What are the responsibilities of a DM/Guide

[dumpsterDiver]

I think I'll pass on sharing this list with my OW students on Saturday

That's OK, you can just remind them to not get distracted on the anchor line at the surface when the bow is plunging up and down...

 

[TMHeimer]

Right on point, my expectation on a dive boat is the DM is boat crew, a new and/or vacation diver may see the DM in the same role as in their SCUBA class, this is reinforced in their mind by the DM being in the water with them.


Bob

This is probably true, I don't know. But I don't know why a new diver would think that. We certainly didn't imply that in the classes I assisted with.

 

[Dish]

I think I'll pass on sharing this list with my OW students on Saturday

I agree, probably not the best idea for OW students in training and I took it more as a humorous response.

But once you say "Congratulations, you are a certified diver", wouldn't it be prudent to also say, "Before we unleash you upon the world's oceans with a "licence to learn", here's a few things to think about" and walk through some of the scenarios @dumpsterDiver has provided?

I lost three friends in 1980 to a cave diving accident, because they had not fully understood the risks and there was no Scuba Board at the time to educate them. They were unaware of the dangers, unprepared to respond when bad things happened and died as a result. They would have benefitted from a frank "what could go wrong" discussion.

Sorry, a bit of a hijack. This has nothing really to do with the original question concerning DMs.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I agree, probably not the best idea for OW students in training and I took it more as a humorous response.

But once you say "Congratulations, you are a certified diver", wouldn't it be prudent to also say, "Before we unleash you upon the world's oceans with a "licence to learn", here's a few things to think about" and walk through some of the scenarios @dumpsterDiver has provided?

I lost three friends in 1980 to a cave diving accident, because they had not fully understood the risks and there was no Scuba Board at the time to educate them. They were unaware of the dangers, unprepared to respond when bad things happened and died as a result. They would have benefitted from a frank "what could go wrong" discussion.

Sorry, a bit of a hijack. This has nothing really to do with the original question concerning DMs.

Oh, I was joking too. I should have added a smiley face.

Back to the original programming.

 

[mi000ke]

A few ways things could go south on a dive or a dve boat....


Getting out of the water, you follow too close and the buddy on the ladder falls and bashes your skull in with the bottom of his tank and because you didn’t put air in your BC, you sink and die.

You jump in heavy and forget to turn both tanks on. (I’ve done this)

You fail to properly note the nitrox mix and tox out or get really bent.

You forget you are wearing a weight belt on the boat, fall over and cant swim with dive booties.

Some clown loses a weightbelt and it falls 30 feet, knocks you out and nobody notices.

You are involved in an underwater rescue and are so involved that you forget to exhale in the chaos and blow a lung.

You roll off the boat, your go pro falls off your head, you try to look for it.. the wind is strong and the waves are rough and you get under the keel and the rudder comes down and splits your skull.


You get tangled in a gill net and drop your knife.


You get bad air.

You have water in your tank and the dip tube is out and you suck up water, have a larengyeal spasm, don’t know what to do about it and die.


You pick up a cone shell and get a lethal sting.

You get nailed by a box jelly, and have an allergic reaction and die.

You are wearing something shiny and a barracuda comes by and cuts an artery and you don’t get it controlled.


A shark hits your calf when he misses biting the lionfish you speared. You bleed out.

You are doing an anchor dive from a big boat in rough conditions, just under the surface your fin or mask strap fails, you pop to the surface and while you are distracted for 2 seconds the keel of a 30 ton boat smashes your skull.

You get bit by an eel and you freak out and ascend from 8 feet holding your breath and blow a lung.

You buddy freaks out steals your reg, you can’t find your octo and he is too heavy and you both drown.

And on and on...the analogy toward driving a vehicle is relevant. you can be the best most careful driver, but conditions or other drivers can easily create situations that are unrecoverable..

And they told me diving was supposed to be fun...

 

[dumpsterDiver]

When I was 15 I thought I killed my buddy when I fell back on him when I slipped on the ladder. A lot of that stuff is based on accidents or near misses..

 

[AdivingBel]

...I buddy with the DM at their instruction not at my insistence - and I think that happens a lot.

I agree, it does happen a lot. If you're proactive about resolving the issue, it doesn't have to. Good guides want you to be safe, but they are also customer service driven. They want to make you happy and provide a hassle free, non-confrontational environment, if possible. Sometimes those purposes are at odds. Actively resolving the issue yourself keeps you from putting them in that situation (ie. if you've already found a buddy, the guide won't feel the need to volunteer). It's part of you taking responsibility for YOUR dive. There are a lot of areas where this attitude comes into play and it's key to being a safe, responsible diver. Diving is an activity you control not a passenger ride. I think you're on the right track. Safe diving.

 

[dmaziuk]

(I guess I should have added a smiley too...)

Here's one courtesy of a DM on Bonaire: you bend over to listen to the hiss from the 1st stage, the o-ring blows and your eardrum flies out the other ear.

 

[Ed Baker]

I personally look out for everyone when I dive and take the rear point and work as a sweeper to ensure everyone in the group enjoys the dive and returns safely to the boat. To many times in large groups a DM who is guiding a dive looses track of a diver who is having issues. This happened during my daughter OW training. One of the divers in the other group had equalizing issues and got left behind/lost. When he was found he had blood in his mask where he was pushing himself to try and find the group instead of returning to the boat. Yes, by not returning it was his fault and yes because the DM didn't notice he was missing puts some blame on him as well. I think most of us who are just starting our adventure put all of our faith in the DM and trust him with our life. Maybe to much so at times.

Personally I do not care if your my buddy or not, if I know you or not if you are in trouble I will will help you. I consider everyone on my dive and everyone in the water around me a buddy even if they are diving from another resort. Many times here people have gotten in trouble doing wreak penetration and most of the time it has been a DM from a different group who has risked his life to save the person.

My personal belief is we are all divers and therefore we are all dive buddies...

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

I apologize in advance if this sounds a bit harsh (I'm using the generic you; not meant as a personal attack, but your post brings it to mind), but this is kind of a pet peeve. I guess I don't understand the insistence on using the group guide as a dive buddy. Aside from the safety issues (divided responsibilities), I see it as poor form relative to the other divers in the group. You aren't the only diver that hired the guide. Nothing is free as in "free guide." If there is a guide in the water, the group pays for him one way or another. The rest of the divers, if they choose to follow the guide, have expectations of the guide that don't include your buddy needs.

If you are diving alone then it's your responsibility to procure a buddy. That process should start as soon as you know you'll be diving alone. ... My experience is that divers are a pretty amenable bunch if approached in a friendly, forthright, intelligent fashion. After all, most have been in the same situation at some point and it's not an unusual request. Don't wait until you get to the dive site, then raise your hand and say I don't have a buddy. It puts the DM/guide in a bad situation. It also shows poor planning and a lack of situational awareness on your part, both anathema to finding willing dive buddies. At that point I'm prepared to raise my hand, vote for a shark dive, and use "that guy" for chum.



Divers in general are pretty helpful and easy going (especially on vacation) as long as they don't feel taken advantage. Dive safe and be respectful of the others on the boat. All IMHO.

I agree, as I said somewhere else, it has never occurred to me that the DM is responsible for me. But I do expect them to show us around

As to getting a buddy at the last moment... most divers are super nice and willing to take you on if you haven't acted like an -insert descriptive word here-
For example, at the very last moment, briefing done, suited up, my buddy decided he did not feel like diving and I was looking for a partner. A couple on our team immediately volunteered. I put way more trust in them than I did in the DM because they were my buddy.