Poor diving techniques I noticed during this week's trip.

[caruso]

I'm wrapping up a week in South Florida, and having dived the Pompano/Ft Lauderdale area for several days with 4 different dive Ops I've seen a lot of excellent, competent diving and some not so great diving, and 3 particular examples stuck out, to the point that I decided to have a word with each diver in 2 of the examples, even if I was going to get into an uncomfortable/awkward, and potentially antagonistic situation. But I felt it was the right thing to do. The third was an instructor supervising a large group of at least a half a dozen divers, and me being your typical AOW diver I felt it wasn't my place to tell an instructor how to run his course.

The first was a fellow that I got friendly with on the boat before the dive, his name was John and he said he just recently started diving again after a 20+ year break. I had mentioned the reef conditions weren't all that great and he (ironically) said "yeah the reefs are dead". The DM had asked me to buddy up, and I was resistant but after getting friendly with this fellow I told her I'd dive with him. On the ensuing dive he continuously dragged his fins across the reef, kicking the tops of numerous barrel sponges and actually breaking off pieces, and he even grabbed onto several barrel sponges to steady himself in the current. I spent most of the dive thinking of a tactful way of pointing out that his diving skills were not conducive to healthy reefs. We spoke on the boat and he took it just fine, saying "yeah I'm rusty". Hopefully I left an impression on him that he'll take with him on future dives.

Yesterday I found myself on the AquaCat, a large pontoon boat operated by South Florida Diving Headquarters and filled with 28 passengers including a half a dozen or so snorkelers. There were at least 2 groups being instructed. We did the Copenhgen, which is a real wreck that sits in about 25' of water off of Fort Lauderdale, just off one of the reefs that run parallel to shore. On this dive I watched both dive groups being instructed while all of them were kneeling on the bottom- at least they were in the sand off the reef and wreck, and kicking up tons of silt.

On the second dive there was a strong surface current, and I popped up at one point to do a boat check, took a compass heading, and within a short while found myself right under the boat. The bottom swim was easy, but as soon as I hit the surface I felt the strong current. The DM threw me the line with the ball as she did with the other groups so they wouldn't have to battle the current. After I geared down I watched the rest of the divers approaching the boat. One of the instructor led groups were battling the surface current for what I estimated to be at least 75 yards. One by one they got to the boat, one woman was clearly exhausted, she was very out of shape and morbidly obese so no surprise there. Another started vomiting on the ladder and at least 2 other divers got seasick on the boat shortly thereafter- my guess is the overexertion on the surface is what did them in. Why the heck didn't the instructor take the opportunity to do compass navigation which would have given them an easy swim to the boat on the bottom rather than battling waves and current on top?

A group of 3 divers then approached the boat which was rocking quite a bit in the waves, and as one diver climbed the boarding ladder one of his buddies grabbed the rung directly below him. I was standing right next to the DM and noticed she didn't say a word. I asked her why not. She said "it's a tough call, sometimes they get offended if you point this sort of thing out". I get that diving is largely about customer service but it's also about safety!

I gave the guy a chance to settle in and walked over to him and sat down and told him "I dive a lot in NY and we had one boat captain that banned me from his boat for doing what you just did". Now I had his full attention. I told him what I had seen and added "If that diver slipped off the ladder or his tank fell out of the strap you'd have a crushed skull", and he nodded and said "I'm a new diver and I really appreciate you letting me know, what's the best way to do it?". I explained simply to stay clear, back up on the tag line or hold the ladder but stay well to one side of it.

Hopefully other new divers reading this thread can also get some good take-aways from it.

 

[divinh]

Hopefully rusty divers will take the refresher.

When there's strong current and/or chop on the surface, I wish the guides would tell the divers about the retrieval process, which is grab the line to be towed back in (which is obviously going to happen when the boat crew throws out the buoy with line)... and make sure to have mask on and reg in until safely onboard. Not everyone will know this.

If one diver in a couple is relatively new and tends to follow right behind the guide, then please ask to be in the buddy team that follows right behind the guide, even if the more experienced diver likes to hang back. I've been in buddy teams where we were to switch turns on which buddy team was to follow immediately behind the guide and have had the newbie diver practically on top of us. The experienced diver just hung back.

