Are there guidelines regarding touching other divers?

[Matt Beckwith]

Are there guidelines regarding touching other divers?

The guide leading a recent dive grabbed my hand and guided it to the line when I was ascending, because she was concerned that I would ascend too quickly. I had not intended to use the line, so she was effectively forcing me to grab it. This seemed appropriate, but it felt a bit heavy-handed.

A fellow diver (not the guide) pulled on the first stages of several divers to pull them up to keep them from hitting the coral. One of the people he did this to was me. I was not aware that he was doing it, I was only aware that something was wrong, and I started to get a bit panicky. I later found out that it was because someone was pulling on me from above.

Anyway, I appreciate the good intentions of these divers, but I just wondered whether there were guidelines regarding such actions. There seem to be guidelines for just about everything, I thought there might be some for this too.

Thanks!
Matt

[ScubaBB]

This is a very good question. I do not have a ready-made answer. In my opinion it often depends on the situation and the people involved. But I'm curious for the answers in this thread.

[TSandM]

In general, I don't think there are "guidelines" about this.

It is not a good idea to hang onto someone else in the water, because it complicates buoyancy control for both divers. But I wouldn't hesitate to grab someone who appeared to be losing control and acending too rapidly (I have done this with students). I also wouldn't hesitate to touch someone whose attention I was unable to get any other way (and I have done this, too).

I would not grab a diver who was not my buddy because I didn't like what they were doing or were about to do. I would view that as as unacceptable as grabbing someone on the street in the same situation. Unless they are at immediate risk or are harming someone else, it just isn't done. If someone were about to hit the coral, I'd try to get their attention and signal them to come up in the water column, but I wouldn't drag them up. My husband has been through having an instructor do that to him, and it was very disconcerting!

[Bubbletrubble]

There are no hard and fast guidelines regarding touching other divers. Some people are touchers, whereas others are not.
Within a buddy team, touch can be a very helpful way to communicate when the vis is near zero. Touch can also be a very reassuring thing to a diver in near-panic mode.
If one buddy has momentarily lost buoyancy control, I think that getting help from a buddy which involves touch would be very welcome. Most air-share scenarios involve establishing contact with another diver.

I've seen wife-husband buddy pairs that hold hands for the entire dive. That seems to be OK, I guess. On the other hand, this might indicate a need for reassurance by the less experienced diver due to a lack of diving skills. In such a case, it would be prudent for the less experienced diver to work on dive skills enough (in formal classes or through informal practice) so that his/her confidence can be bolstered.

Both of the examples the OP brought up involved guides/DMs touching a customer for a potential safety-related issue. I see no problem with that.

In general, however, I don't like strangers touching me underwater. I feel the same way topside to be honest. I like my personal space.

For the scenario involving the ascent line...
Personally, it's not my style to hold a line as I ascend. Typically I will perform a well-controlled ascent a foot or two from the line, so I see no reason to physically hang onto it. The only exceptions would be if a strong current were present and/or the vis was low/near zero.
If the vis were good and there were no current, then I would be pretty surprised that the guide felt compelled to move my hand to grasp the line. Perhaps that says something about the guide's impression of the diver in question...or perhaps the guide is just a control freak, I don't know.

For the scenario involving the guide grabbing the OP's first stage...
Personally, I wouldn't mind the act under the following circumstances: (1) I was in imminent danger, (2) I was placing someone else in danger, and (3) I was about to harm a critter underwater. (Some would disagree with me on #3.)
It's unclear whether the guide grabbing his first stage actually prevented the OP from touching/crashing into coral. In my experience, guides/DMs aren't usually so "handsy" with the customers unless the customers have demonstrated a lack of buoyancy control to begin with. Perhaps there was a reason that the guide/DM thought the OP wasn't in complete control buoyancy-wise. I don't know. I've seen enough inexperienced divers who misjudge their buoyancy control skills and get so close to coral that there's a high probability of touching it. I've also seen both experienced and inexperienced divers carrying a camera who, due to a lack of situational awareness, accidentally brush/knock/kick coral. That's inexcusably careless if you ask me. In such cases, I think it's a good thing for a guide/DM to be proactive and prevent the diver from running into the coral. Then, I'd expect the guide/DM to gently remind the diver underwater not to touch the coral. After the dive, I think it would be appropriate for the guide/DM to discuss the incident(s) with the customer in question.

