Why should I support my LDS?

[Web Monkey]

I have never been on a cruise ship, sounds to me like there’s rather a bad issue there.

Picture 3000 people, most with various desk jobs, in their 40's 50's and 60's. Most use the elevators because they can't do the stairs.

Some of them are recently certified, some are current, but a lot were certified when Carter was president and haven't been in the water since. They know everything, but can't setup their own equipment, and many can't figure out how to read their pressure gauge or computer.

Everybody signs the medical form as being is in perfect health, including the 400 pound guy who's red as a beet and asks me "Do you get really dizzy underwater too?"

Now, just to make things even better, the cruise line has contracted with the least expensive operator that can show up with a boat.

And we're all going diving.

It used to really bother me, but once I reset my expectations from "recreation" to "rescue training", it actually became really enjoyable. I have to say that the cruise dives are the most helpful experience I have all year in terms of keeping me sharp for the OW classes.

Terry

 

[vladimir]

Guys:

segue: (seg-wey) a smooth transition

Segway:

 

[k ellis]

Picture 3000 people, most with various desk jobs, in their 40's 50's and 60's. Most use the elevators because they can't do the stairs.

Some of them are recently certified, some are current, but a lot were certified when Carter was president and haven't been in the water since. They know everything, but can't setup their own equipment, and many can't figure out how to read their pressure gauge or computer.

Everybody signs the medical form as being is in perfect health, including the 400 pound guy who's red as a beet and asks me "Do you get really dizzy underwater too?"

Now, just to make things even better, the cruise line has contracted with the least expensive operator that can show up with a boat.

And we're all going diving.

It used to really bother me, but once I reset my expectations from "recreation" to "rescue training", it actually became really enjoyable. I have to say that the cruise dives are the most helpful experience I have all year in terms of keeping me sharp for the OW classes.

Terry

I do alot of cruise line diving myself and find very few old or unhealthy divers in the mix. What I do find alot of is the newly certified divers in there that really make trying to stay with the group a life or death struggle in itself. I personally adjusted to the situation by simply being in the back of the group.

Cruise lines do bid out to companies and many good and big name companies even cut their own rates in half just to fill the boat with guaranteed cash

as far as the 400 pound red out of breather I have seen more of those on charter dives outside of the cruise lines then inside of the lines. Mainly these are locals I have found also.

Just my .02

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

My only experience diving with cruise ship divers was in Cozumel ... we had a couple of, well, um, "hefty" young ladies join our boat one day. Watching them waddle down the dock I had serious misgivings about how this dive was going to go. They got on the boat, put their gear together competently while maintaining an incessent chatter with us and each other, and turned out to be pretty darn competent divers. Blew my whole perception of the stereotypical cruise ship diver right out the door. Frankly, they were fun to dive with ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[dmoore19]

My experience is limited as you can see from my stats. I am a "vacation diver". I haven't been on a cruise ship so can't attest to that part. In my experience, I have never seen an OOA event. Of the people I have dived with, 50% appeared to be experienced divers the other 50% lacked experience but were keyed into making themselves better divers, myself included. I only get the chance to dive 1 or 2 times a year due to budgetary restraints and the fact that there just isn't any diving close to where I live. Reading some of the posts here would have one believe that anybody that comes off a cruise ship or could be classified as a vacation diver has no skills, is dangerous to be around shouldn't be diving. The majority of these divers are trying to improve their skills. Experience is the only way to do that. Some are able to dive a quarry or a lake close to home and get that experience. Some of us (myself included) do not have local quarries and other places to improve their skills, for these folks I ask where do you expect us to get the experience? I frequent my LDS, (this is the original topic of this thread) and I practice in the pool there. I can't afford to drive hundreds of miles and pay for motels, restraunts and other incidentals every weekend. Those of you who live in areas that have access to local dive sites, be happy. For us unskilled, inexperienced vacation or cruiseship divers, please feel free help and mentor us I for one am more than willing to take your advise and try to improve, as far as being hammered and critisized?...not so much.

 

[Lead_carrier]

My only experience diving with cruise ship divers was in Cozumel ... we had a couple of, well, um, "hefty" young ladies join our boat one day. Watching them waddle down the dock I had serious misgivings about how this dive was going to go. They got on the boat, put their gear together competently while maintaining an incessent chatter with us and each other, and turned out to be pretty darn competent divers. Blew my whole perception of the stereotypical cruise ship diver right out the door. Frankly, they were fun to dive with ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Doesn't that just pop your cork when someone proves your prejudices wrong so quickly.?

 

[Web Monkey]

Reading some of the posts here would have one believe that anybody that comes off a cruise ship or could be classified as a vacation diver has no skills, is dangerous to be around shouldn't be diving.

Not "anybody", but quite a lot. They're not generally dangerous to be around, but yes, anybody who hasn't been in the water in years shouldn't be diving until they've taken a SCUBA skills update class, or at least done a review and a skills session in a pool.

The majority of these divers are trying to improve their skills. Experience is the only way to do that. Some are able to dive a quarry or a lake close to home and get that experience. Some of us (myself included) do not have local quarries and other places to improve their skills, for these folks I ask where do you expect us to get the experience?

There aren't many places in the US where dive-able water is more than a few hours away, and even without open water, pools are available pretty much everywhere.

This isn't some sort of elitism, I just have a problem with the vacation industry feeding people to the wolves (sharks?). While diving in nice warm water isn't rocket science, "not running out of air" still requires gas management, "not getting bent" requires awareness of depth, time, ascent rate and tables or a computer, and "being safe" still requires buddy skills, good judgement and everything that should have been taught in OW class.

Diving without this is just rolling the dice and hoping nothing "bad" happens.

Terry

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Doesn't that just pop your cork when someone proves your prejudices wrong so quickly.?

Happens all the time ... I consider it part of the learning process ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Codiak]

Picture 3000 people, most with various desk jobs, in their 40's 50's and 60's. Most use the elevators because they can't do the stairs.

Some of them are recently certified, some are current, but a lot were certified when Carter was president and haven't been in the water since. They know everything, but can't setup their own equipment, and many can't figure out how to read their pressure gauge or computer.

Did my first cruise two years ago and couldn't get the local dive shops in Alaska to work with me at all... Your coming in on what? *Click*

Dived on the the HMS Rhone in Tortola last week with a cruise boat tour and was surprised at the good bounacy control many of the divers demonstrated.

The wreck is heavily trafficed but still a much better experience than I expected.

 

[Sas]

The majority of these divers are trying to improve their skills.

Not in my experience. Most divers just want to dive and have no interest in improving their skills. I don't see anything wrong with that unless they are unsafe or are damaging the environment.