Dive Site Manners

[atxdiver]

I'd like your reaction/input to this scenario.

You are at a marker bouy and you are about to begin your descent with your OW students (I'm a PADI MSDT) for a checkout dive. As you start, another instructor with another group of students swims into your group and prepares to descend with your group.

You don't know this guy or this group from anywhere. They just prepare to go down on the same marker. Fortunately your facial expression is clear and they don't descend at the same time you do.

They descend on top of you. Right into the middle of your class.

After the initial confusion, my staff and I were able to separate the classes and get about our business. We found the other instructor at the back of the mob doing nothing to help. I thought it was really funny when one of the students from the other group came up to me and tried to signal me that he was ready to do his mask removal.

So then we're minding our business with skills and another group of divers swims right through our group at depth while they were hovering! There were six students and three staff in my group. The visibility at the lake was pretty good that day so it's not like you could miss us.

What would you have done in these cases?

I did talk to a couple of other instructors at this location and they've had similar experiences.

Have folks just lost their manners or am I missing something.

Thanks.

 

[jbd]

we pretty much avoid each others classes just for the very reasons you mentioned. Somtimes its just a simple matter of timing the dives. If the PADI guy has his students in the water ahead of mine I wait for them to finish if I need the platform and then get my NAUI group in the water while the PADI group is on their SI. Usually when I'm done the PADI group is ready to go back in for dive #2 while my group is doing their SI.

If there are unfamiliar instructors at the quarry I will ask where they are going to be so we can avoid each other and not have these problems.

In your situation I would have a talk with the instructor and see if you can work out something.

 

[Cave Diver]

I've been at the local lake several times when instructors showed up with a class.

The last time that happened, I was doing the mapping project for my DM class.

I approached the instructor as they were gearing up, introduced myself and told them what I was doing. I then asked if he knew what platform he was planning on using. When he told me, I informed him that I had just surveyed that platform and that it had the worst vis and more of a thermocline than any other platform out there.

I then suggested another platform with the best conditions. Then I told him I would be on the opposite side of the lake, but they should keep an eye out for my knotted survey line, as it may cross their path if they went exploring.

We both managed to finish up our dives without causing any interference for each other.

I think the best way to avoid foul-ups with other divers in the water is to communicate with them pre-dive. By going and talking to them, you can better plan how to avoid them once in the water.

 

[PhotoTJ]

7/10's of the earth's surface is covered by water, and even with all the room that that implies, this still seems to be a constant battle. We've got to find some new training spots!

 

[Dee]

In your case, I would have had a talk with the instructors involved. Ideally before getting in the water.

When we arrive at our dive site, as DM's we get to the dive site early as does the instructor. We go to the other instructors, especially those we don't know, and ask which class they are teaching, which platform they want to use, and proceed to work out a schedule similar to the one jbd describes.

But there are always going to be rude and inconsiderate instructors and divers in general. The best you can do is try to prepare your class for the possiblity, do the best you can and keep your cool in front of the students.

 

[Dryglove]

I think it kinda goes along the same line as when your walking in a store with a ton of room on either side of you and people have to walk by and practically rub shoulders with you. Thats the one thing i hate about big cities compared to smaller ones. It seems like people are so used to being crammed together they have no idea of what personal space is.

 

[pt40fathoms]

The instructor who followed you down, on top of your class would have had a serious dressing down, away from both sets of students of course if possible. This type of action is just plain ignorant.

As for the divers who seemed to be diving in their own little world, and didn't have the simple decency to go around a group of students. If it were possible to find them later, I would have asked them to go around the students, as it may cause some confusion with a students, thinking they should follow and possibly causing a fatal disaster. This group I would have handled with a gentle approach as apposed to the instructor who I would not have held my contempt back one bit.

 

[Iruka]

for them to move away before using it (and I'd usually have my own float/line anyhow.) Usually underwater I avoid other groups, especially big groups & poor visibility situations....often, groups of "6 & 6" become groups of "7 & 5" in those situations

If I have a group of intro divers in particular, who aren't too adept at swimming underwater, & want to stop at a place already occupied by another group, I'll always give the other guide an "is it ok to stop here?" signal. When at the "good" spots for intros, (for example, where there's a nice anemone) if I see another group heading my way, I'll try not to stay there "hogging" that spot for a long time.

Most of the guides I know are pretty courteous underwater & help each other out.

 

[o2scuba]

Was this a shore dive? If so, chances are you are aware that there is another class entering the water (assuming they are also gearing up in the same area). A little planning between instructors can go a long way. No one wants to take their class along the same silted out path as the previous group (lake, quarry) nor do we want to deal with the problems that can occur when two classes pass each other under water. Even less experienced certified divers can accidently switch groups under these circumstances. It's kinda funny to see how big their eyes get when you approach them and they realize "this is not my instructor". Well..., it's not REALLY funny. This certainly can raise a students stress level.

Once at the bouy, when the other class approached, perhaps (in hindsight) it would have been better to ask your class to wait at the surface until the other group was not only on the bottom, but had left the immediate area.

We can only speculate the reasons why an instructor would be so careless and rude as to behave the way you describe.
Maybe he/she was in a hurry?
Perhaps he/she did not receive the quality training required to be an instructor, or lacked experience (one year wonder). Therefore was not seeing the whole picture.
Maybe he/she was just a plain old a..hole.

Guess we can't ASSUME (you know what they say bout that word) that other instructors are taking the same considerations and safety precautions that we do ourselves.

Having your own bouy can ber helpful. We carry 15ft, 25 ft (1")lines with bouys ready to clip onto moorings. We sank our own moorings at the training site (300lbs-truck tires filled with cement with stainless steel loop to clip to). Too often the moorings that are there consist of 1/2" line (if that) tied off to a couple or cinder blocks. Even with your leg firmly wrapped around the line, a panicked student can drag the whole kit & kaboodle into a rapid ascent. But now I stray from the point.

Of course, another option would be to follow the instructor home and beat the #&*#$ out of them (kidding).

Just like any business, there are all types out there. Don't let it get you down

BTW, with all due respect, as PADI instructors, we perform "Open Water Training Dives" not "check out dives (that's another agencies term).

Good luck,

Andrew

 

[atxdiver]

Thanks to all for posting to this thread. Interesting and useful feedback.

This is a really large area and there are multiple entry points. That's why I had DMs set the float before I brought the class out so it was pretty obvious what we were up to.

While there are always lots of classes going on and lots of fun divers, most of the instructors do a good job of checking in with each other. In fact there's one from another shop that shows up at the same location about the same time we do just about every weekend and we've always been able to chat and work things out to our mutual benefit and to the enjoyment of our students. The students are always surprised...and so are some other instructors...that we can make things go so smoothly with so many folks in a comparatively small space.

But some folks, go figure.

Thanks again.