do you need a hire a dive guide?

[the_explorer]

For beginner scuba divers going to new sites, is it always required to hire a dive guide? Or is going out on your own with a diving buddy (who is also new) just plain stupid?

[NetDoc]

It depends on the dive site and who's taking you there. If you are unsure of diving in that area then by all means, get a guide. If the conditions are not the same as when you were certified, by all means get a guide.

[NJDiver_Chris]

If you and your dive buddy are fairly new to diving and new to a dive site, its always a good idea to go with a more experience diver. I know with my dive shop, the owner offers to go with you on your first few dives free of charge if you went there for certification. Check with the shop you were certified at, they may have something similar.

[RTee]

No and yes. No you do not have to hire a guide. Yes you should attempt to dive the site either with somebody who is familiar with it or armed with a good schematic and info about the site(s). I would not hire a guide to dive a quarry or a lake if I have been able to find a good description of the site, point of interest, schematics perhaps as I feel I would have enough to then plan my own dive. Sometime, by showing up at a site you might be able to meet a knowledgeable diver who might brief you or allow you to tag along.

Ideally, there should be enough local divers familiar with the applicable site(s) to brief you on them and even lead you and your buddy through it (local diving clubs, folks you meet here, LDS, etc ). There have been many times where I have showed up at a site with friends, met new divers, gave them a thorough briefing about the site and then been asked if it would be OK for them to tag along with us as diving teams, and said yes. I find it interesting when I read posts of advertized club shore dives where people have to provide their own transport, own equipment and then have to pay 10.00 for members or 15.00 for non-members...the local club I dive with set-up a time and place, ensure that everybody gets a proper dive buddy and then conduct the dive with the aim of being safe and having fun.

[bracko]

one good way to get guided dives is to join a social diving group. places to look for such clubs are stores, universities, collages, etc... or just an internet search.

you meet like minded people, have fun, learn lots and perhaps meet some great new friends!

being a bit more experienced I will generally ring an LDS if I'm going for a dive in a new location and ask what if any general hazards the site has. if the answer is reasonable then I will go off with the usual planning procedures (telling people, checking if 1st aid kit is sufficient, checking emergency services etc... )

[TMHeimer]

Agree with all of the above. A big thing for a new diver to consider is trying to buddy with someone who has some experience if possible, regardless of it being a new site or not. If the site is new to you just use common sense. Ask locally about conditions, depth, aquatic life, currents, tides, the works. If it seems "benign" enough I would say just go and do it. A guide would always be a good idea of course, even for an experienced diver, even an instructor, if it is a completely new environment. I've never hired one, but then again I'm mostly Scottish.

[razorbackdiver]

I recently made my first blue dive at the Flower gardens off the Texas coast on the weekend of March 31st. I had taken and passed a navigation class but had not touched my compass since then. The dive shop I'm working out off arranged the trip and I was one of half a dozen newbie's on the trip. Before we left some of the guys told me two things. First just hang around Scott (my shop's lead dive instructor) the reason being if there is something cool to see he would find it. The second was they purposely moored the boat where I would have the best oppertunity so see cool stuff so there no need to get more than 30 or 40 yards from the anchor bolt.

My first dive, I did as I was told and followed Scott. So did 7 other divers making me feel like I was just part of a herd. My second dive, since the visibility was 100 ft plus,I ventured off about 20 yards from the herd. If I saw them stop to check something out I would swim over after they decided to move on and check it out then veer off about 20 yards away again. The result was we all got to see a 5 inch lion fish and a good size ray resting on the bottom that we probably would have missed I hadn't ventured a bit away from the group.

My third dive we had moved to a different site, it was about 85 ft to bottom, and I seperated my self even futher from the herd, but not out of view. What the heck, I never get lost on land and part of the reason I got into diving was to explore new things not be guided like a tourist. I found a good size parrot fish that seem just as curious about me as I was about him. When I decided to move on, the herd and no other diver were to be seen.

I didn't panic (I do not have a problem with under confidence) but headed off in the direction I thought they would be in. Just before I got down to 8 hundred pounds I finally saw another diver bubbles coming from behind a tall rock out croping, they were headed back to boat and I was able to get back to the anchor bolt and then the boat.

Now the current was weak and I got lucky finding the other diver. If the current had been strong with an almost 3 minute ascent and another 2 minute safty stop who knows how far I would have wound up away from the boat with 2 and half foot swells on the surface.

So my advice is if you choose to go it alone, is dive within your abilities, use your equipment (compass) even if you don't think you will need it, and remember diving conservative isn't just about bottom time.

[NWGratefulDiver]

For beginner scuba divers going to new sites, is it always required to hire a dive guide? Or is going out on your own with a diving buddy (who is also new) just plain stupid?

In practice, the only place a dive guide is required is in those areas where that by custom or law require them ... the Maldives, Cozumel, and similar places where one is not allowed to dive without a guide due to chronically strong currents, for example.

If the question is whether or not a dive guide is needed, then the answer is "it depends". In theory, getting your certification means you should have been trained to plan and execute a dive without supervision in conditions similar to those in which you were trained. So if you're planning on diving at the site where you were trained ... or a site with similar conditions ... then a dive guide should not be needed. If it is needed, then it is an indication that you did not meet the objectives of the class.

Now ... needed vs wanted are entirely different things. Will hiring someone to take you diving make you feel more secure in your ability to plan and execute the dive? If the answer is yes, then by all means you should hire a dive guide. But in that case, it's not because it's required, or even needed, but because you decided that it's a prudent thing to do.