I wish divers who board earlier would clear the way on deck until everyone is onboard, instead of standing there, removing gear, showering, or trying to clean gear.

 

[Jcp2]

I wonder if there is a routine explanation of the expected diver actions going into the water and coming out of the water, including all of these things, built into the safety briefing and/or dive briefing.

 

[divinh]

I wonder if there is a routine explanation of the expected diver actions going into the water and coming out of the water, including all of these things, built into the safety briefing and/or dive briefing.

Talk about giant stride, backroll, negative entry... yes, but only once have I been told about the retrieval process and that particular dive site really demanded an explanation as it was strong surface current and choppy. Other places have current or chop and no explanation on safe reboarding procedures, or rather perhaps they expect people to have had experience? Or taught that when pulled by the line or in chop, that mask on and reg in is standard?

 

[Saboteur]

In my

I wonder if there is a routine explanation of the expected diver actions going into the water and coming out of the water, including all of these things, built into the safety briefing and/or dive briefing.

In my limited experience with OPs in TCI and Caymans, no. The best run boat that I've been on is DIVE PROVO. They did spend time on safety and also did roll call after all were on board.

 

[caruso]

No mention was made about retrieval process that I heard - until the divers were returning to the boat struggling with current and waves and the crew was shouting to grab the line as they threw it. Nothing about staying away from the hazard zone that exists underneath a diver climbing a ladder. A good time to say it could be when they talk about removing your fins before climbing the ladder.

 

[Jcp2]

I guess if it’s not routine, then I should appreciate it even more since that’s what was done when I did my first boat dives. It helped a lot as it set the expectations for the divers.

 

[TMHeimer]

Some may not like my advice. It is to keep out of it unless something directly affects your own safety. The reefs?--just imagine how many jerks are messing with them in the Caribbean or worldwide. Getting into an argument with divers or instructors won't do anything to help the overall picture, just get yourself in a mess. It's like asking someone not to smoke near a outside near a door while looking at 300 butts on the ground.
A better approach to help the reefs may be to join an organisation fighting agricultural runoff, mangrove destruction to build hotels/condos, global warming, etc.
Although you don't read much about poor diving technique, kneeling, etc. in Florida, there have been countless threads about incredibly poor "vacation" divers in the tropics. To effect change in helping those reefs, it would seem that whole mentality would have to change. Doubt it will.

 

[Damselfish]

It's certainly best to choose your battles, but I don't think never saying anything is the best route. Some people are really unaware and can be easily helped, just choose wisely.

We actually made a few suggestions on a recent trip to someone who had dragging & flailing everything (in the Kittiwake no less) who seemed to have no clue, and appeared to appreciate the suggestions. (Felt a bit entitled, as she clobbered me while going through an opening, deciding in that moment that she just had to pass me. She didn't belong there at all, but that's a different issue and wasn't going to go there...)

I've occasionally found that saying something to a DM can be helpful. They often don't want to rock the boat by talking to someone. But if you say something they now have a choice between upsetting the bad diver, and upsetting you by doing nothing. Given that choice they may choose to say something.

 

[TMHeimer]

It's certainly best to choose your battles, but I don't think never saying anything is the best route. Some people are really unaware and can be easily helped, just choose wisely.

We actually made a few suggestions on a recent trip to someone who had dragging & flailing everything (in the Kittiwake no less) who seemed to have no clue, and appeared to appreciate the suggestions. (Felt a bit entitled, as she clobbered me while going through an opening, deciding in that moment that she just had to pass me. She didn't belong there at all, but that's a different issue and wasn't going to go there...)

I've occasionally found that saying something to a DM can be helpful. They often don't want to rock the boat by talking to someone. But if you say something they now have a choice between upsetting the bad diver, and upsetting you by doing nothing. Given that choice they may choose to say something.

OK, I see your point and don't disagree. And the other diver did clobber you, a possible safety issue. I guess it can't hurt to cheerfully point out something to a DM in some situations. Perhaps I even might myself (haven't really seen much of anything worth mentioning, but I rarely have boat dived over the years --maybe 20-30 charters?).
Most will say that even enlightening one diver about reef destruction helps--ei. "Think globally, act locally".
I don't disagree on that, but admit it is unlikely I'd speak up and possibly ruin my (costly) pleasant dive day.