Diving advice ? Carnival Cruise

[deneenthom]

Dear Fellow Divers - Newly Certified 2 months - Went on Carnival Conquest last week to Grand Cayman, and signed up for the ships tour. . . .I am Open Water Certified on 6-22-05. This was supposed to be my first Ocean Dive - - -

I wasn't sure of the weight I should be at - had a 3 mm wetsuit on - and asked divemaster for help determining weight - I was told 10 lbs. was plenty, after I told her I weighed 175 lbs.

I was told to do a buoyancy check when i got in. . . . All 10 people got in water, I got in last. . . . I tried to do check, and would not sink - therefore, I was given 2 more lbs. of weight for my bcd pocket. I was told that it would be plenty.

We went to the line - and everyone descended but me - - - I was still on top - - -the guy from the boat was screaming at me to exhale for 7 seconds, and let air out of BCD - duh - I did - and stilll would not sink - - - In the mean time - everyone was gone - It was me - alone - dive buddy left me, divemaster left me, I was alone. . . .

Another 2 lbs. were added to bcd, and I finally started to sink - alone - dive buddy gone - divemaster - gone - all 10 people 90+ feet down, on "the wall" at grand cayman.

I started to descend slowly, cleared my ears about 4 times, and could not clear them past 60 feet - - - Still alone - - - I tried to descend further because I was terrified of being without dive buddy or dive master - but couldn't - - - right ear wouldnt' clear - - - I started to get dizzy under water, and ascended a bit - - - still alone - and found the anchor line to the boat - I held the line - couldn't see anyone - (visibility was bad) - and stayed put - I thought dizziness and pain in ears woud subside, but didn't. I ascended to 25 feet on guage, had 2500 lbs. of pressure left in tank, did a 5 minute safety stop, and then went up. I made my way back to the boat, and waited for everyone else to "show up" - when Buddy came up - he asked me "where were you?" - I asked him the same question.

Then - the short tempered divemaster - came up to me, started yelling at me, and told me that this was a "guided dive" and that I should have stayed with him, and not be on my own- he yelled at me in front of 19 other divers - I tried to explain that I couldn't clear my ears, but then he accused me of trying to share a dive computer. . . that I didn't have - - - My buddy had the dive computer - my "buddy" who abandoned me. Needless to say - I started crying - not only of pain from ear, but from embarrassement from divemaster - - - I was bleeding blood from nose.

Went to ships doctor - I have baro trauma in right ear - going to doctor again today -

Lesson learned - - - Know dive buddy - not just trust who you are assigned to - Don't go on Carnival Ship tour again - and Don't go with Don Fosters Diving shop in Grand Cayman.

Please respond with what you think - I think I did the right thing when ears didn't clear. . . . please help -

terrified diver - Dee

 

[Rookie_J]

Dear Fellow Divers - Newly Certified 2 months - Went on Carnival Conquest last week to Grand Cayman, and signed up for the ships tour. . . .I am Open Water Certified on 6-22-05. This was supposed to be my first Ocean Dive - - -

I wasn't sure of the weight I should be at - had a 3 mm wetsuit on - and asked divemaster for help determining weight - I was told 10 lbs. was plenty, after I told her I weighed 175 lbs.

I was told to do a buoyancy check when i got in. . . . All 10 people got in water, I got in last. . . . I tried to do check, and would not sink - therefore, I was given 2 more lbs. of weight for my bcd pocket. I was told that it would be plenty.

We went to the line - and everyone descended but me - - - I was still on top - - -the guy from the boat was screaming at me to exhale for 7 seconds, and let air out of BCD - duh - I did - and stilll would not sink - - - In the mean time - everyone was gone - It was me - alone - dive buddy left me, divemaster left me, I was alone. . . .

Another 2 lbs. were added to bcd, and I finally started to sink - alone - dive buddy gone - divemaster - gone - all 10 people 90+ feet down, on "the wall" at grand cayman.

I started to descend slowly, cleared my ears about 4 times, and could not clear them past 60 feet - - - Still alone - - - I tried to descend further because I was terrified of being without dive buddy or dive master - but couldn't - - - right ear wouldnt' clear - - - I started to get dizzy under water, and ascended a bit - - - still alone - and found the anchor line to the boat - I held the line - couldn't see anyone - (visibility was bad) - and stayed put - I thought dizziness and pain in ears woud subside, but didn't. I ascended to 25 feet on guage, had 2500 lbs. of pressure left in tank, did a 5 minute safety stop, and then went up. I made my way back to the boat, and waited for everyone else to "show up" - when Buddy came up - he asked me "where were you?" - I asked him the same question.

Then - the short tempered divemaster - came up to me, started yelling at me, and told me that this was a "guided dive" and that I should have stayed with him, and not be on my own- he yelled at me in front of 19 other divers - I tried to explain that I couldn't clear my ears, but then he accused me of trying to share a dive computer. . . that I didn't have - - - My buddy had the dive computer - my "buddy" who abandoned me. Needless to say - I started crying - not only of pain from ear, but from embarrassement from divemaster - - - I was bleeding blood from nose.

Went to ships doctor - I have baro trauma in right ear - going to doctor again today -

Lesson learned - - - Know dive buddy - not just trust who you are assigned to - Don't go on Carnival Ship tour again - and Don't go with Don Fosters Diving shop in Grand Cayman.

Please respond with what you think - I think I did the right thing when ears didn't clear. . . . please help -

terrified diver - Dee

maybe a better option would of thumb the dive... just my .02

 

[BrianS]

I would have found that DM's boss and told him what I thought of the situation.

