Because I go so slow, looking for critters, with a camera I often pay for a private guide.
Guided diving for advanced divers
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Alekseolsen
Contributor
I also don't like guided dives.
The biggest problem with a lot of divecenters is that they never see divers that can dive on their own. When they teach, they still only teach guided diving, even if they teach courses like aow, deep, sidemount or whatever. They also are not used to solodivers which can be a safe way to dive.
In my country every diver goes on their own after the ow course. That is normal here. So we are used to it.
The arguments like it is local law, blabla are most times just lies. And if it must be done, a good guide can just guide the direction, but let people further dive on their own. Then it is a guided dive, but it is not limiting anyone.
I never paid for a private guide and I will never do. I am certified for everything, so also to be a guide, and am instructor myself with probably more dives than most dm's that guide dives. I don't go up if others in the group have drained their tanks. This is a question I always ask before I book: Do I have to go up if someone else has drained a tank and I don't? The normal way is that just that diver goes up and the rest can continue diving. If this is not an option, the divecenter is a no go for me.
Sometimes I gave them a bad review on google. They just want to earn money as soon as possible. Also divetimes of only 45 minutes are not normal. At least 60 minutes for a recreational dive.
So tell a divecenter that you don't pay if they don't follow what they promise before the dive. Yes, it can end up with a discussion, but you have told them.
I have had some bad experiences, but happely most divecenters I visited are ok. Yes, of course I first asked the questions over a chat or email, so I could ignore the bad centers.
And yes, sadly I also have experiences where they promised things but did not do when I was there. But then tell them what they promised and also tell them you will write a review on google.
Most times you get a discount.
Of course I will also write good reviews if divecenters act like they have to act.
Going to a techdivecenter as technical diver will not always solve the problem is my experience. In most cases they have more options, but sometimes the recreational divers are the biggest income and then you get limits in your technical dives. A divecenter with only technical divers can be the choice then. But they are not always available. If I want to do just simple shore dives with my camera, I don't need or want all that equipment. I just need a tank and know what I am doing. Dives will be shallow, no deco, but can be long. So then a technical divecenter is most times not the best choice then. A lot depends on what kind of dive you want to do.
Good places to do solodives or dives with your buddy without any person who is looking at you are Bonaire or Curacao. Just rent a car, rent tanks and dive. Also no checkdives.
I have never done a checkdive. A checkdive must be in my eyes a normal dive, maybe they can spent 1 minute to see if someone can dive, but you don't waiste 5 minutes on doing skills. That is only for divers that haven't dived for a longer period. Also you don't charge for a checkdive if you want to do it on just sand. And you do it before real diving starts, so no time is waisted. If divecenters write about a mandatory checkdive, I will ask them about it and also tell them my rules as paying customer. So I never had to do it. Only had 1 time a discussion, but ended up with not doing that 'dive' that had to cost 40 euro.
But most divecenters don't do checkdives if the last dive was a week or less before arriving. In my case the last dive was most times the day before arrival.
I think the option of guided dives is for sure usefull. If divers are unsure, please go with a guide. But the lesson for divecenters must be: accept that there are divers that can do dives without a guide or can do it solo.
The biggest problem with a lot of divecenters is that they never see divers that can dive on their own. When they teach, they still only teach guided diving, even if they teach courses like aow, deep, sidemount or whatever. They also are not used to solodivers which can be a safe way to dive.
In my country every diver goes on their own after the ow course. That is normal here. So we are used to it.
The arguments like it is local law, blabla are most times just lies. And if it must be done, a good guide can just guide the direction, but let people further dive on their own. Then it is a guided dive, but it is not limiting anyone.
I never paid for a private guide and I will never do. I am certified for everything, so also to be a guide, and am instructor myself with probably more dives than most dm's that guide dives. I don't go up if others in the group have drained their tanks. This is a question I always ask before I book: Do I have to go up if someone else has drained a tank and I don't? The normal way is that just that diver goes up and the rest can continue diving. If this is not an option, the divecenter is a no go for me.
Sometimes I gave them a bad review on google. They just want to earn money as soon as possible. Also divetimes of only 45 minutes are not normal. At least 60 minutes for a recreational dive.
So tell a divecenter that you don't pay if they don't follow what they promise before the dive. Yes, it can end up with a discussion, but you have told them.
I have had some bad experiences, but happely most divecenters I visited are ok. Yes, of course I first asked the questions over a chat or email, so I could ignore the bad centers.
And yes, sadly I also have experiences where they promised things but did not do when I was there. But then tell them what they promised and also tell them you will write a review on google.
Most times you get a discount.
Of course I will also write good reviews if divecenters act like they have to act.
Going to a techdivecenter as technical diver will not always solve the problem is my experience. In most cases they have more options, but sometimes the recreational divers are the biggest income and then you get limits in your technical dives. A divecenter with only technical divers can be the choice then. But they are not always available. If I want to do just simple shore dives with my camera, I don't need or want all that equipment. I just need a tank and know what I am doing. Dives will be shallow, no deco, but can be long. So then a technical divecenter is most times not the best choice then. A lot depends on what kind of dive you want to do.
Good places to do solodives or dives with your buddy without any person who is looking at you are Bonaire or Curacao. Just rent a car, rent tanks and dive. Also no checkdives.
