Just venting...

[hijax]

Accept their feedback as a gift. You can choose to treat this as a scientific experiment and try a different way of phrasing your advice, body language, or tone of voice, and see if that changes the outcome... ;-).

Excellent advice and perspective. Thank you.

 

[daniel1948]

I was recently asked during a dive, "Rey, why do you have to get all technical" in a very snarky way. We were on the surface and I had signaled the boat. My buddy started to signal the boat also by waving his arm so I corrected him. He was cool with it but someone else that was with us is the one that made the remark. I have to say it frustrated me to get asked that.

I'm a stickler for the rules and I follow them so I can dive safely. I'm the type that will consider a dive plan before every dive, go over hand signals and inspect my buddy's gear to ensure I understand where everything is. I listen to the boat briefing...every time...because it sets the expectation of what to do and where to be when you're done. And I brush up on my skills yearly to make sure I haven't forgotten anything.

It's just the way I'm wired and as a husband and father, I want to make sure I come back safely. I don't think my expectations or how I dive is out of the norm and diving isn't something you do recklessly.

Anyways, just venting to a group that may understand me. Not asking for anything but an ear.

You did the right thing.

An example from a different context:

When hiking or skiing, waving one arm overhead at an aircraft while keeping the other at your side means, "Hi. I'm just saying hello." Putting both arms up over your head means "I need to be rescued." A skier was stranded and injured, but didn't know the proper signals. A helicopter flew over and he waived one arm. The helicopter flew on and the skier eventually died of exposure.

The diver who waived instead of signaling "Pick us up -- no emergency," did no real harm. But maybe next time he'll surface alone in distress with DCI and give the wrong signal "all's well" instead of "distress" and so not get help in time.

Signals are standardized for a reason. He should have learned correct signals when he got certified, and maybe you saved his life the next time when he needs a rescue because he'll remember the guy who corrected him.