Divers in Hurry

[tridacna]

I agree with you regarding the pace of the dive. I actually take a magnifying glass with me and can spend 5 minutes examining a single coral head. Then again I prefer to explore myself without the assistance of a DM. (I believe that most divers are totally incapable of navigating back to the boat without the assistance of a DM).

I was amazed by the divers in Bonaire who were disappointed not to find a seahorse. They fly past every sea fan and sponge expecting the animals to wave at them while.

 

[Mr.X]

Hey Terry,
Those points were not actually meant for you. Anyway you never said what you would expect or what you would do then you become a dive con.
Let me tell you something - one day I was diving with this DM from SoCal and a German MSDT . within 15 minutes into the dive the MSDT vanished. Me and the other DM searched for him the rest of the time till he came up after one hour. We stopped our dive and tried to follow the bubbles but it was no luck. Banged our tanks for recall etc.etc. The Dm from So cal was doing a fun dive and the MSDT unnecessarily spoiled his day. Thats gives bad name to a pro but we get both sides of the coin what to do.

Perhaps a custom program might do the trick? Let's say a guided group of four will get to see these particular sites + get a complimentary CD of photos taken during the trip. Price point is a tad higher (of course), but customer satisifaction higher because:

* They won't be rushing around & will get to see something worthwhile
* You have the ability to keep them herded and to some degree controlled
* Shop makes more bucks and you can keep them around while the camera is downloaded and make more profit selling them lunch, or late afternoon, full-on chat meal!

As per the MSDT...what a doofus. MSDT means nothing really, other than a moniker that says I have some degree of competence. The weiner should have respected the rules of the road.

X- Lapsed PAID (PADI) Insector

 

[Web Monkey]

Terry,

Just curious. What DO you expect from a DM?

I'd like a good briefing, a description of what's in the area, and to make sure I'm back on the boat when the dive is over.

The "Tours" drive me crazy, but are apparenlty difficult to avoid on a lot of boats in the Caribbean.

Terry

 

[Rick Murchison]

Although I don't particularly care for "guided dives" most of the time, for me a DM is a "shortcut" to some of the more interesting and unusual critters on the dive. Hopefully the DM is familiar with the site and knows the special critters and their hiding places - and so can save searching time.
Most DM's move faster than I'd like, but a DM can't please all the people all the time, and I'm easily amused under water, so it's no big deal.
From what you've posted, andydiver06, it seems to me you're doing it right
Rick

 

[rhyz]

Hmmm, not sure what I "expect" from a DM on a dive. Probably have got about 22 dives in various locations that had DMs on the boat. The rest are just quarry dives mostly. At most times I'd would rather just buddy up with someone, go through the dive plan. That is if I'm familiar with the location. Or I've used the DM as a buddy.

For a first time visitor to a certain location I would follow the DM and get a better feel for the area, but after that I would rather just dive it with a buddy and do our own thing. Thats what I've done on Jersey/Florida wrecks.

Didn't get the chance to do multiple dives on the same location in the caribbean. So I quess following the DM was a good chance to get a generalized look at the area. I just wish people didnt hurry so much to begin with.

And let me setup my own equipment.......I dont know why some divers like others to do that. Then again I was the only one diving with a pony. :11:

From what you've posted, andydiver06, it seems to me you're doing it right
Rick

Yup sounds like you do some nice relaxed diving.

 

[Web Monkey]

Hey Terry,
Those points were not actually meant for you. Anyway you never said what you would expect or what you would do then you become a dive con.

I'd expect to make sure everybody is on the boat before it leaves (at least everybody that showed up), give a good dive briefing, make sure everybody is back before the boat leaves, know how to contact emergency services if needed, do CPR and first aid, and cook great hotdogs, and fix bunches of minor problems.

Terry

 

[dvrliz1]

Great thread all! To me it is important for a DM to know the skill level of his tour group. I think that helps alot. Also, I think it is important for the guests to express to their DM, especially for a guided tour, what they would like or expect. For example, if you enjoy using a magnifying glass, taking your time, let the DM know about it. If you are planning on taking pictures, let the DM know about it. I would say to my DM, look, I like to move slowly so I don't miss anything. I would think at least hope the DM would take the comments from his clients, like it was mentioned earlier, the field is all about customer service. Like others, I enjoy diving without a DM, especially on Bonaire! I can take my time, see what is on the reef, and if I miss something, and someone tells me about it later, (for example if I missed the 3 seahorses because I was at 35 feet and they were at 45 ft, I can always go back at MY leisure and look again! Just my humble opinion...

Liz

 

[Mr.X]

The original question was about DM'ing to make the dive leisurely and animal-viewing productive.

Again, I say give em a custom CD (includes stock photos) as well as photos during the trip. This keeps em' together in a smaller group and ensures to some degree that they'll stick around because I am sure they'll want a pic of themselves interacting.

Again, serve em' a two hour chat meal & charge them extra rupees for the whole experience. The rest of the bunch can do what they want...let them scatter like kids in a playground...just kidding.


X

 

[Web Monkey]

Great thread all! To me it is important for a DM to know the skill level of his tour group. I think that helps alot. Also, I think it is important for the guests to express to their DM, especially for a guided tour, what they would like or expect. For example, if you enjoy using a magnifying glass, taking your time, let the DM know about

It's probably different here. In the Northeast (maybe other locations too) The divers are assumed to be competent and the DM generally doesn't even get in the water.

If we had a lot of once-a-year divers and fragile ecosystems, I suspect I'd be in the water blocking doofuses from trampling the coral.

We have "Klingon Diving" here. Although it's possible for a diver to damage a wreck, it's just as likely for a wreck to damage the diver. If you kick a piece of coral, you can kill it. If you kick an old wooden wreck, it's just as likely to kill you.

Terry

 

[Spratman]

I'm with Rick. I believe that most people are jetting about because they don't know if they are going to return for subsequent dives. They may feel that they want to see as much "stuff" as they can.

While it's not always easy to enforce group discipline, I believe that needs to be emphasized on the dive briefing. When I'm on a boat, I do whatever the Captain and DM tells me to do. I may not like it, because I'm paying, but it's their *** on the line if something happens. I don't want to make their jobs anymore difficult than they already are.

Customer satisfaction will make or break a dive op. However, so will someone getting injured or lost because they would follow the rules. For the most part, we are ALWAYS being reminded that that we "plan our dives, and dive our plans". On some trips, other people are making the plans. So the question is, are we going to practice what we preach....

There is plenty to see on any dive, if you want to see it. Sometimes I get aggravated on a drift dive, because I cannot spend enough time exploring nooks and crannies. But they all been great dives!

Oh yeah...hot dogs and sausages are important too!

Jack