Boat operators-differences between good & bad divers?

[formernuke]

Lawyers. Sorry all, but these people still scare the crap out of me.

Hey, be nice.

But of course I'm not afraid of sharks

 

[Seaweed Doc]

I beleive hes talking about rigging your tank ,bc and regs on the dock, handing the over to be placed in a spot. This way your bag can go right into storage. Also theres more room on dock for everyone to do the same. I am from P'Cola and thats the way we do it here.

I suspect boat preferences on this depend on clientele and size of boat.

Most of the boat diving I've done has been while travelling, where most folks aren't bringing their own tanks. The tanks were waiting for us on the boat already, so it wouldn't be practical to set up on the dock. Either we handed our gear to the DMs who offered to set it up for us or we asked when they wanted us to set up. (Some want it set up immediately, others don't want it rigged until we're on site. I think this had to do with how they secure the tanks in transit.)

A local-ish dive operator I've been diving with didn't specify one way or the other. It was a very small group on a large boat, including one sidemount diver, so rigging on the boat didn't seem like a big deal. On the other hand, if I'm diving out of a small boat (for work, usually), I always rig first. There's not enough room to maneuver otherwise.

All to say, perhaps the best thing to do is ask where and when they'd prefer you to rig it.

 

[Guille G]

One thing I have often heard crews comment on, and that has made me cringe myself here in Mexico, is the diver putting on a full-tube-thick layer of white sunscreen all over before and after each dive. There are posters about it in dive shops, boats, cenotes - typically hard to miss and usually a request from the captain. It hurts the reef and pins you down as inconsiderate. Really not a great way to make a good first impression.

 

[scubadada]

If the sunscreen is white because it is titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, it is reef safe. Educate yourself on the topic

 

[Guille G]

If the sunscreen is white because it is titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, it is reef safe. Educate yourself on the topic

Yup, could be that it is reef-friendly sunscreen. No way to tell if not looking at the bottle, and may still be frowned upon by the boat crew.

Given that this thread is about raising a red flag for the boat crew, I would still recommend you acknowledge the requests to not wear sunscreen and make a point of telling them it is reef safe. If not, you are simply not following instructions and people running boats (diving or any other kind of tour) may and sometimes do find it disrespectful.

 

[Bert van den Berg]

I've owned a boat for 25+ years but not a boat operator so will try to put myself into the shoes of the operators that I dive with.

All three of the operators that my wife and I have dove with are very caring.

First they try to break the ice and tell a joke or two and give you a safety briefing. The briefing covers the equipment such as life jackets, where they are stored, what to do if a problem occurs that requires you to abandon ship. Where the emergency oxygen and Automated External Defibrillators are located and the fire suppression gear, VHF radio, etc. They make sure that they have the right lunch option if you didn;t bring your own and verify that you and your gear are both on the boat.

Then they ask each client a lot of questions (until they get to know you). Things such as:

What is your highest qualifications?
How many dives have you done?
When was your last dive?
Have you dived in cold water?

In addition to getting to know their clients, they tell you about the dive sites you are about to dive (depth, features, etc.) and set up the equipment for those people who rented gear from their shop. Between the two dives they serve hot drinks and do a tiki-tour of the area(s) and tell you a bit about the history.

If any wildlife shows up on the way over to the dive site or way back they will detour to the action and let you get a bit closer (they have licenses to allow them to do that).

The operators that we have dived with are:

Dive Tutukaka
Northland Dive
Yukon Dive

Located in New Zealand.

 

[BlueTrin]

Probably misunderstood. Unconscious usually means not responsive, needing an immediate BLS evaluation for breathing and pulse. Kind of hard to climb on a boat when you are unconscious.

Rereading, again, and again, I got a better sense of what you are saying.

That’s a really funny typo though

I guess an unconscious diver would fall in the bad category

Edit: only noticed now that this is a resurrected thread

 

[iyakonboats]

If the sunscreen is white because it is titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, it is reef safe. Educate yourself on the topic

I've seen white colored sunscreen that was not Ti or Zinc Oxide; however, it can also be Ti or Zinc based and still contain chemicals which aren't reef safe too. Only way to honestly know for sure is to read the ingredients.

 

[Nemrod]

I watch the boat operators, the crew and captains. I also watch the other guests. I learn a lot very quickly this way about my predicament. I see the diver(s) who washes their mask defog off in the camera tank while the captain just asked for divers not to and there is a sign above the tank saying not to. That is a pet peeve of mine. I see these things because I look around, I open my eyes, I observe.

Chemicals, if the captain asks you not to use shampoos, body washes and sunscreens, then it does not matter if they are reef safe or not. Ask the captain or DM if your product is okay but generally if they have said no, that means no. We can wear a hat, sunglasses and rash guards or other garments instead.

I look at other divers and observe their gear, the way it is put together, the age of the gear, how well it is maintained. Fins are a good thing to look at. Are they brand new and yet all scared up from hitting the reef? It is said that shoes tell the story of a man, well, fins likewise can tell a story about the diver.

James

 

[ATJ]

I look at other divers and observe their gear, the way it is put together, the age of the gear, how well it is maintained. Fins are a good thing to look at. Are they brand new and yet all scared up from hitting the reef? It is said that shoes tell the story of a man, well, fins likewise can tell a story about the diver.

Not always. I mostly do shore dives and I have one particular site where I most often exit. My fins are all scratched from the exit and nothing else.