I can sympathize with the OP about feeling somewhat discombobulated by someone yanking on his first stage during the dive. That's unfortunate. I probably would have checked above & below me to see if someone/something were responsible for the sudden change in buoyancy/trim.

The OP didn't state his experience level. I'd be willing to bet that he just got certified, and the guides/DMs were just looking out for him.

Hope this helps...

[spectrum]

I agree, it's very scenario dependent,

In a training, drill or true emergency there may be so grasping. A firm hand on a woman's shoulder strap may involve some incidental contact with the girls. Diving close in low visibility a little shoulder to shoulder contact can be used to the advantage of the team.

In the OP scenario I don't care for grabbing someone by a hose. That has the potential to create an accident where the at most a minor transgression may have occurred. I'd like to see the seafloor unmolested as much as anyone but the person that thinks they need to be captain Atlantis and rescue the coral from every mishap is already on a fool's errand.

As for placing people on the line I'd be irritated too. Then again, if the DM has a large group and concerns about some divers or expects heavy currents topside there may be a method to the madness.

Pete

[jar546]

There cannot be a hard-lined, black and white response for every situation. This is a very subjective and scenario dependent answer.

[CamG]

Greetings Matt I am certain that the guide / DM was just trying to keep you on the line or in control to prevent you from crashing into the bottom or coral.
He or she takes the preservation of the environment seriously and I am certain that you do as well.
If training was taking place the instructor usually desires the DM to keep students in a group or close so assistance can be offered if needed.
These are just thoughts and practices that I have been a part of in the past.

We were always given the charge to grab a diver if they appeared out of control especially in deep water or if the diver appeared to be panicked.
We as a training croup or diving group always covered the touching rules before we entered the water.
It alleviated the awkward issue and we always tried to simply correct the immediate control issue then let the diver take over once they regained composure.

Personally if I am on a low vis dive with a unknown buddy I will ask to remain in touch contact quite often or call the dive till conditions improve.
If anyone touches inappropriately underwater and not in an emergency you should talk about it immediately!
This was a thread here on the board about such an incident.

If you are part of the team of trainers then you do everything in your power to ensure safety of the student or group of divers.
If you are part of a diving group I still attempt to offer assistance if it is needed.
It has almost lead me into having issues myself in the past.
You must be very careful when offering assistance to not put yourself in danger of being a second injured diver!

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

[drbill]

My general solution to this is to dive solo. But when some other diver places their hand right on top of the critter I'm filming, or when an instructor leads his class by walking right on top of me wshile I'm lying prone on the sand at 35 ft filming, I tend to "touch" them pretty quickly.

Seriously (actually both of those situations have occurred, the first one a number of times), I rarely initiate touch with another diver unless it is one of my regular buddies or the other diver is obviously in trouble (as in a rapid ascent).

I did have a divemaster in Tahiti grab my legs and try to prevent me from going to the surface. I kicked her to break her hold. I had told her NOT to touch my kit as I had turned on my valve. I jumped on and descended to 20 ft only to find she had turned it off. She grabbed me as I started to ascend for a breath (with only surface pressure air in my lungs).

[oceanbound]

Everyone has their own "personal space" and each is different. Since verbal ability is limited underwater, if someone needed to get my attention then gently touching me to show me something I might have missed that I would like to see would be ok. I would in fact prefer this over someone constantly banging their tank or shaking a noise maker. Someone in my personal space, constantly, would not be (unless they were my normal dive buddy). As I stop constantly to try to take photos I prefer others to be within close range but not so close to effect viz. Someone grabbing one of my hoses would never be ok unless I was having a real emergency. If someone takes my reg hose they had better be having an OOA situation which in that case I have normally explained to any new buddy that this is what they should do and I will take my secondary which is part of my inflate.

[Bob DBF]

Are there guidelines regarding touching other divers?

No means NO!


Bob
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I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.