What makes a master diver?

[mdb]

In diving, you are responsible for your own safety. As a solo diver, I figured you'd understand that concept .
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Agree 100%, I have had divers, come over my head, up from the "deep", panicked, etc, Not once did I think that I should "swim away", I am no great diver, just an average bloke with 2000+ dives. I do not understand the "swim away" mentality.

 

[Thalassamania]

Agree 100%, I have had divers, come over my head, up from the "deep", panicked, etc, Not once did I think that I should "swim away", I am no great diver, just an average bloke with 2000+ dives. I do not understand the "swim away" mentality.

I can. I'd be bummed out if I were taking pictures and being trailed by a rototiller that was not displaying distress, just following me about, kicking up the bottom and scaring my photo subjects away. Show me distress and we're in a different mode.

 

[robertarak]

No ... shame on the dive boat crew for putting one of their customers in this predicament. Shame on the diver for being so poorly trained that she didn't even understand the most fundamental concept of diving ... that you're supposed to be involved in planning any dive you intend to do. That starts with letting the people you plan to dive with know that you plan to dive with them.

If you fail to comprehend the notion that you don't just jump in the water, pick out someone to dive with, and follow them around ... then shame on you ... you're too poorly trained to be diving.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Oh that's great..shame on the world. Shame on the boat crew, and shame on the diver. Let's punish the shamefull diver by losing her. By putting her alone in the water. We rant on and on about the dangers. Being an all knowing, "professional" who preaches the dangers of the deep, you must know what dangers a buddiless newbie could face. Who cares really, just another newbie, right. Wow!

 

[daniel f aleman]

Each diver is responsible for his/her welfare. Period.

 

[adurso]

Or perhaps everyone should be equipped with precognative abilities to determine some other's intent underwater, that way the royal "we" CAN be responsible.....

 

[Walter]

Let's punish the shamefull diver by losing her. By putting her alone in the water.

She was already in the water alone. She was put there by the boat crew and she apparently agreed to the situation.

 

[Zieg]

I have a story of my own to relate about helping other divers. My wife and I were doing a drift dive from a cattle boat in S. Fla. We had requested that we have our own flag, we wanted to do our own thing. During the dive we noticed another couple following us along. They were obviously sticking with us. My wife, being the bad Zieg, tried to shoo them away. It didn't work. They were right on top of us, bumping into us, and just being a pain. I, being the gooood Zieg, tried to ingore them. Impossible. Also, we were not very far away from other groups of divers from the same boat. I don't know if they were told to stick with us or just picked us out.

About half way through our dive the couple ran low on air. He went to my wife to show his pressure gauge. My wife give him the finger. He then came to me and showed me his gauge. It was time for him to go up. I gave him the OK sign and pointed to the surface. I guess he was waiting for someone to tell him what to do. The couple went up the buoy line, pulling on it the whole way. Finally the boat picked them up and my wife and I were able to finish our dive in peace.

After the dive, we spoke to the Captain, and again informed him not to stick anyone with us. We were able to make the second dive without any annoying company.

Do not assume that every diver is a friendly diver. We did not go on this dive to make friends or help other divers. We wanted to go diving. As stated in others posts, I would have helped and assisted if they were in any trouble. Remember, I did tell them to go to the surface when they were low on air. But at no time did I or my wife feel any responsability toward these people.

 

[josh]

Well, you're welcome to your opinion ... but in terms of the "ethical behavior" argument, you are wrong.

With all due respect, I am not sure one can be "wrong" in a discussion of "ethics" or what one views as ethical or non-ethical behaviour. We may see the siuation differently, or it may mean we have different ethical standards, but it cannot be a case of "right": or "wrong". This may well contrast with a "legal" analysis of the situation, where one an easily hold a position that is (legally) wrong.

To me, the situation is relatively clear. A single diver attempting to tag along. There really are only two possibilities. An experienced solo diver, being a pain, or a novice, lost or confused diver. To discriminate these divers would be relatively simple. Does the diver have a fully redundant equipment set up? If not, its not a qualified or equipped solo diver.

So, we have a novice, lost or confused diver. In that situation, is it right to send that diver off alone? We all know that a solo diver (without appropriate training and experience) is at significant risk of accident or injury. So, leave aside questions of legal responsibility, duty of care etc - is it simply *human* to send that diver off alone?

It really does sadden me that some many people say "Hey, let that person take care of themselves. They are a diver, they take responsibility for their own dive". Indeed they do - but does that *completely* absolve one? Especially a "professional diver" who *knows* the increased risks of solo diving, of the possibility of a problem rapidly becoming a major disaster for a single, poorly skilled diver? Yes, the diver was screwed by the boat, screwed by the advice given, screwed by what they were told. But we were all novices once, and we *believed* what we were told, even when we thought that advice was against what we were told during our training. It takes a long time for new divers to have the confidence to stand up to dive professionals (the boat crew in this case) and to say screw that, thats *****ed.

I got into divemastering and later instructing to *help* people, not to swim away from them. If you see my ethical position as "wrong", well, so be it. But I know I would sleep better at night having helped than having swam away. A single "good" dive is just not worth the risk to another person life.
-j-

 

[mdb]

My wife give him the finger.-

--how nice of her.

 

[Tigerman]

I bet all the people here preaching how they dont have any responsibility for another diver if they wherent "part of the plan" would feel pretty stupid if the diver they "chased away" or "deliberately lost" ended up dead.
Or maybe youre just stone cold killers that have no regard for human life?

Legal responsibility usually is your LEAST concern if youre involved in anyones death..