I have never done a checkdive. A checkdive must be in my eyes a normal dive, maybe they can spent 1 minute to see if someone can dive, but you don't waiste 5 minutes on doing skills. That is only for divers that haven't dived for a longer period. Also you don't charge for a checkdive if you want to do it on just sand. And you do it before real diving starts, so no time is waisted. If divecenters write about a mandatory checkdive, I will ask them about it and also tell them my rules as paying customer. So I never had to do it. Only had 1 time a discussion, but ended up with not doing that 'dive' that had to cost 40 euro.
But most divecenters don't do checkdives if the last dive was a week or less before arriving. In my case the last dive was most times the day before arrival.
I think the option of guided dives is for sure usefull. If divers are unsure, please go with a guide. But the lesson for divecenters must be: accept that there are divers that can do dives without a guide or can do it solo.
scubaozy
Contributor
I think you just booked with wrong company; in Egypt, obligatory group diving is not unheard of, but rather rare. I will give you a hint; I book always with DACH owned/run dive centers. German speaking crowd has very little tolerance on group diving and they are also among best qualified, so it is rather unlikely I will have to deal with a muppet. Yes, you will have to put up with the humor.
Med is a mixed bag, each country is different, some countries do not even allow you to dive unguided, you need to make your research in advance.
Med is a mixed bag, each country is different, some countries do not even allow you to dive unguided, you need to make your research in advance.
I can only agree with all the comments about doing your research in advance. Had it been my first trip to Egypt, I probably would have done. Given that it was something like my 12th visit and never had an issue before and it was with a well respected company directed at the German market and it was a liveaboard doing an itinerary for supposedly advanced divers, I never thought for a moment that it was going to be an issue.
My post was not really about how to get what you want, rather how other advanced divers feel about guided diving and large groups.
My post was not really about how to get what you want, rather how other advanced divers feel about guided diving and large groups.
Whether you like it or not, you've done checkout dives. There were just called something else like a shakedown etc.
Last week I did a checkout dive with a potential new club member. 37m with mandatory deco. They would have been checking how our club runs dives as well. All quite normal.
When I have a private guide they follow me at my pace. Hell, there are times I can't be bothered and go with the flow - diving is fun, isn't it.
The dives have done were at least on my level. So for technical diving it was of course directly something with deco and not shorter than I normally would do. With recreational diving it was also not different.
I have never cleared a mask or such things.
I have did my full trimix course with a divecenter on Malta, and that was great, ended with my first 100m dive. When I came back 6 months later they wanted me to do a checkdive at their housereef for 40 euro for 30 minutes. Their checkdives are not 29 minutes, not 31 minutes, they are really 30 minutes. And then you swim stupid with 2 or 3 stage cylinders. I have refused that. If they signed me off a cert to 100m just 6 months ago, there is no reason to do that checkdive. My buddy arrived 1 day earlier and had to do that. I didn't. But it was the last time I came at that divecenter. Such ******** I don't want to waiste time (and money).
I have never cleared a mask or such things.
I have did my full trimix course with a divecenter on Malta, and that was great, ended with my first 100m dive. When I came back 6 months later they wanted me to do a checkdive at their housereef for 40 euro for 30 minutes. Their checkdives are not 29 minutes, not 31 minutes, they are really 30 minutes. And then you swim stupid with 2 or 3 stage cylinders. I have refused that. If they signed me off a cert to 100m just 6 months ago, there is no reason to do that checkdive. My buddy arrived 1 day earlier and had to do that. I didn't. But it was the last time I came at that divecenter. Such ******** I don't want to waiste time (and money).
I love being guided by locals who understand the environment and local species. They can usually show you a lot of small things you might otherwise miss. I also enjoy exploring on my own, but a good guide will give you some new knowledge or tools to add to your exploration.
Sure Squintsalot
Contributor
I don't live anywhere near water and if I want to do any (cost-effective) diving, it must be guided. Nevertheless, by my 3rd dive, I hated relying on a guide to do "everything": stay safe, wrangling, pointing out fauna, etc.
So, I read extensively about the area, not just the pretty picture ID books, but some actual scientific publications about resource issues, interesting oceanographic/biologic topics pertinent to the area, and even some cultural issues related to the undersea life of the area. Now, when I go underwater, I'll search for very specific things that do not require the guides involvement.
I also bring some basic underwater video gear and record much of the dive. This keeps me away from the others, and the guide and the group generally leave me alone. The video is an excellent way to relive the dive and note the many things that I'd missed on the dive itself.
Additionally, I bring a plankton net and collect some microbiota that I can look at under my microscope at home, further helping me better appreciate where I'd just been. In the end, I treat the dive itself like "data collection" that I then process in the context of all I'd read prior. The "guided" part? It doesn't even figure.
So, I read extensively about the area, not just the pretty picture ID books, but some actual scientific publications about resource issues, interesting oceanographic/biologic topics pertinent to the area, and even some cultural issues related to the undersea life of the area. Now, when I go underwater, I'll search for very specific things that do not require the guides involvement.
I also bring some basic underwater video gear and record much of the dive. This keeps me away from the others, and the guide and the group generally leave me alone. The video is an excellent way to relive the dive and note the many things that I'd missed on the dive itself.
Additionally, I bring a plankton net and collect some microbiota that I can look at under my microscope at home, further helping me better appreciate where I'd just been. In the end, I treat the dive itself like "data collection" that I then process in the context of all I'd read prior. The "guided" part? It doesn't even figure.
Sure Squintsalot
Contributor
Some plankton from a recent Red Sea scuba trip:
Basic copepod
Head of a hookworm, with fangs
Shrimp Larva
Diatom
Sponge Spicule
Basic copepod
Head of a hookworm, with fangs
Shrimp Larva
Diatom
Sponge Spicule
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