An easy lesson learned the hard way

[Adventure-Ocean]

I did all my diving in warm ocean water. Many years ago I was taking my wife and son on a dive to a sunken ship. There was a mooring bouy tied by rope to the ships helm. My wife always used gloves when she dove but I rarely used them and my son also did not use them.

I glided down the line without touching it because I hung just off to watch my wife and son work their way down. When we got down at a little over 90 ft. I could hear my son groaning in his mask. He showed us a very small cut on his finger. Judging by his groans that little cut carried a big punch. Of course we headed back, this time avoiding contact with the rope.

We treated his finger with vinegar,alcohol and a band aid. He was fine but obviously we missed a great dive because I didn't think of the creatures that live on that rope.

After that dive I insisted my son put on gloves and I kept a pair in my BC pocket to use on certain dives. If you choose not to use gloves, you may want to show more caution than we did when touching something. Small clams and barnacles on mooring lines can cut and be very painful. I've also seen man o war jelly fish stick to anchor lines and sting the crewman who pulled anchor. Adventure-Ocean

 

[chris.evans]

Many places I dive 'discourage' or ban gloves. I always wear a glove on my left hand at least. I wish places would just tell people no touching corals or creatures and teach good bouyancy or require it. I have too many times had to hold onto an anchor line or uncleaned rope. It's about safety. There are many situations where having hand protection underwater is needed -at least on one hand. (IMO)

 

[iamrushman]

thanks for the info...

 

[DivemasterDennis]

The best policy is to touch nothing under the water. I have been with other divers who experience the buoy line cut, scrape, bit or sting on a number of occasions. Grabbing, and especially sliding one's hand on a mooring line is often no different than doing the same on fire coral, an anemone, a poisonous creature, or other hazard. Hopefully a safe diver wont do things either.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Cave Diver]

The best policy is to touch nothing under the water.

While it may be a best policy, there are no absolutes. I've been on benign dives where a current kicks up at the end of the dive necessitating holding on to a mooring line on ascent, or face having the boat search for you on the surface.

 

[Mustard Dave]

I never dive without gloves for this reason. It is all well and good telling people not to touch but this is not always possible. Banning gloves because it encourages you to touch stuff is like banning motorbike helmets in case you ride faster.

When I was in Malta recently one of the guides came out of the water in severe discomfort because she had been stung by a jellyfish. She didn't choose to touch it - it just went into her. If she had gloves, she would not have suffered.

 

[Diver0001]

Banning gloves because it encourages you to touch stuff is like banning motorbike helmets in case you ride faster.

Maybe... but not everyone gives a rat's patoot about the reef either.

That said, you can only be a perfect diver when you're behind the keyboard. In reality it doesn't matter who you are, there are times when you need to use your hands.

The one time I really wished I had been wearing gloves is the day I adjusted my weightbelt and the clasp snapped shut and cut 1/2 of the fingertip of my right hand ring finger clean off.

R..

 

[Cave Diver]

The one time I really wished I had been wearing gloves is the day I adjusted my weightbelt and the clasp snapped shut and cut 1/2 of the fingertip of my right hand ring finger clean off.

R..

Pesky weightbelts! That's why you shouldn't use them. Almost as dangerous as split fins!

 

[GCullen94]

The best policy is to touch nothing under the water. I have been with other divers who experience the buoy line cut, scrape, bit or sting on a number of occasions. Grabbing, and especially sliding one's hand on a mooring line is often no different than doing the same on fire coral, an anemone, a poisonous creature, or other hazard. Hopefully a safe diver wont do things either.
DivemasterDennis

This is true of corals, the wreck itself and life down under, however, I have come up from dives (the Duane in Key Largo the worst) where the current was ripping to the point that at 20 feet we were like flags holding on to the mooring line. There is a difference in using a mooring line to guide yourself down to a wreck 90 feet below and using coral to stabilize yourself because you don't have basic buoyancy and propulsion skills.

 

[Rhone Man]

I always deprecate places which have "no gloves" rules for this reason (yes, I mean you Cayman Islands with your ridiculous law). If you want people to not touch the coral, have a "no touching the coral" rule. But you have to accept that in certain conditions people will grab onto ropes, parts of dive boats, and other things that may contain sharp edges, nasty stingy things, and other bits and bobs best not allowed to touch your skin.