Dive Operator Best Practices

[ti325v]

People frequently misinterpret the statistics. Solo diving is PLANNED solo diving. Doing a dive, losing your buddy and carrying on is not planned solo diving.

Getting separated and getting into difficulty managing your ascent is not solo diving.

So the vast majority of incidents where divers were alone and had problems aren't solo diving failures, they were buddy diving failures.

As long as you BRING YOUR OWN APPROPRIATE GEAR, and I have a chat with you....you can solo off my boat anytime you like, you can even come along with me ! I know all the good spots !

 

[Mike Boswell]

How can a guide put your life in danger? You're a qualified diver therefore completely responsible for controlling the risk you allow yourself to be exposed to. A guide is only a danger to your life if you're relying on him for some reason.

Vacation divers don't know what's down there: They jump in and follow the guide purely on trust.

Guides know little about the capabilities of the divers they lead, particularly on the first few dives with any given group.

Based on my own personal experiences, vacation divers are FREQUENTLY guided into "dangerous" conditions, including fast currents, long dark caves (AKA "swim-throughs"), wreck penetrations, and depths exceeding a diver's limits.

This "danger" is a big part of the fun and excitement of diving, of course, and almost everybody laughs about it afterwards.

Almost everybody.

 

[String]

Ultimately its qualified divers you're dealing with. So at the bottom line they are responsible for their own safety. If they want a nanny hire a private guide.
People need to stop looking to absolve all responsibility and pass it onto someone else. Did they QUALIFY as divers or not?

 

[drrich2]

If they want a nanny hire a private guide.

Did they QUALIFY as divers or not?

When people on cruise ships take excursions in foreign countries, such as driving jeeps, 4-wheelers or scooters, they often go out in groups & follow a guide around (despite 'qualifying' as drivers by getting driver's licenses back home). There is no shame in a group of divers, particularly in a strange location they will likely never dive again, following a seasoned guide. Not only does it make conducting the group efficient, but lets the guests enjoy a leisurely dive over a scenic reef with beautiful sea life (which is what they came to see), without focusing on navigation.

Besides, as the recent 'Drifting Dan' threads illustrate, it's in the dive boat crew/company's best interest that all the divers make it back in a timely fashion. Newbies getting lost & having to be rounded up are problematic for everyone.

Of course, I guess in theory, you could have a charter boat that advertises 'dive at your own risk,' doesn't offer guides as group leaders, just heads out, gives a verbal dive briefing, your dive is on you, and if you don't make it back to the boat, well, you're a lousy diver or a shark ate you, either way, too bad, so sad, bye...they head home without you.

I don't think that business model will fly. It'd be fascinating to watch (from afar) someone try it, though.

Richard.

 

[Thalassamania]

Ultimately its qualified divers you're dealing with. So at the bottom line they are responsible for their own safety. If they want a nanny hire a private guide.
People need to stop looking to absolve all responsibility and pass it onto someone else. Did they QUALIFY as divers or not?

Not!

When people on cruise ships take excursions in foreign countries, such as driving jeeps, 4-wheelers or scooters, they often go out in groups & follow a guide around (despite 'qualifying' as drivers by getting driver's licenses back home). There is no shame in a group of divers, particularly in a strange location they will likely never dive again, following a seasoned guide. Not only does it make conducting the group efficient, but lets the guests enjoy a leisurely dive over a scenic reef with beautiful sea life (which is what they came to see), without focusing on navigation.

Besides, as the recent 'Drifting Dan' threads illustrate, it's in the dive boat crew/company's best interest that all the divers make it back in a timely fashion. Newbies getting lost & having to be rounded up are problematic for everyone.

Of course, I guess in theory, you could have a charter boat that advertises 'dive at your own risk,' doesn't offer guides as group leaders, just heads out, gives a verbal dive briefing, your dive is on you, and if you don't make it back to the boat, well, you're a lousy diver or a shark ate you, either way, too bad, so sad, bye...they head home without you.

I don't think that business model will fly. It'd be fascinating to watch (from afar) someone try it, though.

Richard.

My kinda boat, a bus to the dive site, nothing more and nothing less.

