Horrible Divers Everywhere?

[rob.mwpropane]

Let me start by saying I'm a recreation diver with the overpriced "advanced" card and the expensive nitrox card to go with it. I'm not a perfect diver, always working on something. My trim could use some work, still adjusting the final touches on my bp/w, but there are some things that I just DON'T do.

I live in MD so most of my experience is quarry diving. Thank goodness for quarries because there's little life to disturb and while it is REALLY frowned upon to crash into the bottom, it does happen at times, but for the most part I see divers avoiding it at all costs. There's platforms for that I guess.

I'm getting to my point. I'm here in FL and went diving at my FAVORITE place to dive, the Blue Heron Bridge. WTF? There were divers everywhere CRAWLING ON THE BOTTOM (I've never been on a weekend). Classes were being taught on the bottom. I saw one discover scuba (I guess) where her guide was literally trying to pick her crawling ass up of the floor. She was crawling on all fours towards a structure to see the fish. I was appalled. I bet 70% of the divers I saw were on the floor. It's not a quarry (where people get pissed if your on the bottom because you destroy the visibility). It's a habitat.

I dive with my wife for the most part, and while I have a long way to go, she has a longer way to go, but WE DO NOT TOUCH THE BOTTOM. Yesterday I was so proud of her as a diver (and myself I guess). We never touched the bottom. We're not perfect, but destroying the habitat of little creatures is unacceptable. Yo-yo'ing buoyancy is unacceptable.

I know I'm ranting, but is this the norm? I've never dove around numerous divers, but is this how most easily accessible places are? Please enlighten me on a different perspective. If this is how people are taught why would they ever change?

Now wonder people move on to tec. It's to get tf away from the masses?

 

[Marie13]

You’re in a vacation destination. That seems to attract a lot of folks who don’t dive much except on vacation, as far as I can tell from my reading.

 

[mcpowell]

You should avoid the cattle boats when you go on a boat dive....just sayin’

The better recreational divers will migrate towards the small 6-pack boats.

 

[hammet]

If you're in FL and your favorite place to dive is the BHB, something is amiss.
Go hop on a charter boat and dive a reef or wreck!

 

[ofg-1]

At the bridge, the bottom is sand with spaced structures. Not 200 feet away, you have a metric assload of boats anchored in the sand. I will guarantee you that a 30 foot long tiki hut built on a pontoon boat dragging around in those tides will tear up the sand bottom a hell of a lot more than a diving class. And that does not take into account the cruise ships and freighters in the turning basin (also sand), or the barges in the intracoastal dragging along the bottom (also sand). There are numerous phone, power, fiber optic and secure communications cables going to Peanut Island that were installed by jetting them with high pressure water into the sand, I personally installed several. Try to have some perspective.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

You should avoid the cattle boats when you go on a boat dive....just sayin’

The better recreational divers will migrate towards the small 6-pack boats.

I agree. We went out with an outfit last year and it was not enjoyable. Way too many people wanting to move way too fast through the water.

If you're in FL and your favorite place to dive is the BHB, something is amiss.
Go hop on a charter boat and dive a reef or wreck!

I have, they're great. I just like my shore dives, and BHB on a weekday when no one is there is the bees knees (in my opinion anyway).

 

[rob.mwpropane]

At the bridge, the bottom is sand with spaced structures. Not 200 feet away, you have a metric assload of boats anchored in the sand. I will guarantee you that a 30 foot long tiki hut built on a pontoon boat dragging around in those tides will tear up the sand bottom a hell of a lot more than a diving class. And that does not take into account the cruise ships and freighters in the turning basin (also sand), or the barges in the intracoastal dragging along the bottom (also sand). There are numerous phone, power, fiber optic and secure CATV cables going to Peanut Island that were installed by jetting them with high pressure water into the sand, I personally installed several. Try to have some perspective.

Lol, that's why I posted. I literally said I'm looking for a different perspective and you sir have given it to me. I totally understand that my view is limited because of my limited experience. That all makes sense. I'm not ok with it, but I definitely see the bigger picture. Thanks!

 

[Ana]

Another thing to keep in mind is a particular human condition of spotting the odd behavior.
Don't know for BHB in particular because I stopped going regularly around '99... i think I went to a scubaboard turkey event few years back and remembered it's not my thing.
With my likes/dislikes aside there's a great number of locals that go there regularly and are amazing divers. Maybe they dive under your radar, or maybe they weren't there at the time.
Your lucky day maybe? You show up on tourist day?
Not defending divers in general, they should all leave my ocean.... But at the same time, 1 visit to a dive site with a max depth below 20' doesn't seem enough to paint divers with any brush.
Enjoy Florida's five sites!

 

[tekkydiver]

You should avoid the cattle boats when you go on a boat dive....just sayin’

The better recreational divers will migrate towards the small 6-pack boats.

The best ones have their own boats

 

[decompression]

You, like many of us have witnessed the “MacDonalds” of scuba training.......there are many factors but, this the result of what a vast majority of our scuba training has evolved into.