Can You 'Really' Dive?

[BettyRubble]

TC does not weigh 300 lbs.

You take that back!

TC, like all the mods, is cool. Doing his thing.

 

[dsmclaughlin]

Last fall I dove a couple of Caribbean locations and I was mildly shocked to find the dive boat crews doing so much - hauling gear, setting up gear, changing tanks etc.... Being a novice, I want to do all that for myself, both for the practice and for the reassurance. Especially since it was all unfamiliar rental gear. Forget about hiring someone to do it for me, I wanted them to not do it.

I have the opposite problem. Down here in the BVI all divers are treated like they are made out of fragile crystal, but only possess the brains of a child who has had a traumatic head injury.

I was out on the boat the other day and politely asked the DM if I could go off with two of my other friends who were on the boat (and who are both DMs themselves) and do our own thing. No, all divers have to be lead by a DM from the LDS at all times. That's just the culture down here - the assumption is that unless you tell all divers on the boat to breathe in and out during the dive, most of them would forget to do so. And it is not healthy.

 

[dbuggy]

I will preface this post by saying I am not a teacher/instructor or even a Dm but I have been diving since I was 12 and I am now 43. If anyone came to me on a boat or at the quarry or on a shore dive and asked me if I could give a hand I WOULD because someday somewhere I would hope someone would do the same for me. If they dont oh well its not gonna stop me from helping because if i help someone and they in turn help someone else out it starts a really vicious cycle of people doing nice things and having fun diving. I would not be half the man or diver that I am today if it wasnt for someone helping me out even if I didnt ask for it! So please reserve your comment to the individual that gave you this problem and stop the negativity. I dont think helping someone on a boat who might have never been on one is such a big deal even if you've never met them before that moment! Yes some people are buttholes but if you ignore them they go away! really it works! So good luck and happy diving

 

[ScubaSteve]

Well now that is unfortunate. There was some good material in there. Maybe we can get the back-up copies :joke:

Oh well.....I agree with most people in that I will help if someone wants the help. I personally expect nothing and have never dove with anybody that expected anything that I felt was crossing any lines.

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[udtfire]

wow i wont touch this post with a 10 ft fin lol skuda girl welcome to scuba board lol

ps help when i can give more than you take and love is what you give not what you get I live by this and have great Karma

 

[dbuggy]

Yeah but we helped! not because you expected it but because we like to help!! LOL

 

[crd_kats]

Hello everyone! The few that know me know I'm a lurker here. I also have a butt load of dives (and I'm an instructor) so occasionally I feel strong enough about a subject where I have a "NEED" to post.

That being said...

Are you a vacation diver? Do you 'expect' someone to carry all of your gear...babysit you underwater (not just be a buddy), are you just not sure of normal boat ettiqutte, does your car/suv/truck smell like anything other than moldy scuba gear?

Ok....IF you answered YES to any of the above...you have no business putting yourself on a boat 'assuming' someone will take care of you. Unless you have paid (dearly) to a licensed DM for personal assistance DO NOT go on a charter assuming your buddy will do all of this for you. Sure, I've done it...and will do it on occasion for a regular dive buddy, who I know does not expect it from me or anyone else, just being nice.

IF you are not experienced enough(be honest with yourself..or ask me..I'm not shy..I'll tell you straight up), have ongoing health issues, or are for whatever reason you feel 'dependent' on others for you to have a good dive...the best possible solution would be for you to ONLY dive on larger boats, and hire a DM for your personal assistance. Your friends DO NOT want to carry your gear (yes ladies that means you too) They are there to enjoy diving..not spend their day worried about if YOU can finish the dive...or the day.

So...before you go diving...
After your gear check...
ask yourself...

-Can I haul my gear ALONE to the charter(tanks included)? Back to your car after the dive?
-Can I haul my butt out of the water alone if the conditions get ugly (or even if they are mild)?
-Could I rescue myself?
-Will my buddy feel safe with me as their buddy?
-Would you feel good about yourself putting someone elses life at risk just because you are too dependent?

If you could not answer ALL of the questions with YES, then you need to rethink any diving without being under the direct supervision of a paid DM or INSTRUCTOR. (no solicitation implied)

Your friends and associates are not there to hold your hand. They had to do it themselves...so should you.

You could very possibly be ruining someones fun insuring your own.

Hi. I got certified in 1994 at the age of 23. Boy that was fun. I still smile thinking of how exciting it was to go to my first class to learn about the course curriculum and the short list of much needed gear. Mask, fins, and snorkel. YMCA. Two 4 hour classes a week for several weeks. Can't remember how many now. I'm must be getting old, but do remember not only learning about the essentials of basic OW, but also rescue and gas management in that class. From what I've read on the board, they don't teach it like they used to anymore. However, I will admit I must have been brain dead on navigation day because to this day my nav skills suck. Anyway, my instructor gave me the choice of checking out at Lake Travis or going on a trip he'd put together to Cozumel. Of course, I chose Cozumel. I mean, that is why we dive, isn't it? To be in the ocean. I was smiling big when we boarded the dive boat in Coz... 12 DM's and 2 students in our group. There were also four other divers there as well. One in particular caught my attention. SHE was the kind of diver I equate with skuba_girl's opening post. There we were on a dive boat and this thirty something woman had fully done, hairsprayed hair, full face of make up, bright flourescent pink bathing suit with matching pink acrylic nails. Yes all 20 of them were acrylic. Now, don't get me wrong. I have absolutely no problem with a woman who wants to look her best and actually encourage as many as I can to do so, however, even I knew (a newby) that it had to be unusual for a diver to come diving fully made up. Wish her specialness ended there. No, sorry to disappoint or not, but yes, she was too helpless to put her gear together much less check it or her husbands for safety... she couldn't even put her gear ON.... the DM's had to do it and help her in the water. I remember thinking.. this is definitely not the diver I aspire to be. I could go on and describe the train wreck she was in the water, but I'll save that for another thread.

So, this is the diver who came to mind when I read the OP's original post. Not handicapped divers, not newbie divers who are still learning, and most definitely not veteran divers who had an injury and need a helping hand now and again.

Thanks and dive safe.

 

[BettyRubble]

So, this is the diver who came to mind when I read the OP's original post. Not handicapped divers, not newbie divers who are still learning, and most definitely not veteran divers who had an injury and need a helping hand now and again. Thanks and dive safe.

Hey Carmen! I don't disagree with you. Just wish OP had addressed an issue with the diver(s) at hand instead of a rant on SB to a 'general population' of divers.

If we want better insta-buddies someone has to take them by the hand and help them. Not all will listen, not all will learn, but most will.

 

[teddyg04]

"I also suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia,(I'm in my middle 40's)"

And you are an avid diver? Dang, now I have to quit whining about my plain ol' osteoarthritis and knee replacement.......... My hat's off to you, Stinggirl!!

 

[Cave Diver]

Are you a vacation diver? Do you 'expect' someone to carry all of your gear...babysit you underwater (not just be a buddy), are you just not sure of normal boat ettiqutte, does your car/suv/truck smell like anything other than moldy scuba gear?

Ok....IF you answered YES to any of the above...you have no business putting yourself on a boat 'assuming' someone will take care of you. Unless you have paid (dearly) to a licensed DM for personal assistance DO NOT go on a charter assuming your buddy will do all of this for you. Sure, I've done it...and will do it on occasion for a regular dive buddy, who I know does not expect it from me or anyone else, just being nice.

If you wish to be a positive role model for type of diver you aspire others to be, you might want to reconsider your delivery of the message.