DIR DMs? What do you do?

[Goindrinkn]

Almost all of the boats around here (west coast of FL) get to a site and drop a DM in the water to bounce the anchor. Come up and report VIS, site lay out etc...


Can you be DM around here and still be DIR? Is there any DIR guidance for this situation? I believe the buddy team concept is one of the DIR tenants / and in this case the bounce is solo. Also in this situation, (remember this is gulf single tank diving) is a pony as a fully redundant backup even considered?


*talking about this with my wife, who would have trouble managing / and a lack of desire to attempt doubles

Thanks...

 

[Rainer]

If these are recreational dives, your buddy is your back up.

Why can't a team jump in to set a hook? Seems simple enough...

 

[IceBergSlim]

They set the anchor and then come up to describe the conditions?

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Pretty standard for NC charter boats also, at least the larger ones.

Tie in the anchor, come up with info re: currents, vis, etc.

 

[Goindrinkn]

Yes, Often we dive on some smaller profile ledges and the like, so the DM will actually go down to the site, make sure that the anchor is not dragging, and is in good proximity to the intended site and sometimes if the site best run is not 100% obvious from the anchor, will run a line to a point and then give at the surface say, follow the line to the ledge and then follow it north / south what ever.

Most of the time the DM will help the customers get in the water / or will stay between the back of the boat and the anchor to watch for any issues... They may hang around the anchor or safety stop, and may or may not actually spend the time on the bottom. (depends) At the end of the dive after everyone is back on the boat the DM will pop the anchor by placing it in a sandy area or using a liftbag to bring it up to minimize the impact to the site. (dragging anchors tear it up to state the obvious)

Just trying to find the best guidance and DIR divers usually find a good logic...

 

[TSandM]

The very central essence of DIR diving is diving as a team. A solo dive is not a DIR dive. In addition, bounce diving is highly discouraged, for some good reasons.

I'm not saying there's anything horrible about what these DMs are asked to do, but it's not DIR.

 

[lamont]

The very central essence of DIR diving is diving as a team. A solo dive is not a DIR dive. In addition, bounce diving is highly discouraged, for some good reasons.

A bounce dive to set the hook first dive of the day isn't so bad. No worse than ascent drills up and down to 40-50 feet. But you want to do those kinds of dives *first* and then do a deeper dive for longer, rather than doing a recreational dive to the edge of the NDLs and then immeidately doing ascent drills or diver rescue drills.

The problem is going to be pulling the hook -- or setting the hook on the second dive.

I'm not saying there's anything horrible about what these DMs are asked to do, but it's not DIR.

Yeah, no way to make it DIR, not a solvable problem without introducing a buddy.

 

[NudeDiver]

The DM can be DIR compliant by strapping one of these to his tank - voila - instabuddy.

 

[RTodd]

Keep in mind that the DM is technically working and that is, to a very limited degree, commercial diving rather than recreational diving. Do you think enough divers are willing to pay to have two DMs do a proper team dive? Doubt it. Also, think about how much of a teammate a GUE cave or tech instructor actually has on training dives.

 

[TSandM]

RTodd, are you saying that it would be a DIR dive to bounce to place the hook, dive, and then bounce to remove the hook?

Admittedly, instructors dive solo . . . sort of. Beyond the Fundies level, the students should have some reasonable ability to assist in the event of an issue for the instructor.