Resort Boat Diving?

[DavidHickey]

Ok,
I've had this question for awhile and while I know the answer I think is right, I seem to be in the minority. We've been in the tropics and have been on quite a few resort boat dives. It seems to me that common practice on these resort dives are that at the end of the dive people with better air consumption stay down and mill around under the boat while buddies with worse consumption go up. It seems an unwritten rule that once you can see the boat everything is safe and its a free for all. I had my dive buddy on one dive decide that since everyone else was doing it she would stay down under the boat in about 45 to 50 feet of water. Although I could still see her and the many others milling around it did not seem like anyone was paying attention to anyone else, I mentioned this to the captain and he acted like it was not a problem and normal practice. Regardless I let my buddy know in no uncertain terms that this was not acceptable to me and that when the signals given to ascend I expect them to follow. Even thought there were plenty of other divers and probably a DM still down I was a nervous wreck till she came up. I guess the reaction I got was that once back at the boat everyone keeps an eye on everyone else in the area while running their tanks down. I never really thought much about it until my buddy did it. I stayed in the water at the surface with my snorkel and kept an eye on her with 500 left in my tank in case of an emergency, "not that I could have done much in an emergency from the surface" but others just got back on the boat and left their buddies as if it didn't matter, I would NOT be comfortable being on a boat and not knowing what was going on with my buddy below and assuming that someone else was watching out for her. Whats everyones opinion and is this normal practice or have I just got on the wrong boats.
David

 

[J.R.]

Well... if everybody *knows* what's going on... and everybody is together under the boat... it seems like an exercise in 'redistribution of buddies' has occured and it *seems* like no safety issues occurs.

What is *seems* to be is more of a communications issue "pre-dive"... if everybody understands that this is what is going to happen (Dive Planning)... I don't see any issue.

Did a cruise dive last year... rule wuz'... when you get down to 1000 lb... notify DM and buddy... at 600 lb. you surface and this dude with a jetski and a tow came by and gave ya' taxi service back to the beach... the buddy regrouped and the dive went on.

I'm not sure what *normal* practice is... but it seems that there was basically just a lack of communications about this aspect of the dive prior to entering the water... I'd ask next time.

My two pence...

 

[Doc]

Not sure what your concern or question really is.

Are your comments in regards to communicating with your buddy?

Regardless I let my buddy know in no uncertain terms that this was not acceptable to me and that when the signals given to ascend I expect them to follow.

Dave, I have to ask... did you confer with your dive buddy on the surface, pre-dive, without your mouth crammed full of rubber?

Seething, fretting and hand signals underwater does camparatively little to no good en situ- that is- while it's happening.

Plan your dive with your buddy in advance. If you had made a plan that allowed for the one with gills to putter around under the boat while you exited when you felt comfortable- well- that would have been the plan.

Yes, this kind of behavior occurs all the time at dive resorts. I think your buddy was too deep, if I read your description correctly, and you might be very surprised how little your SPG moved from 500psi at the surface... even for 1/2 hour.

Do whatevery you're comfortable with. If you're not- refuse... in advance!

Quite often, I will putter in 25fsw while my dive buddy exits because she's chilled. But then again, that is our standard plan. We agreed to it in advance, on the surface, where it was easy to communicate.

Years ago, my SO & Dive Buddy was sitting atop the Prince Albert at CoCoView and she was giving me frantic out of air signals. Actualy, she had 600 psi but was scared. Today, at this current point in her dive experience, she won't bother to leave the wreck for the shore exit if she has more than 250psi. At 15 or 20 feet depth, 300 psi can last a very long time- or some might suck it dry in three minutes.

Here's one for you: Three of us plus our DM diving for ten days in the Philippines. My two dive buddies comparatively used no air. I was always down to the bottom of my tank while they had 850psi more than I. So- I told the DM, in front of my buddies, "put me 25 under the boat when I have 150 psi, I'll handle the rest". For me, at my experience level, knowing that the boat was always in calm water, this was within my comfort range.

I signalled "where's the boat?" by giving the slash throat "out of air sign"... after he was in on the joke.

Communication.

 

[String]

I dont see a problem on guided dives if they split/change groups and slowly remove those low on air.

