Not Ready to Dive Without a "Dive Guide"?

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If you want to get more dives in your log, and practice navigation and other skills, go local: check out Chicago Scuba Meetup. It's a fun group! You can get some dive time in at Haigh Quarry, and then move on to Lake Michigan shipwrecks.
 
If you want to get more dives in your log, and practice navigation and other skills, go local: check out Chicago Scuba Meetup. It's a fun group! You can get some dive time in at Haigh Quarry, and then move on to Lake Michigan shipwrecks.

I was actually thinking of hitting up that quarry in the summer with my roommate. Looks like a great place to get some practice!
 
Lots of good advice. As stated, you are responsible for yourself as a certified diver and I think most people take that seriously from start -- watch your air, ascent rate, etc. - and that is not generally what causes the anxiety after the first couple of dives. Hopefully no one is relying on a guide for that. So, if that's the case, what is the problem with going off on your own without a guide? It's the fear of getting lost. The biggest secret is that absent significant current (or something stupid like the boat leaving you!), you'd really have to try hard to get lost on a dive. Yes, go out and practice your navigation skills; it will build your confidence and make you a better, self-sufficient diver. On the other hand, if you are comfortable with the safety and life-support aspects of diving, the worst thing that is likely to happen is you can't find the boat while you are under water. OK, so surface and look for it; I doubt its more than a couple hundred feet away, if that. Signal you are okay, go back down and now you know where to go. It hurts the pride when you can't find your way back to the boat submerged, but it's rarely dangerous.
 
The biggest secret is that absent significant current (or something stupid like the boat leaving you!), you'd really have to try hard to get lost on a dive. Yes, go out and practice your navigation skills; it will build your confidence and make you a better, self-sufficient diver. On the other hand, if you are comfortable with the safety and life-support aspects of diving, the worst thing that is likely to happen is you can't find the boat while you are under water. OK, so surface and look for it; I doubt its more than a couple hundred feet away, if that. Signal you are okay, go back down and now you know where to go. It hurts the pride when you can't find your way back to the boat submerged, but it's rarely dangerous.

When were in the Keys over New Year's and we had one day with a fairly stiff current and two folks TWICE ended up getting on the wrong boat! It happens. You try to remember what your boat looks like and suddenly they all look alike!!! (no, it wasn't us!). And honestly, the reason they ended up on the wrong boat is because they didn't hold on to the the rope while waiting for the rest of the group to get into the water to descend - so off they floated - and they got worn out trying to surface swim back against the current. Our guide had to go get them and bring them back so we were on our own. All in all, I'm sure their ego's were bruised but no harm, no foul. There's a reason they teach us the sign for "boat" - so we can make the sign and turn our heads sideways like Chewbacca on Star Wars and shrug our shoulders and point at our buddy!! (I dunno - you go check!!)
 
When were in the Keys over New Year's and we had one day with a fairly stiff current and two folks TWICE ended up getting on the wrong boat! It happens. You try to remember what your boat looks like and suddenly they all look alike!!! (no, it wasn't us!). And honestly, the reason they ended up on the wrong boat is because they didn't hold on to the the rope while waiting for the rest of the group to get into the water to descend - so off they floated - and they got worn out trying to surface swim back against the current. Our guide had to go get them and bring them back so we were on our own. All in all, I'm sure their ego's were bruised but no harm, no foul. There's a reason they teach us the sign for "boat" - so we can make the sign and turn our heads sideways like Chewbacca on Star Wars and shrug our shoulders and point at our buddy!! (I dunno - you go check!!)

Yeah. They were lucky there were in fact other boats. Always hold that line. Don't think that's ever happened here (can't- one boat).
 
Yeah. They were lucky there were in fact other boats. Always hold that line. Don't think that's ever happened here (can't- one boat).

True, they were lucky. At this particular time and dive site there were several boats - not uncommon at places like Molasses & the Benwood - but you can't always count on that for easy pickup. One of the folks was picked up by a boat from the same dive shop!
 
True, they were lucky. At this particular time and dive site there were several boats - not uncommon at places like Molasses & the Benwood - but you can't always count on that for easy pickup. One of the folks was picked up by a boat from the same dive shop!

Getting on the wrong boat at Molasses and Benwood is easy with the numbers of boats typically running around there. That's the bigger problem than getting truly lost there. Again, embarrasing, but not really dangerous or a reason to always dive with a guide -- just to take us back to the original theme. Just need to be smart, dive within your limits and carry appropriate signaling devices (and know how to use them) in case something does happen.
 
We are going to be diving the west palm beach area in May 2012 and we have only completed a few dives also so I will be paying the extra for a guide it makes me feel much better so I think it is well worth it, and this area is drift diving
Teresa
 
That said, at what point do you feel confident enough to dive without a guide?

Your instructor shouldn't have handed you a c-card before you were ready to dive without a guide. Both you and your instructor needed to be confident that you could safely dive with just a buddy, before signing your card. It's one of the criteria for issuing the card.

Unfortunately, this isn't actually very common anymore, since it takes time, which cuts into profits.

flots.
 
Your instructor shouldn't have handed you a c-card before you were ready to dive without a guide. Both you and your instructor needed to be confident that you could safely dive with just a buddy, before signing your card. It's one of the criteria for issuing the card.

Unfortunately, this isn't actually very common anymore, since it takes time, which cuts into profits.

flots.

If I don't feel ready to dive without a guide, that doesn't mean I'm not ready. I'd say if a new diver feels she'd be safer with a guide, that tells me she has some good judgment. Whether she actually needs to have a guide with her, that determination needs to be made by the instructor, not the student.

But just for the sake of discussion, let's say you trained someone, and at the end of the course you feel the person is not yet ready. What do you do? Do you offer further instruction? Is this for a fee? Among your students, how often does this happen?
 
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