 

[jmps]

The DM was a jerk and very unprofessional. Did he know this was your first ocean dive? If he did this treatment was really really poor. In retrospect you should have ended the dive as soon as your buddy and DM disappeared and you couldn't follow. But overall you did well I think. You did to a safety stop even in pain.

I am a XL person and needed 30 lbs my first ocean dive (OW check out dive) with a 3mm suit. Now I need less but it took a bit of playing around. The instuctor on my first dive was really great. They are out there. I would look for a non Cruise ship op that deals with smaller groups. I am booking "Dive Alison" for my daughters first ocean dives on our cruise in March in Coz and make sure she knows my daughters experience. I have heard really good things about her.

I am booked on a scuba oriented group cruise on the Carnival Valor for next December I found on "cruisecritic" The dives are all non ship related and planned by the leader. Come join what I think is a good group with several new divers.

 

[1RUSTYRIG]

Do they not teach proper weighting anymore when people get certified? You should know the amount of weight you used on your cert dives. Use that number as a starting point and work backwards from there.

I wouldn't hold the DM responsible for figuring out YOUR weight issues. That is (or was) taught in basic open water and you should have been able to ballpark it. I always dive new local/equipment/suit a tad bit on the heavy side just to make sure I can maintain neutral bouyancy on my safety stops.

I have been on dives before where when you hit the water you head for the bottom (especially on wall dives w/ current) rather than descend as a group. Was that explained to you in your pre-dive breifing?

One last thing....I would never have taken you on a 90+ ft wall dive for your first ocean dive and it is the individual's responsibility to dive within their own limits. Just my .02

 

[DiveMaven]

Dee, I think you did a fine job with the situation you were presented with. You are an inexperienced diver with no ocean diving experience who was excited about diving in Grand Cayman. You asked for guidance from the DM (as you should) and expected to get some extra help, which you didn't. Yes, when everyone disappeared and you couldn't follow, you probably should have called the dive and gone back to the boat, however, as a newbie diver, you didn't have the self-confidence to do so, and instead tried to follow directions and stay with your buddy and DM.

The fact that you were smart enough to not continue trying to dive when you couldn't equalize, couldn't see your group, and instead went to the anchor line, did a safety stop, and back to the boat with nearly a full tank speaks volumes about your good sense to me. You will be a fine diver with more experience and confidence, both which will come with time.

I would recommend that you send an e-mail to Don Foster's and describe your feelings and situation to them. There may be something you don't know about this particular DM, and the shop needs to know how customers are being treated. I would say to make your e-mail frank and honest, just like your post here.

Good luck and don't give up diving because of one bad experience. You'll learn from it and move on to be a better diver for it.

 

[deneenthom]

Dear Diving Friends - Yup - they knew this was my first Ocean Dive - I explained that I used 10 lbs when at home in fresh water, and I was too heavy for my certification dives - that 8 lbs. was better in fresh water - therefore - That is why I started with 10 lbs. for Ocean Water - - - eventually, had to add 4 more lbs to even sink. . . . The divemaster had a temper - was yelling at me, and waving his finger in my face while I was in a seated position - - - It got pretty ugly -

Dee, I think you did a fine job with the situation you were presented with. You are an inexperienced diver with no ocean diving experience who was excited about diving in Grand Cayman. You asked for guidance from the DM (as you should) and expected to get some extra help, which you didn't. Yes, when everyone disappeared and you couldn't follow, you probably should have called the dive and gone back to the boat, however, as a newbie diver, you didn't have the self-confidence to do so, and instead tried to follow directions and stay with your buddy and DM.

The fact that you were smart enough to not continue trying to dive when you couldn't equalize, couldn't see your group, and instead went to the anchor line, did a safety stop, and back to the boat with nearly a full tank speaks volumes about your good sense to me. You will be a fine diver with more experience and confidence, both which will come with time.

I would recommend that you send an e-mail to Don Foster's and describe your feelings and situation to them. There may be something you don't know about this particular DM, and the shop needs to know how customers are being treated. I would say to make your e-mail frank and honest, just like your post here.

Good luck and don't give up diving because of one bad experience. You'll learn from it and move on to be a better diver for it.

 

[deneenthom]

One more thing - to answer previous poster's question - no - it was never explained to drop as soon as you got in the water due to currents. . . .

Dear Diving Friends - Yup - they knew this was my first Ocean Dive - I explained that I used 10 lbs when at home in fresh water, and I was too heavy for my certification dives - that 8 lbs. was better in fresh water - therefore - That is why I started with 10 lbs. for Ocean Water - - - eventually, had to add 4 more lbs to even sink. . . . The divemaster had a temper - was yelling at me, and waving his finger in my face while I was in a seated position - - - It got pretty ugly -

 

[Corigan]

Maybe the DM needs to go back to class and learn how to comfort a new diver when a problem arises, instead of belitteling the diver infront of the whole boat. I think you did pretty well. I would write not only a letter to Don fosters, I would also write a letter to Carnival. I'm sure Carnival would like to know that one of the companies they are subcontracting for entertainiment of THEIR guests is behaving in an unprofessional manner.

Matt

 

[Dutchman]

I am surprised and disappointed some of the other divers did not come to your aide. That type o treatment from a paying customer would have been enough to set me off on the DM. Sounds like the DM might have been one of those know it all jerks. Unfortunately, there are a lot like this in the business. It’s all about the money. I would write a letter to Carnival expressing your displeasure. Allin all, you did OK. Just hope you recover soon and get back in the water.