Its incredibly frustrating to pay for a dive, end up with a guided dive (which i hate anyway) and as a result get back on the boat with 2/3 of a tank full due to someone with poor air consumption causing everyone to come back.

Provided its pre-briefed i have no problem with people milling around under the boat making the most of their air rather than having the lowest common denominator control everyones dive.

 

[DandyDon]

No, it's not the suggested approach, but it happens - especially in groups...

I stayed in the water at the surface with my snorkel and kept an eye on her with 500 left in my tank in case of an emergency...

I've done that, as I've always been a big air burner, but it actually multiplies the risks...
1-The buddy remaining down is a solo diver with no real training for that;
2-You're a solo ascender, which is a significant danger;
3-And if you went back down with 500 psi to help a remaining buddy, you'd both be in trouble.

I have had an excellent dive guide check air on the group and reassign new pairs, 2 to ascend, 2 to stay down.

 

[TSandM]

I have seen it handled a number of ways: Buddy teams go up when one hits minimums, people are rebuddied when they hit minimums, or people ascend and leave their buddies.

I don't mind being rebuddied at minimums. I think that is a way to allow people with better gas consumption to enjoy the dive they paid for, and also allows people with higher gas consumption not to feel guilty about cutting someone else's dive short. Of course, there is always the possibility of being "rebuddied" with someone one wouldn't have wanted to dive with, given a choice on the surface, but by the end of the dive, you've most likely had some chance to observe the person's behavior underwater, and if it's egregious, you have the option of refusing and going up.

I would not accept sending anyone to the surface alone, even in clear water where you can see well. In fact, one of my husband's and my nastiest diving fights was over a situation where we were diving as a team of three with a novice, and the novice indicated he'd hit minimums and needed to ascend. I signalled Peter, who had just found a beautiful flamingo tongue and was intent on photographing it. I was left with the choice between accompanying our teammate and staying with my husband (which is what I did, and was probably the wrong choice). Nothing untoward occurred, and my husband had fully expected I would accompany our friend to the surface and leave him below. I won't do that.

In my experience of observing others off resort boats, even people who travel together don't seem to take "dive buddy" very seriously.

 

[Charlie99]

My rule is simply that we do what is agreed beforehand.

When diving with a relatively inexperienced diver that I'm pretty sure will go low on air before me, if we have agreed that he will ascend solo, then we also agree upon a specific signal for him to have be come up with him. A standard "thumbing the dive" signal means he's going up by himself. Him pointing to me and signalling "up" means that for some reason, he wants company on the ascent.

I have no problem doing most dives solo, so wandering around semi-solo near the boat at the end of the dive is acceptable also, PROVIDED THAT'S WHAT WAS AGREED UPON BEFORE THE DIVE.

 

[DandyDon]

I was left with the choice between accompanying our teammate and staying with my husband (which is what I did, and was probably the wrong choice). Nothing untoward occurred, and my husband had fully expected I would accompany our friend to the surface and leave him below. I won't do that.

Did he get a pony bottle. I think it was him I dived with my last day up there, and as bad as we both were at staying together in the current, shooting pics, I encouraged him to get one. If my memory is correct here...?

 

[Belmont]

I did 18 dives at three different Sandals in Jamaica.
As soon as one diver hits 1000 psi, it's back to the boat for every one diving with the DM, others with OW or AOW out by themselves with a buddy are also strongly recommended to follow the same rule.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Most guided boat dives I have been on, either as guide or guest, have been multiple loops if moored/anchored. All guests let the guide know half a tank, guides job is to return to ascent line with lowest diver(s) having enough air for ascent and ss, plus 500psi. For many resort boat dives, back on the boat with 500psi is not neccessarily sound gas management.

The guide must be careful about current and the stamina of typical American divers. Pre-dive briefing should include letting the buddy teams know that they have the option of staying together, re-grouping so lowest 2 divers ascend together or solo ascents. A few disiplined couples always ascend together. I have ascended to 20' to chaperone ss for newbies (kids) while others (parents) milled about on the bottom (50'), then back down to guide another loop. Drift diving is similar, just no loops and less worry about currents/stamina, but ss with no line to hold you down! Heavy breathers should be requesting bigger tanks, chilled divers should get more rubber.