Am I being unreasonable if I believe that...

[ScubaSteve]

And how would this be enforced? Clapping the offender in irons? Tossing them in the brig?

Captain's boat. Captain's rules. I have no idea how far one can take things legally however I am sure most operators do. Perhaps nothing can be done but to just accept it is simply adding to the problem. More than likely, the people that were standing on the mast would be too embarrassed to be "centered out" and would make every effort to stay off things. If not, well, we just don't need them in the water.

 

[RJP]

It is also very easy for the captain to make an announcement that anybody caught touching anything in anything other than an emergency, will be kept out of the water.

It's actually not that easy...certainly not to go as far as to keep someone out of the water who paid $2500 for a plane ticket and $2800 to get on the boat .

After chatting with the captain and the crew, they did do a nice job of asking everyone to follow "low impact diving" recommendations during the briefings and reminding folks to be mindful of their buouyancy, trim, fin tips, etc.

I did mention something to one couple who were just oblivious to their "high impact" diving style and offered them some tips to help them get their weighting and trim right (both grossly overweighted, permanently vertical, and bicycle kicking constantly).

Also said something to one of the guys in the group who were the worst offenders; he just sort of laughed it off, to which I responded "It's actually not funny. People paid a lot of money and traveled a long way to come here and see this stuff. They'd like to be able to see it while they're here this week, and would like it to still be here if they come back in the future." Oddly, he didn't talk to me the whole rest of the trip. Go figure!

 

[PuddleDiver78]

I completely agree. I just returned from a trip to northern Florida diving mainly in the springs. We booked about 3 days of diving through a shop down there and while diving with a bunch of people i never dove with before i was amazed at what people were doing to the dive sights. I dont know why these people even bothered wearing fins because it seemed like their dive plan was descend, walk around on the bottom, lay on the bottom, kick up as much silt as possible, and when that got old they would find a rock or log to sit on until it was time to ascend. The "photographers" were even better. I must have had my reg kicked out 3 times on 1 dive. Just so they could beat me to where we were going.

I just dont understand. When i did my OW course, one of the biggest things they kept riding us about and beating into our heads was STAY OFF OF THE BOTTOM AND DONT TOUCH ANYTHING. I dont see what is so difficult to understand about that.

Oh well i guess you cant make people care.

 

[ScubaSteve]

After chatting with the captain and the crew, they did do a nice job of asking everyone to follow "low impact diving" recommendations during the briefings and reminding folks to be mindful of their buouyancy, trim, fin tips, etc.

A lot more tact than I have (admittedly), but basically what I was suggesting.

 

[Teamcasa]

If you cannot hover motionless (or reasonably so) while trying to take a photo undewater you have NO BUSINESS DIVING WITH A CAMERA.

How would you propose such a prohibition be implemented and enforced? I doubt if it would be possible or profitable.

...It isn't cameras per se, it's a question of divers' attitudes, and awareness of their abilities...
So, no, you're not unreasonable, but crappy diving is still crappy diving with or without a camera.

It is easy to rant about this but the reality is divers come in all skill levels. When I take my video camera below, I know the vis will be crappy near other divers whether they are sporting cameras or not. So, I go the other way. However, diving on a wreck (or in a cave) limits your choices to time.

If I had spent thousands of dollars to travel to some exocit or historically significant site, lugged heavy dive gear through airport security and put up with all the other traveling hassles, I'm going to do all I can to have a clean site to film. And a few extra dollars go a long way to insure it, placed in the proper hands.

 

[letterboy]

or just carry a big knife and stab their BC so they don't disturb your next dives. . . . or any dive there after for anyone . . .

 

[adurso]

Captain's boat. Captain's rules. I have no idea how far one can take things legally however I am sure most operators do. Perhaps nothing can be done but to just accept it is simply adding to the problem. More than likely, the people that were standing on the mast would be too embarrassed to be "centered out" and would make every effort to stay off things. If not, well, we just don't need them in the water.

Actually it is a corporation's boat. This would be the 21st century, Captain's rules are corporate rules vetted by a host of attorneys created to keep the corporations's assets intact.

If not, well, we just don't need them in the water

Once again how do you propose to keep the great unwashed from the water?

 

[RJP]

See this way too often...

Hey, at least he's thumbing the dive at this point!

 

[ScubaSteve]

A lot more tact than I have (admittedly), but basically what I was suggesting.

Actually it is a corporation's boat. This would be the 21st century, Captain's rules are corporate rules vetted by a host of attorneys created to keep the corporations's assets intact.

If not, well, we just don't need them in the water

Once again how do you propose to keep the great unwashed from the water?

See above.

 

[Nemrod]

And how would this be enforced? Clapping the offender in irons? Tossing them in the brig?

I don't see a problem with not allowing people to dive who are damaging the environment. The captain can say no in fact and if they are in a park or sanctuary I suppose the authorities could become involved. I don't see a problem, loosing 2,500 dollars on a trip might be incentive to learn how to dive before undertaking another scuba DIVING trip.

Walking on the reef or laying on it to get a picture is like carving your initials into a Joshua tree or a red wood tree or spraying graffiti on a cliff face. Once you have been told not to do something if one continues to do it then I have to assume it is willful.

N