Hey Hoover ~ Did you ruin someone's dive?

[novadiver]

You are a hoover. You suck down half your al80 before even getting to the bottom. You discover your needle is in the red 15 minutes later and only then bother to inform the poor person assigned as your *buddy* what your air status is. You thumb the dive and expect them to accompany you to the surface. They do but still have 2/3 of their gas left. They paid $$$ for the dive trip but you've ruined it for them.

Do you feel any responsibility to recompense them?

Man that's funny, UP you crack me up. It's happened to most of use at one time or another. maybe we just found a reason to carry a spair air. you just give them the spair air and the finger and bingo , buddy be gone

 

[mempilot]

I just point at something trivial on the bottom, and when they look, I fin really fast in the opposite direction. Back on the boat, I blame them for not keeping an eye on their buddy.

 

[FatCat]

Wowza, UP's trolling! Why, I'd never...

Most every diver started out a hoover. Real newbies are often too occupied with the mechanics to remember to check their gauges.

Any diver who isn't prepared to dive with a beginner once in a while should confine his diving activities to diving solo. Where would you have been if no-one more experienced had taken you along?

OTOH, antisocial individuals who aren't beginners anymore and who don't 'fess up during the briefing that they're airhogs should also become solo divers...

 

[herman]

No but I darn near insisted on getting my money back from a dive op because of one, I am still pissed about it.

 

[fins wake]

You are a hoover. You suck down half your al80 before even getting to the bottom. You discover your needle is in the red 15 minutes later and only then bother to inform the poor person assigned as your *buddy* what your air status is. You thumb the dive and expect them to accompany you to the surface. They do but still have 2/3 of their gas left. They paid $$$ for the dive trip but you've ruined it for them.

Do you feel any responsibility to recompense them?

Not at all.

I actually believe it is a very dangerous mind set to make the 'bad gas buddy' feel guilty about his or her gas consumption. When a dive is thumbed, it's thumbed. No reason, excuse or explanation necessary. Doesn't matter if this is due to a low-on-gas situation, bad viz, too heavy currents or the little green men from Mars.

Now, I do understand that the easy breather does get his or her dive ruined by the 'air hog', but it's part and parcel of the game. The way to avoid this is to
(1) dive with a known buddy only and
(2) agree your dive plan in advance.

Anybody who partakes in a dive trip solo and then is assigned a buddy must live with the consequences for that one dive. Been there, done that. On both sides of the fence. (Yes, 'air hog syndrome' is curable. Usually by diving more often.)

Of course, I'd insist on swapping partners for the next dive. But that's another story.

 

[mempilot]

Any diver who isn't prepared to dive with a beginner once in a while should confine his diving activities to diving solo. Where would you have been if no-one more experienced had taken you along?

OTOH, antisocial individuals who aren't beginners anymore and who don't 'fess up during the briefing that they're airhogs should also become solo divers...

Taking a beginner along and being assigned a beginner are too different things. The first case, I'm getting what I paid for and I'm expecting what will come. The second case, I'm being thrown a handgrenade and expected to find the pin.

I'll take a buddy assignment only after chatting with them for a bit. If they know their limitations and have an understanding of their depth, time, and gas, then cool. If they are new, I'll help them out. If I'm planning on a longer dive and then I'll defer them to someone else. This is often the case if I don't know them.

That's the problem with some of the agencies. There is no time spent on gas planning. It's just, be back at the line with 1000 or be back on the boat with 500. Most new divers have no clue what rate they use gas. They'll get their AOW and jump in on a 120 dive with an 80cf and have no idea that they'll run out of gas. Seen it happen, as we all have.

 

[scuba-sass]

How very few of us are fessing up to the possibility of being the Hoover ourselves.
I dive with my regular buddy. If I carry the camera, our gas consumption is about the same.

Still pretty new,
(and compared to UP, I'm sure...)
Still Hoovering,

Scuba-sass

 

[emtdan]

How bout if the "buddy" were do donate their octo for a determined ammt of time... say 5 min more? they the buddy has more time down, and the hoover isnt sucking their own air...

 

[mempilot]

How bout if the "buddy" were do donate their octo for a determined ammt of time... say 5 min more? they the buddy has more time down, and the hoover isnt sucking their own air...

Nope. How about the hoover get a bigger tank appropriate for the dive, or in addition, start an exercise program to increase their fitness level.

 

[opiniongirl]

I detest divers who make a big stink about this.

We all started out the same - flopping around, "boneless" in the water, erratic air consumption.

There will always be someone "better" or "worse" on air - so why get your knickers in a not at someone for something that is uncontrollable?

If you're experienced enough to care, then you're experienced enough to ask your buddy a few questions about their diving history to get an idea of what their consumption is.

And unless you paid for a private tour...thems the breaks for not squeaking up to the guide about your "amazing" air consumption, and diving without your own "consumption-approved" buddy.