Don't help?

[northernone]

I've had people "help" me with my equipment resulting in:

Busted mask
Wrenched back
Both falling (x3)
Blown hose (x2)
Gear offboard
Broken fin strap
Ripped wetsuit zipper (x3)
Tank turned off (x10+)
Gear misplaced
Camera port scratched (x3)
Cheaper camera flooded (x2)

(All that experienced by a diver who the majority of the time dives solo.)

Despite all that I love help and enjoy a community where we lend a hand without hesitation.

For me: Please ask what help is welcome and listen to the specifics of the reply.

What's the nicest way you've figured how to welcome help from fellow divers?

What's that conversation sound like when with new dive buddies?

Cameron

 

[TMHeimer]

Wow that's a lot even with your high dive count. How did they--
Bust your mask, hose, fin straps?
I too dive mostly solo and have asked others to turn my air on several times. Also Have leant my spare mask to others a couple of times, but that's about it.

 

[Marie13]

I often have some sort of a limp going (bad knees/sciatica) which often result in offers of help.

The “not nice” situations are when I’m frustrated about something and swearing a blue streak. Depending on the specifics, I may or may not accept help!

 

[Akimbo]

To be fair, could you even list all the times that people helped that was... well, helpful?

Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to properly help a diver. Commercial diver training includes being a tender, partly because that is often where divers begin their career, but also to learn how to important they are. It is fascinating watching the choreographed duet between the diver and tender.

One of the ways I make new friends is to say "can I show you a great trick for putting those wet gloves on?". It never fails regardless of experience or gender. I should probably make a video.

 

[flyboy08]

The only help I’ve ever recieved was the crew walking with me to the back of the boat to splash....and handing my camera or fins after the dive to a crew member....other than that, I’m pretty much self sufficient

 

[Charles2]

when I’m frustrated about something and swearing a blue streak. Depending on the specifics, I may or may not accept help!

I might add that when you are "swearing a blue streak", I might be afraid to help.

 

[dghedric]

I can't zip my back zip drysuit on my own... but always give it an extra tug after my dive buddy zips it for me...

 

[northernone]

Wow that's a lot even with your high dive count. How did they--
Bust your mask, hose, fin straps?
I too dive mostly solo and have asked others to turn my air on several times. Also Have leant my spare mask to others a couple of times, but that's about it.

I look open to needing help.... and don't immediately yell at people who touch my gear, so I guess I get more help than most.

-Mask was handed up, and then they set my tank on it. Thankfully it was only a backup mask.

[Typos edited, thanks] -Hose ruptured when a guy dropped my tank upside-down and a rock shearing off the hose. Second time was dropping it against a wall, blew the fitting

-Fin strap was pulling it tight towards my toe instead of away, snapping my buckle.

My favorite help is for balence in the shallows or for handling me things. That or hoses which are hiding somewhere.

 

[Charles2]

Being over 70 and white-haired, I still see the facial expressions and body language of the other divers when I get on the boat that silently say "OMG, I hope he is not in our group". That feeling seems to go away after the first dive though. At first, I resented the offers of help, probably due to some overblown sense of self-sufficiency; but now, I've gotten over that and I appreciate all the help I get. I have also had many, many instances when that help resulted in turned off air, jammed wetsuit zippers, and falls on a rolling deck and other calamities. I think that maybe it's all just part of the experience and I can assure you that I love diving, I love diving with new people, I love diving with old people.

 

[flyboy08]

I think we all like to lend assistance to fellow divers as it makes us look like we know what we’re doing