Florabama -
Good point about becoming cynical over time, although I have a pretty upbeat attitiude and character. And, having taught in different venues over the years, I'm used to newbies and their inexperience and don't mind it.
And there are different types of inexperience. I brought out two couples a few weeks ago who had just graduated from diving school and knew all the basics, but they didn't know how to dive a reef. I said, "Just jump overboard and start swimming around." An hour later they boarded the boat and couldn't stop talking about the stuff they saw all the way back to the dock. The mooring balls are usually parked directly over the reef, so "the good stuff" is kinda hard to miss. And diving in 20 feet of water is inherently pretty safe. For deeper dives, like the wrecks, I inquire ahead of time as to their experience and won't take them unless they've already done a few deep dives.
Re: lobster trips, never done one, and the rules are so bizarre (when and where and how many you can catch) that I probably wouldn't allow it unless the diver proved he or she knew the rules and made the case that it was legal for that particular time and place.
Re: spearfishing, it's fine with me as long as the law is satisfied. Three miles off the coast and no spearfishing in the state parks or sanctuaries.
As far as chartering the whole boat, well, it's first come, first served, as far as picking the reef. Otherwise, it's six people max, $65 a pop, one tank or two, and we'll do a second reef as long as it's close by. Brought a group of three out the other day and we first hit the Duane (a deep wreck), then stopped by Pickles Reef on the way back. The perfect day.
Chuck