 

[iztok]

Of course, I guess in theory, you could have a charter boat that advertises 'dive at your own risk,' doesn't offer guides as group leaders, just heads out, gives a verbal dive briefing, your dive is on you

This is what most of the NC diving is all about.

 

[drrich2]

It's my understanding some California charters are also like that. On the other hand, many Caribbean charters are not. Different markets, I suppose.

Richard.

 

[String]

This is what most of the NC diving is all about.

That's what all diving should be about. If you *qualified* as a diver that qualification means you should be able to look after yourself and not require a nanny.

Its also far far less restrictive for a paying customer who can actually do the dive they want at the pace they want, looking at whatever they want and following whatever profile they want.

A dive boat should be a taxi and a DM should be able to give a good briefing and select a select based on his in-depth knowledge of local conditions. That's about it.

All of UK diving is like that, its unlikely there'll be a DM on the boat at all, the skipper wants to know "how long?" for your dive and makes sure you have a DSMB to send up after it. Then you just go diving and the boat takes you to the next site. Its great.

 

[Mike Boswell]

It's my understanding some California charters are also like that. On the other hand, many Caribbean charters are not. Different markets, I suppose.

Richard.

Exactly.

All of the California diving I have done is from shore or from anchored boats in low currents, and we were diving fixed sites (a kelp forest, a pinnacle, a wreck, etc.). This kind of diving is well-suited to diving without a guide.

Many of the tropical places I have dived have been from drifting boats in stronger currents, along reefs and walls. In this type of diving, the group ends their dive at a planned time and at a location which is safe for both the boat and the divers to re-board. This really wouldn't be feasible without a guide.

 

[drrich2]

That's what all diving should be about. If you *qualified* as a diver that qualification means you should be able to look after yourself and not require a nanny.

Why should it? 'Should' is a pretty powerful word there, and 'nanny' sounds condescending and contemptuous. If some people aren't good with navigation and never will be, but enjoy guided reef dives & what-not on charter boat op.s catering to tourists, why does that bother you?

Its also far far less restrictive for a paying customer who can actually do the dive they want at the pace they want, looking at whatever they want and following whatever profile they want.

Some charters provide a guide for the main group to follow, but leave the customers the choice to go do their own thing. As long as the boat crew let you do your own thing, there should be no additional restrictiveness on you.

A dive boat should be a taxi and a DM should be able to give a good briefing and select a select based on his in-depth knowledge of local conditions. That's about it.

There's the 'should' again. And should hotels only provide camping level quarters, since people ought to be able to survive with it? Maybe grocery stores shouldn't offer processed foods since people ought to be able to cook for themselves? Why do you get to judge? Maybe you're just stating your own preference for yourself, but your posts don't come across that way.

Obviously a lot of divers don't have whatever navigational skills & whatever else to make dumping them in the ocean in strange places with a verbal pre-dive brief diving adequate (and that will not change), and providing a guide opens up many new enjoyable diving opportunities for them, bringing pleasure to many people, customers and profits to many charter operators.

While not all charters in all places choose to operate such a business model, many do, and it never ceases to amaze me how that seems to aggravate some people on this forum.

I can understand wanting to be given freedom to dive your own plan if you're up to it, rather than following the guide & diving their plan. On the other hand, I see discussions on the forum about the commercial state of the diving industry, whether the recreational diver pool is growing, etc..., yet removing the guided dive approach across the board would shut a lot of people out of opportunities. And it would be ridiculously naive to think they'd all walk off the boat, run home, take a Navigation course (not that it would guarantee anything) and come back. And they're not going to turn in their C cards, either.

Sometimes on the forum I get the impression that in the mythical land of 'Should,' all divers are young with no pre-existing health issues, definitely not overweight & have excellent BMI's, excellent cardiovascular fitness and engage in Yoga to maximize breathing efficiency (& never smoke), trained with GUE or CMAS by a demanding perfectionist instructor and would never, ever have been given a C card without being a master navigator and demonstrating mastery of adverse environments, and yadda-yadda-yadda.

It ain't happening. Not going to. But there are a lot of good folks out there diving who do just fine with the guides.

Richard.