How does one avoid a Trust Me dive ??

[Sean C]

In a lot of the posts I have read there is a common concern regarding divers getting into situations which are outside of the scope of their training.

The simple question is, how do you know if you are really ready for a dive? I understand the general concept: don't exceed your training, stay within the scope of your experience, be proficient in your skills/training/equipment.

But, I will confess that when I ask an instructor/DM/guide if this new divesite is suitable given my experience/training/logged dives, I am placing a great deal of trust in that individuals hands. Note: If I am not confortable or my wife is unsure, we don't go and both of us have called a dive when we encountered a severe surge at a particular site. But the point remains, that in the process of continuing to improve as a diver you are often required to step beyond what you have already done, ie, go deeper, less visibility, etc. When does it go from pushing the scope of your training to a trust me dive?

Have any of the more experienced divers ever tried to prevent a less experienced diver from making a dive? I hope that if I am ever blindly following the lead of another more qualified individual that someone would pull me aside and let me know the dive will be more difficult than what I was being told!

Sorry this is such an involved question.

Sean

 

[MikeFerrara]

A couple of things.

We all go beyond our expeience a little. That's how we become more experienced. I think the key is to take small enough steps that you can manage.


There's always a chance of running into conditions or a situation on a dive that we've never had to deal with before.

If we do our best to know what conditions we're diving in, be prepared as far as knowledge and skills and plan the dive then it isn't a trust me dive.

 

[String]

The ONLY way to improve experience and exposure to a variety of conditions is in fact to go outside what you're used to. There is a limit but you should use your knowledge of diving, apply it to for example a new site, set yourself cutoff points where if those conditions are exceeded you'll call it and go for it.

"Trust me" dives arent always that bad, someone who knows the site with more knowledge of the area than you is the type of person really you should be asking whilst deciding whether to dive or not - local knowledge is absolutely invaluable.

If everyone only stuck to their experience and known sites then diving would be very dull indeed - no new dive sites at all for example.

 

[cdiver2]

I have taken divers on a trust me dive BUT I have known the divers and what there capability's are. After explaining the dive if they have felt unsure then don't do it I have no problems with that.
I think you must know the dive leader and there capability's and they yours.

 

[diverbrian]

I happen to agree with the rest of the crowd here. At a recent outing that I was on, more than one person got in their first night dive (we did two of them). But, it was in a quarry that we had dove all day to a max depth of about 40 ft. We didn't feel like adding other factors like unknown terrain or depth to mix. One new experience at a time, LOL.

Agree just how far you want to stretch your capabilities. If the dive will exceed that expectation either during the dive or in the pre-dive briefing, call the dive or adjust to your new comfort level. Now suddenly, it is a new learning experience and not a trust me dive.

Just the fact that you asking this question indicates that you will do fine.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I don't define a trust me dive as one where you take advantage of a guid who knows the site better than you do.

A question I would ask myself though is "Do I feel comfortable completing the dive plan without the serices of the guid if I need to?"

Can you plan your own decmpression for the dive?
Can you plan your own gas for the dive?
Can you take over the navigation if you need to?

When we dive we have a designated leader. Some one is designated to call deco. That helps keep every one on the same page but every one is able to take over any role if needed.

So another question might be..Are you an active participant of the team or are you relying on some one else to do your diving for you?

 

[The Kraken]

If you feel as if your wet suit just got a little bit too tight,especially in the stomach area, don't do it.

 

[Sean C]

A question I would ask myself though is "Do I feel comfortable completing the dive plan without the serices of the guid if I need to?"

Thanks Mike, the above question does help simplify things. I now feel better knowing I have yet to do a trust me dive. Well, except for those OW training dives...

 

[LenC]

I agree that the only way you can gain experience is to take a whole lot of first steps. Every new experience requires a first time. The trick is not getting into a situation which is so new that you can't handle it at all. If you discuss the dive with someone familiar with it and think it is beyond your capacity, blow it off. It sounds like that is what you do. If you think it is on the edge of your capacity and your feeling good, give it a shot.

And yes, I have told new divers they were not ready to do a dive and have even asked boat captains to change a destination to something more in keeping with their skills. I'd rather do a less challenging dive myself than have to pull someone out of the water any day.

 

[AzAtty]

A "trust me" dive implies some level of ignorance on the trusting diver's part. Learning about the dive site, conditions, and possible hazards can assist you in evaluating whether you believe the dive is within the scope of your experience, just barely outside your scope of experience, or far beyond your experience.

For instance, take a deep dive. Pre-dive intelligence of "the bottom is at 100 feet" is inadequate for you to gauge how far outside (or inside) your experience you will be diving. You may feel more comfortable making your first series of deep dives on a site with a slope that gradually drops to 100 feet, rather than a canyon wall that plunges to 100 feet. Yet both dive sites could fit within the general description of "100 foot bottom," while presenting very different challenges.

The devil is in the details. Get as many details about the dive as possible, and then the dive is no longer a "trust me" dive. You'll either dive with a better idea of the complexity of the dive, or you'll pass on the dive.