In which case, I'd say you made a good decision ... and good diving is all about making good decisions.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Mike]

So my advice is if you choose to go it alone, is dive within your abilities, use your equipment (compass) even if you don't think you will need it, and remember diving conservative isn't just about bottom time.

Diving within your abilities should include diving with a buddy and staying within 1 breath of each other. What would you have done had you ran out of air? Your only choice would have been to try an emergency ascent to the surface with a great risk of an air expansion injury or decompression illness. Being so far from land and medical treatment if you would have an accident and require the need of a chamber should create an even more conservative dive profile.

Just something to think about.

[TMHeimer]

As an OW diver you start out diving easy sites, conditions--like the one you were trained in, etc. But eventually you dive more "challenging" sites. This is where being with an experienced diver comes in. Even better, with an instructor/professional acting as a guide or simply a buddy. This can be done without taking more advanced courses (though obviously that is a big plus). I believe that is how it was done in the "old days". Ei., it seems to be OK for OW divers to go deeper than 60' if with a professional. So, you do that a few times, then on your own (with any buddy). Now you're "more experienced". If you did not start to explore outside of your comfort zone (with an appropriate buddy), you would be diving 60' or less in currentless waters forever. Again--use common sense.

[razorbackdiver]

Diving within your abilities should include diving with a buddy and staying within 1 breath of each other. What would you have done had you ran out of air? Your only choice would have been to try an emergency ascent to the surface with a great risk of an air expansion injury or decompression illness. Being so far from land and medical treatment if you would have an accident and require the need of a chamber should create an even more conservative dive profile.

Just something to think about.

The point of my post was that I was over confident and stupid. Lesson learned.

[TSandM]

I am NOT a new diver, but when I go to a new place, I do as much research on the site as I possibly can. Sometimes that's on line, and sometimes it's talking to people know the site. And whenever possible, if I'm diving somewhere I haven't been before, I try to arrange to do my first dive there with someone who's familiar with the spot. There's nothing shameful about it -- it's just good sense.

On the other hand, there ARE sites which are known to be very benign sites, where just getting a good briefing is probably enough, even for novices. We have a few such sites in our area.

But don't ever be ashamed to ask for a buddy or hire a guide in a new place. That's not just something novices do.

[DivemasterDennis]

Let me add to what TSand M said: At a new site, I am happy to have a guide along. I take time to visit with them, let them know the expectations for dive that I and my dive buddy have, and get clear on how long the "leash" is. We often find ourselves on dive boats with a DM (or 2) leading the dives, and do the same thing- Sometime to the point of diving our own profile, and other times staying more or less with the group- but always by PRIOR agreement with the designated group dive leader.
DivemasterDennis

[drdaddy]

If you and your dive buddy are fairly new to diving and new to a dive site, its always a good idea to go with a more experience diver. I know with my dive shop, the owner offers to go with you on your first few dives free of charge if you went there for certification. Check with the shop you were certified at, they may have something similar.

My dive shop, Eugene Skin Divers Supply (Oregon), has told us that any of their clients can go along with them when the shop does a new class. Many of these classes are done at great dive sites, such as Hood Canal (Hoodsport, WA).* I would ask your diveshop if they are going to the specific site you are going to - arrange the date of the dives around them. If you going to a site that they aren't going to, many times you can ask at the local dive shop if someone experienced is going there - I know that I don't usually mind if others tag along with me (but my buddy hates it!). If these options are not available, hire a guide/divemaster from the shop. This is especially important if there are any dangers or if you don't want to miss some cool things. All of my regular spots were done first with others (sometimes with less experienced divers) and I they showed me around. *More than once they agreed to take a steel tank that needed hydro'd back to their shop (saving me a 2.5 hour round trip) and I arranged to pick it up later. I love my LDSs (the other being South Beach Scuba, Oregon).

[lmorin]

My wife and I did our certs off Key Largo. The typical dive site goes to max of 35 ft. The typical dive shop does not provide guides as a standard procedure. The attitude is generally, we're here, this is the way this site should be dived, etc., set your watches, be back in an hour. The pool is open. The biggest worry for a noobie without a guide is navigation. Finding the way back to the boat at the end of the dive can be challenging; as can finding the correct boat among the many. We accepted those challenges and returned repeatedly to practice our UW navigation skills, avoiding the necessity of surfacing to see where we were. We are very glad we started that way. Most Keys dives are not complex and the surface is only a few feet away, if needed. As TS&M suggested above, we picked benign sites and practiced our introductory skills repeatedly.

[theduckguru]

Some dive ops may require a guide based on the difficulty of the dive site. If you are a newbie, go with it and enjoy the dive.

[fisheater]

There are two (at least) different reasons to hire a dive guide. The above responses appear to be referring to the first reason, safety. I have nothing to add to those points well made.

However, there's another good reason to hire a dive guide, enjoyment.

I don't need gear or hand holding when I dive and I don't hire a guide for safety anymore. I often hire a guide to show me the "cool stuff." I just returned from a week's diving in Maui. I'm no expert on Hawaiian flora and fauna, so I gladly hired dive guides for my shore diving. (They're "included" in the boat dives.). The guides were very instructive about the critters and they were able to take to where the neat stuff was and explain about it pre- and post-dive.


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[RonFrank]

If your a new diver its best to dive with more experienced divers when possible. There are several ways to hook up with more experienced divers.


Through you LDS.
Scubaboard.
Local Dive Clubs.
Hang out at the Local Watering Hole.
Take more Classes.
Pay a Guide.


I have not used guides much but they are a great way to learn about a new site, even more so for the new diver. Other tips for newbies. Keep it shallow. Avoid Current. Stick close with your buddy. Plan your dive, Dive your Plan.

Have Fun! :D