How is YOUR diving etiquette?.......

[Bogie]

Wow, diving without a 7mm wetsuit or drysuit. I have never experienced it. Monterey is cold water diving.

 

[SkimFisher]

Nothing that happens at sea-level or above really matters to me. It's what goes on below that irks me. I typically don't dive to enjoy the boat ride and/or car ride to the site....

I would have said:

"Please keep your fins off/away from the bottom. Most of us want to SEE what's down there."

"Other divers are not bumpers in a pinball game. Watch where you're going."

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

It all boils down to the most basic thing you should have been taught when you were a child...

"Don't be a d--k!"

:cool2:

I felt personally insulted by your pointed attack on me... then I realized you did not mean dork, but the other d--k.....

 

[warmwaterturner]

Nice article....but I feel a little like I have been "schooled". I probably would have added a thought on "patience". The world does not always work perfectly nor do people. A little patience and the knowledge that everyone will make it into the water goes a long way to relaxing the day and enjoying the moment.

 

[vladimir]

Nothing that happens at sea-level or above really matters to me.

I have to disagree with this. The dive is more important, but I enjoy the company of my fellow divers, almost always. All it takes is one obnoxious guest to really detract from the whole experience, especially on a liveaboard.

 

[b1draper]

On dives when I'm not doing video and just relaxing I'm pretty helpful to others on the boat. I've been paired up with "new" divers on the first dive after certification. When I meet these people we compair notes about the planned dive and then I ask them to do the planning also to make sure I'm right. I had one guy who flat out told me that he wasn't going to do a plan and that he'd just follow me and let me decide what we'd do. I suggested that he pair up with the boat's DM.

But I usually take things as they come and help out where I can. I've helped the DMs load tanks, etc. But in places like GC and Cozumel I get lots of looks because I have spring fin straps, a SMB, reel, etc. The gear I bring is based on the dive I'm doing.

 

[diverdoug1]

When I got certified, lots of folks called them flippers.
Ever notice that a fair number of divers start thinking they are dive mavens, once they get over about 50 dives under their weight belt? Earlier this year, I had a fellow pontificate to me about proper hose routing and gear set-up (he just got his DM, and had less then 200 dives. I just let him go on and on. I guess that he thought he must be the the most experienced guest on the liveaboard. I did not bother to tell him what my diving experience was. I listened to see if I could learn something, and I did. I learned he was a d--K!.

 

[Walter]

Please be on time

Excellent point!

Check your gear before you leave home, the shop or hotel.

Excellent point!

Stow your gear in a size appropriate bag

As ong as you keep your gear out of the way, I don't care what size bag you use, you're OK. If I'm tripping over your gear, I don't care what size bag you use, you're a pain in the neck.

And a huge personal pet peeve; you dive with fins on your feet. Flipper was the dolphin star of an old TV show, adorable and much beloved but was never worn on a diver’s feet.

This is what I was taught 27 years ago and I believed it. Then I met folks who started diving around the time I was born. Many of them call their fins "flippers." Who am I to correct them? Sorry Stacy, this one just doesn't hold up to history.

Spray-on sunscreen is a treasure of modern convenience; it is healthy to protect our skin. But please, use it down wind or better yet, before you join the group.

As long as they aren't getting it on other folks or on the deck, I don't care.

Save the hairspray, make-up and for the love of all that is holy the perfume/cologne for after the dive.

Why do you care?

You can however, contribute to the overall aesthetics on the boat. Be a pal; discretely give a heads up if you notice someone with nasal matter on their face when they come up from the dive. Mothers out there – withstand the urge to clean it up for them! Our kids hate it when we do it to them and an adult diver won’t like it any better.

Why be discrete? All divers know they are likely to have a messy face after a dive, I just tell you that you have brains on your face. I don't care who hears me. As the old saying goes, "You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose."

Resist the urge to argue or fight with your spouse/significant-other on the boat, it makes everyone uncomfortable.

I'm past being uncomfortable, but I don't want to hear it.

the dive boat is not the right forum for a political, religious or opinionated tirade; just because you have a ‘captive audience’ doesn’t mean you have to take advantage of it.

As long as everyone in the discussion is enjoying it, why should anyone else care? Don't like that conversation? Start another.

In that same vein; one-up a story and we’ll listen with interest and admire your travel/dive experience. One-up everyone who speaks and we’ll think you’re a pathetic bore with poor self esteem and request to be on a different boat next time.

One upmanship is never pretty. If you have a similar story that's fun and interesting, share it. If your purpose is to make yourself look cool, I'll pass on the story.

Please don’t try to be in charge unless the DM or crew requests your help. You may very well be the most knowledgeable, highly certified, physically fit, geographically erudite, ultimate diver who ever lived but here and now you’re one of the group, so sit back, relax and enjoy it.

The captain is in charge. Anyone may have to step forward to assist in certain situations. Don't be shy about stepping forward, but don't be an obnoxious ass.

