A poll about DiveMaster Expectations

[tstormdiver]

I can see where some of the newer divers are coming from. Although, once you are OW certified you should be able to conduct dives on your own with another OW diver, I can understand wanting someone more experienced nearby. I know I was in a "survival mode" for about my first 30- 40 dives. At first it seemed overwhelming to keep track of air pressure, buoyancy, depth, time,...... all at the same time. Of course with time & experience, it became easier & eventually second nature. I wouldn't say that I needed a Dive Master there, but it sure helped to have someone, even a little bit more experienced, to help me in those first 2 dozen dives or so. I did not need them to hold my hand, but I did need help in remembering some things until it did become second nature. I personally want to thank those more experienced divers who take the time to help & mentor the beginners to better adjust & become more comfortable underwater, without their help, I wouldn't be where I am today. It is an immense help to those who want to better themselves.

 

[don Francisco]

You didn't include, give me a good briefing, and if you see anything really cool that I might miss, point it out. Otherwise leave me alone.

A perfect divemaster is helpful if you want or need it and unobtrusive if you don't.

That said, add me to those who can't read. Missed the LT 50 dives note. Oops

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

There's three ways that I'm fine with:
1. give briefing, advice, etc and stay on the boat
2. come down and dive with me, but he is primarily there following me and my buddy, not leading
3. leading to show cool stuff and stays within limits agreed to ahead of time (preferably limits set by certification level, but not necessarily if we both agree some leeway will still be safe). This would be things like depth, overhead environments, and I'm sure there's some other things.

Checking air pressure is fine in my opinion to judge how much longer to dive, but I feel capable of looking after my own air.

 

[seaducer]

Shoot sorry, didn't see the "less than 50 dives" either.

Sorry Terry, I missed the <50 dives part too.

 

[RikRaeder]

In the beginning...
I had an expectation that the DM would handle dive planning and navigation.

 

[tflaris]

As an Instructor during the training process I urge students to become responsible for themselves and constantly remind them that neither the Dive Master or the Boat Captain is responsible for your safety.

The Dive Master performs responsibilities relating to the organization of the dive trip (where to go, tanks, water, snacks, roll call, etc) along with assisting the Captain in and out of the boat docks. Informaing the divers where and how to store dive gear and dry gear on the boat and the safest way to enter the boat at the docks.

The Dive Master is also responsible for setting the anchor or tying into a pre-existing mooring line. The Dive Master is also responsible for assisting divers in and out of the water as well as any incidents or accidents that may arise.

The Dive Master is responsible for giving a Dive Briefing concerning the site and the details needed to dive the site as well as conditions relating to the dive (water temp, currents, visibility, dangers, highlights, etc.)

In some cases the Dive Master will give information concerning the boat (life jackets, radio, EPERB, life boats, fire extingishers, etc)

Also Dive Master will give information concerning how to enter and exit the boat. And the details specific to these activities for the boat in which they are diving from. (For example...Giant stride from the front.....,enter the boat from the sides...,etc)

Dive Master may also assist with technical issues or gear problems the divers may have and provide tools or o-rings to attempt to resolve the issue. (Not rebuilding regs on the way out)

Last but not least verifing that all divers are on board.

After the divers are safe on the docks cleaning and unloading tanks and repeating all over again for the next dive.

Dive Masters work hard for your tips.

 

[lmorin]

In the beginning (<50 dives), the expectation about DM performance varied according to the situation. In some places, there was no DM leading the dives. In others, a DM was required by local law. Obviously, I had no expectation of a DM doing anything underwater for the first case. In the second, the conditions were strong current (in some cases) drift dives and we were obligated to follow the DM. On some dives, the current was so strong that it was impossible to swim against. On those, I felt completely dependent on the DM's knowledge of where we were, what we were doing and where we were going to complete the dive.

Although I have a lot more experience now, the expectation of DM performance still varies a lot according to the dive. That said, I have not been in a situation in which the DM went somewhere or did something potentially dangerous which had not been fully discussed in advance.

 

[boulderjohn]

I would like to amplify on the theme of "it depends upon where you are."

I have been to a lot of different places, and I have seen a lot of very different divemaster activities. I think that in most cases the degree of dive master involvement has been pretty appropriate to the situation.

Some examples:

In many locations, the boat is stationary in an area where any decent diver can enter the water, look around, and get back OK. In almost all such cases, DM's stay on the boat unless special arrangements had been made for a particular diver. On one of my last dives, in fact, I am pretty sure there was no one on the boat at all with DM qualifications.

In places like Cozumel, a strong current and complex reef formations demand drift diving without a surface flag trailing behind. A DM is required by law, and it is a good thing, because the DM keeps the group together to make sure that they are recovered together at the end of the drift. Otherwise, every boat would be searching forever to find all its divers, and with the number of boats in the same area, it would be dangerous chaos.

I did a liveaboard in Thailand that in most cases put DM's in the water for the sole purpose of finding cool stuff (and they were good at it), but you could USUALLY ignore them if you wished. On a couple of more complex dives, though, it would have been difficult to find the end of the planned dive without an experienced guide. On one Thailand dive (not that trip) in poor visibility and high current, an experienced guiding DM was absolutely essential to finding our way.

Whe I was in Chuuk (Truk Lagoon) it again all depended. Some of the wrecks were pretty basic and easy to navigate, especially if we had slates with diagrams. In those cases, we generally found our own way. In other cases, a guide was essential for exploring some of the recesses of the ships.

There is no way you can make a blanket statement other than "it depends."

 

[oceanbound]

While I don't want the DM holding my hand I do want a good briefing and warning/reminders about the particular dive. I'm not sure if I would appreciate constantly checking my air/dep but maybe gently reminding to check. This is due to inexperience and continual learning.

 

[TonyW388]

I personally think dive masters are great. It is nice to know on your first few dives you have a back up and someone more experienced that you can ask guestions too. I think dive masters can give you great pointers on all aspects of diving.. (Plus all the great info from SB'ers)

On the boat dive I was on they usually stayed aboard the boat but gave you conditions(depth,current,visiabilty) of the area and any possible trouble areas or cool spots they know about. They helped you on/off the boat and in/out of your gear. (One dive master liked to double check to make sure your gas was on?) To qoute him "He said you would not believe how many people have hit the water and forgot to turn their gas ON!" It was also nice to know he was bubble watching the divers off the boat. He new our locations in the water and the directions we took to/from the boat.

Also,one of my dive buddies is a dive master. He will usually ask me how I am doing on gas from time to time, but knows I will let him know when I am getting close to my turn pressure or vise versa. He does point out a lot of cool things I over look just because i am in this state of shock to all these cool creatures in the deep blue sea. He also lets me take the lead and wonder around with him in tow. It gave me a chance to see how to lead a dive and follow the plan.

Now I feel comfortable diving with my other buddies because I am more comfortable with myself in the water.

Safe diving,
Tony