and I didn't have computers and we decided to follow along using the DM's computer as he suggested. We also decided that we would stay at least slightly above him at all times and told him that. Although unlimited shore dives were offered we opted to only do the scheduled dives with the guide so we'd be in the same group letter he was all week.

One dive was planned to 100 feet, we were riding at about 90 when the DM started a descent. I looked at my buddy and gave the "narced" sign and he shrugged he didn't know. We followed to the limit of our dive plan (100 feet) and leveled off swimming along above the DM to see what he would do next since we were in about 3,000 feet of water. He eventually turned and came back up to where we were then finished leading the dive. When we returned to the boat I asked what the heck he thought he was doing. He said, "A bounce dive to 160 feet." I told him the next time he was going to pull a stunt like that he needed to let the divers know so nobody hurt themselves trying to "save" him.

I've since gotten my own computer as has my buddy. Always follow what YOUR computer says.
Ber

 

[Wreck Ranger]

I completely agree with you all. Dive your own plan, not someone else's. If you have a computer and it tell you to go up then that is exactly what you do. Ditto on the NO SHARING of computers. If you have one great for you, but if your buddy doesn't then dive tables not your computer so you and your dive buddy are doing the same dive. You need to bring your computer with you in this cenario so in case you do dive again W/O your buddy your computer will know where and how long you had been there.

Bottom Line is if the DM says stay down and disregard your computer, DON"T LISTEN TO HIM and start your ascent at that moment. Just like someone earlier said, the DM isn't going to take the hit for you!!!!

 

[kalvyn]

ladycute1 once bubbled...

Finally, I have dived quite a bit with Ed Robinson's operation, and what I have heard consistantly in every briefing is: This is what we are planning (so many feet for so many minutes) -- please don't get in front of or deeper than the guide --- Feel free to stay shallower if you wish -- either for equalization reasons or any other reasons. If you need to ascend and return to the boat early, be sure to signal good bye to the guide, and if you prefer, they will buddy you up with someone. -- I know this is their standard briefing and their standard procedure -- so I'm wondering if there might have been a misunderstanding between you and the guide. I would also suggest that it would be a good idea to drop an e-mail to the Ed Robinson team so they can make sure their staff is all on the same page.

Liz

They said all those same things on our dives as well, actually. Also, the DMs never got on me about using my air up fast (they knew I was newly certified, with only 11 OW dives before Maui). The DM that was talking about my Suunto being conservative did not imply to ignore it altogether, don't get me wrong. He was just saying that I could "fudge" a little on the no deco time counter, and this is what I didn't (and still don't) agree with. I got the impression that this particular DM was a little aggressive, as he also proudly showed me his Mosquito's history, with a 232 fsw air dive as his deepest dive.

I definitely enjoyed diving with Ed Robinson's, and I enjoyed the aggressive DM as a person, although both my wife and I liked the other DM on the boat better as a guide in the water. We will most definitely be diving with Ed Robinson's on our next trip to Maui; the whole reason I was asking my question was so I would feel more confident in my decision to dive what others might consider conservatively.

Jimmie

 

[MikeFerrara]

The other thing that worries me here is that I teach divers as new as you folks are not to go that deep in the first place. This is why I don't go to any of these resorts. I could never enjoy myself being around that kind of slop.

 

[ladycute1]

You said:


"They said all those same things on our dives as well, actually. Also, the DMs never got on me about using my air up fast (they knew I was newly certified, with only 11 OW dives before Maui). The DM that was talking about my Suunto being conservative did not imply to ignore it altogether, don't get me wrong. He was just saying that I could "fudge" a little on the no deco time counter, and this is what I didn't (and still don't) agree with. I got the impression that this particular DM was a little aggressive, as he also proudly showed me his Mosquito's history, with a 232 fsw air dive as his deepest dive."


Hmmmmm.... I don't know how you "fudge" on no deco time -- if you violate it --the computer will give you deco stops and or lock you out.

If this DM was working for me, I'd want to know about this so I could take corrective action.

I'm glad you did the safe thing!

Liz