Follow instructions from the DM or crew on how and when to enter the water, wait your turn and then be ready to go - don’t dawdle. Some of us are ready to throw you in at that point.

Some folks are just learning, they are not dawdling, they are just unsure and it takes them a little longer. Be patient. On the other hand, check everything before you leave your seat so you can speed up the process.

Once underwater don’t flail about, remember to move slowly and be aware of your position and that of those around you.

This starts long before the dive. It starts when choosing your class. If you learned to dive in an adequate class, this isn't an issue. If it is an issue, find a mentor to help you learn to dive.

If the guide or DM points out an item of interest, don’t rush the area like the free cheese give-away on welfare payday.

If the guide or DM points out an item of interest, I'm in the wrong place.

Small, minute fin movements near the bottom or on a swim through; sandstorms happen frequently in the desert countries and are moderately interesting in theory, but most of us choose diving instead.

If you are stirring up sand off the bottom, you are using the wrong kick. The flutter kick is a great kick for power or speed when you are not near the bottom. For slow relaxed diving near the bottom, the frog kick is a much better choice. In tight swim throughs, switch to sculling.

If you are diving with a group, please stay with your group. We all get caught up in the wonder and beauty of the undersea world but pay attention to your group. Don’t make them search for you or get so far behind you mistakenly join another group. In either scenario people are inconvenienced because of your inattention.

Excellent point!

On a similar note, occasionally there will be something of such magnificent and singular interest that you just have to exceed the planned depth to check it out. Remember; safety first. Be a good buddy. And contrary to some schools of thought – going deep for the sake of depth does not make you a better diver, tougher, more attractive or in any way increase the size of certain anatomical features.

Plan your dive, dive your plan. This includes depth.

if you haven’t mastered buoyancy and/or basic skills don’t bring a huge cumbersome professional sized camera rig into the mix.

If you haven't mastered buoyancy, don't even take a point and shoot camera.

At the end of the dive bear in mind that everyone will get a chance to use the ladder or ramp in order to exit the water.

I don't mind waiting at 15 feet for others to exit ahead of me.

Finally, although this topic has been beat to death from both sides, tip your dive crew.

If they've earned it. We all have different views of what the crew should be doing for us. If they've met your need, be generous. If they haven't, you'd be a fool to tip.

And not so much dive or dive boat etiquette but just in general because we’re on a roll here. Foreign countries are going to be different from home. That’s why most of us travel. Don’t complain about those differences, embrace and learn from them. Respect the locals and their customs. If you are genuinely upset, appalled and morally outraged by the lifestyle and/or traditions, keep it to yourself and find inner peace and contentment with the knowledge that nobody will make you return.

This is an excellent point, but I thought the last point was the last.

Mistakes happen. If you do something dumb, be willing to laugh at yourself because the rest of us certainly will. If you slip-up or make a faux pas, apologize and move on. No one is perfect and we wouldn’t want to dive with them if they were. Most of all enjoy yourself, diving is the most wonderful activity and you are one of the fortunate who get to do it.

Finally plus 2?

 

[jmasin]

Look here's the deal.

If I want to put my flippers on first and walk to the back of the boat to be the first guy down, that's my business.
If I want to be the first guy back on the boat, who cares if you are all floating at the ladder, I want up.
I'm a staunch conservative and I'll tell everyone on the boat that will listen. Especially during an election year!
I've got 50 dives under my belt, which means I've pretty much seen and experienced it all. I'll be sharing those experiences. If you don't want to listen, tune it out.
I need space for my gear. If I'm the first one to claim floor space on the deck, it's my space.
I could go on...



[/sarcasm]

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Ever notice that a fair number of divers start thinking they are dive mavens, once they get over about 50 dives under their weight belt?

Yes, it's almost predictable ... human nature, perhaps. At about 50 dives, people start getting comfortable with what they learned in their initial classes and begin to think they've got it all figured out. At about 100 dives, they start to realize that they don't know it all just yet. And by 500 dives they are well on their way to developing an understanding of how much they have yet to learn.

Earlier this year, I had a fellow pontificate to me about proper hose routing and gear set-up (he just got his DM, and had less then 200 dives. I just let him go on and on. I guess that he thought he must be the the most experienced guest on the liveaboard. I did not bother to tell him what my diving experience was. I listened to see if I could learn something, and I did. I learned he was a d--K!.

Had that happen a few times. Was gearing up in a parking lot once when a friend pulled in to hook up with a "new" diver who was getting ready for his Fundies class. His dive buddy ... who had about 60 dives ... came over to chat and immediately started telling my dive buddy why the way his gear was configured wasn't efficient. My dive buddy ... who has about 10,000 dives under his belt ... just stood there and patiently took it all in. After about 40 years of diving, I figure he's heard it all before.

Humans can be so predictable at times ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)