How do YOU choose a dive op?

[northernone]

Or here's a thought....maybe the intent wasn't to start a cheerleading exercise for a dive op in a specific place. Perhaps it was to generate a discussion on HOW to choose a dive op.

Fortunately northernone seems to have been better at getting that point across in a separate thread.

Identifying a skilled rescue diver?

It's a valuable topic. Happy it didn't come to light as a tragedy and the competency of the DM helped in the emergency. I'm right to assume recovery is going well? I certainly hope it is. Frightening situation when the world turns upside down like that. Fortunate the shop you choose had a skilled responder on hand.

Having us better aware of the value of skilled crisis response when choosing how and where we dive may save lives. Even thinking about how we would do in these situations can make a significant difference in our real life responses. Noticing chambers, emergency phones, logistics. Deciding knowingly the risks we can tolerate.

I went ahead with the related thread in the hopes people would post the tiny hints towards helping recognize the kind of people who made a difference in your life. Hopefully it didn't feel I duplicated your thread.

A discussion on how much or why emergency response is valuable in choosing an op is a topic surprisingly rare. Great topic.

Again, thanks.
Cameron

 

[Snoweman]

Or here's a thought....maybe the intent wasn't to start a cheerleading exercise for a dive op in a specific place. Perhaps it was to generate a discussion on HOW to choose a dive op.

Fortunately northernone seems to have been better at getting that point across in a separate thread.

Identifying a skilled rescue diver?

I used to choose dive ops based upon Tripadvisor reviews and communication with the op. Then I realized that many of the folks were more about the lunch served than the diving experience. Then, I found this site. I find it very helpful when folks post their experiences, good or bad. I can't visit the dive ops in Turks and Caicos, Hawaii, Grand Cayman and just about everywhere I want to dive. I have to rely on others. I don't ask local dive ops because I worry about their fiduciary relationships with the other dive op.

Let me ask you this: Have you posted a cheerleading exercise about this dive op on this website, or any other website?

If not, why not? Why would you deprive other divers of this experience? If you have, why do you think the purity of this post is more important than the sharing name with other divers?

I read and posted on northernone's post. Others mentioned you can't (or, at the very least, shouldn't) fire a gun in the dive shop to see who runs to it. Can you really base your opinion on observations on the dive boat? Maybe, but if the person appears so reckless on the boat that you are concerned about their rescue skills, do you really want them in the water anyway? My response was to check the certification card. That's a good place to start. It at least let's the DM know the person has taken the time to try to improve their skills? Would you call their instructor to see if they are a good rescue diver? I wouldn't. Again, there's the fiduciary (and more importantly, the reputation of the instructor) relationship. Would any instructor say, "Yeah..., I passed him, but I wouldn't let him do anything more than get the O2 kit in a real situation." Could you call dive ops the diver has dived with in the past? Sure? Is it efficient? Nope. Would it reveal any useful information? Probably not.

Both of these are nebulous posts. Good for a nice mind game, but have either really revealed any hidden nuances that the rest of us have missed? I mean, other than "ironing socks".

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Tank size....it matters. An aluminum 80 starting a dive at 90 feet, a little current, and I'm looking at a shorter dive than I came for. We dive Cozumel at least twice a year and the op we use has HP 120 tanks as their standard for men. I'm a bigger guy, not in the shape I was in 30 years ago, and I use more air than some, but not all, divers. I'm working on that.

I used to pay extra for an aluminum 100, then I found our current op. The biggest draw for me was tank size. After that, they pick up less than a block from our hotel. Surface intervals are at a beach club with full facilities. 7 or 8 boats so you are with like skilled divers and/or all Nitrox. Ability to dive on the East side in case of weather closures. Reasonable cost per dive minute. Cash discount. 90 minute dives are standard.

Divemasters that are amazing. We have 2 or 3 favorites, and frankly have never had a bad DM at any operator in Cozumel. I've seen two instances that let me know they could handle a rapidly deteriorating situation and I feel,safe diving with them.

While tank size was the initial draw, our current dive op just "fits" our preferences. Asked on many factors better than the others we have used.

Jay

 

[ERRN]

This is just personal preference from limited experience but I try to find out who the DM would be and if possible look for one who is an older, tech oriented DM, or a female DM. The only 2 times I got "burned" in terms of sloppy, arrogant, disinterested or dangerous DM's was when it was a younger guy (early 20's) who was thinking more with his balls, ego and his hangover than his head. These are the guys in my experience that swim off ahead of you, deeper, full bore and waving for you to keep up. And while i can do wind sprints, deep dives and new environments are not the place for them in my opinion. not that there aren't great shops with young male DM's, but they can lack both the awareness, temperament and experience to be a good leader, first responder, or teacher. As far as the shop... looking for quick responses, respectful and valid questions and someone who feels out whether I know what I am doing. Trust is a 2 way street for me so if I say I want to do a deep dive in ripping current, or a cavern dive, I hope and expect the shop questions my experience and competence before asking for the cash. I come from an emergency medical background and have found "young dumb and full of ***" is not a good thing for medics/paramedics, cops, nurses or MD's, and sure not for DM's.

Reviews are useful to me, but more so the average and negative reviews from people with well thought out critiques, I tend to ignore the "it was the best dive ever" from someone who just finished their OW. Most of my diving is in central america, mexico, or the carribean so machismo tends to run rampant in some shops. I have found the best fit for me is smaller shops, owner on site, and tech oriented or at least tech/cave competent. And of course the input from you guys at Scubaboard. I've actually been really lucky in usually finding great operations, but then again, i spend way too much time researching before a trip.

 

[DanielRJones]

All my diving has been without a dm from shore dives to wreck or reef.
Here is the spot this is your buddy come back when you are out of air.

What I would look for is what I am used to tbh but baring that would look for somewhere with a clean boat and as little interaction as possible

 

[2airishuman]

So my point is, many of you have your favorites for any number of reasons. But ask yourself this…..are the divemaster and crew the kind of people who can keep it together and do things right when the sh*t really hits the fan? Are they truly prepared and capable of managing a life or death scenario? Because at some point you may be putting your life into their hands.

For the most part, I'm with Cameron on this one.

I dive prudently and I prefer to work with operators who are prudent and safe. Most are. All of them vary a little from day to day and year to year as their best people come and go. Even operators who are safe overall occasionally make minor oversights.

That said, I do not practice a style of diving so extreme that the immediate availability of rescuers is a major consideration. Many of my dives are solo, and I bring my solo mindset and much of my solo gear configuration with me on dives involving others. I am conservative in my gas planning. I do not have any health problems that could flare up in a fashion requiring an emergency response.

I dive with high-quality operators but I select them based on factors other than safety, many mentioned upthread. I've never dived with an operator whose practices were so questionable that I would not dive with them again.

 

[drbill]

Generally I research dive ops ahead of time and look for very positive views. However on a few long (multi-month) trips I have not had the advantage of an Internet connection and instead conducted interviews of staff at various dive ops in the locations I wanted to dive. Hard to make the best decision with100% certainty.

 

[BRT]

I choose dive ops where the owner loves to dive enough to go out with the customers. Not because they are the only DM in the operation but just cause they love to dive.

 

[TMHeimer]

They have to allow shell collecting. The other stuff mentioned is all important of course, but unless there's something really out of line with an op, I guess I take my chances, being confident in my abilities. Fortunately I know the 3 ops on the panhandle I can use and they're all as safe as I need. Though it would be nice if that ONE had a head.....Pee no problem--don't want a surface Warhammer.