OP
wagonburner
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Thanks everyone for the reply. And any body from SB are down there at that time and want to get together. Hit me up
No dive buddy
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After your dive, you should ask the DM or your buddy for tips about the last dive.
I was one of many sole divers on a boat in Turks & Caicos last year. There was one guy that I considered to be downright dangerous with all of his hand finning and just outright spastic behavior underwater. He never asked for tips on his skill set. I tried to stay away from him and was glad that he blew through his air faster than me (and I'm a Hoover).
I was one of many sole divers on a boat in Turks & Caicos last year. There was one guy that I considered to be downright dangerous with all of his hand finning and just outright spastic behavior underwater. He never asked for tips on his skill set. I tried to stay away from him and was glad that he blew through his air faster than me (and I'm a Hoover).
OP
wagonburner
Registered
I hopefully I don't get someone like that gezz. I'm very laid back easy going .but also safety #1.. I'm not into skipping any thing safety related due to lazyness or cockyness. Like to have a plan as well as a few senario back up plans set in place And if things go wrong. Know what my buddy is expecting from me.. As well as what im expecting from him .If situation occurs. I hope it goes well
And yes asking the DM sounds like a good idea . Thanks
And yes asking the DM sounds like a good idea . Thanks
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KentB
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In my somewhat minimal boat diving experience
1-let the experienced divers or anyone doing deco dives in the water first its not a rush to get in first and your gonna be waiting for them anyways.
2- be polite and straight up about your skillset/ experience
3- have fun and WANT to learn things and get better
i did these minor things and met some tech divers on the boats who Ive dove with since who were more than happy to give me tips pointers and general advice and Ive learned so much from them and gained some good dive buddies.
most of them just want to be in the water and acknowledge they were there at one point as well and they have generally been put in their place that they DONT know everything and theres always room to learn and have no problems going with less experienced people who WANT to learn.
one of my best diving buddies is GUE tech 2 and I met him on dive like 25-30 when i was doing my AOW he had zero issues going out with me in the following weeks and taught me so much
1-let the experienced divers or anyone doing deco dives in the water first its not a rush to get in first and your gonna be waiting for them anyways.
2- be polite and straight up about your skillset/ experience
3- have fun and WANT to learn things and get better
i did these minor things and met some tech divers on the boats who Ive dove with since who were more than happy to give me tips pointers and general advice and Ive learned so much from them and gained some good dive buddies.
most of them just want to be in the water and acknowledge they were there at one point as well and they have generally been put in their place that they DONT know everything and theres always room to learn and have no problems going with less experienced people who WANT to learn.
one of my best diving buddies is GUE tech 2 and I met him on dive like 25-30 when i was doing my AOW he had zero issues going out with me in the following weeks and taught me so much
We dove with PCDC last year. Later in the tourist season as you describe. We called them and told them what days we wanted to dive and they collected names behind the scenes and called us on days with enough folks. On day one they had a "spare" DM that was out to dive on his own. Very good with the mentoring on deck. I assume most dive shops probably do the same with the scheduling portion..
Tips you didn't ask for:
1) start setting up your gear after you're done with any sight seeing, and before you get to the mooring. As newbies we didn't know this for dive one, day one.
2) After dive one, we basically announced to those on deck that as a family we were newbies and were open to any pointers. Was very cool casual group that had tidbits and a modicum of chiding, all done with acknowledgements that they were new once too.
As others have said, be honest, be open. I think that projecting yourself as a learner will engender yourself to anyone with a bit of the mentoring spirit. Not every pack of divers will be like the ones we had but if you're lucky yours will be as well. Good luck. It is a fun dive area.
Tips you didn't ask for:
1) start setting up your gear after you're done with any sight seeing, and before you get to the mooring. As newbies we didn't know this for dive one, day one.
2) After dive one, we basically announced to those on deck that as a family we were newbies and were open to any pointers. Was very cool casual group that had tidbits and a modicum of chiding, all done with acknowledgements that they were new once too.
As others have said, be honest, be open. I think that projecting yourself as a learner will engender yourself to anyone with a bit of the mentoring spirit. Not every pack of divers will be like the ones we had but if you're lucky yours will be as well. Good luck. It is a fun dive area.
Do you correct folks that you see hand finning? Obviously, it would be harder to do in the water than after the dive. I did not correct the diver. I have learned many times that folks think free advice is worth what they paid for it. Also, this guy just didn't seem the type to take advice. I was just a passenger. I saw on the bus to the dive site that he was a blowhard, so I was leery early. As a DM, do you pull this type of diver aside and let him know he could accidentally pull a reg out of another diver's mouth? The DM on this trip didn't say anything. I think she was glad to get everyone back on board without an incident. Frankly, I was a little disappointed she didn't admonish him a little bit.
OP
wagonburner
Registered
Great advice great pointers from everybody.. I just want to dive and have a decent buddy and suck up all the knowledge I can gain. And have a good time while doing it . And if anybody else has has pointers or advice I'm open ears.
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To be honest, I only recall seeing two divers hand finning--one was my first and only regular buddy and I did mention it (I was a newbie then too). The other was in Panama but was the "motel" owner and basically part of the staff, so I felt it was the DM on board's place to correct it.
I could be wrong, but from what I read on SB this type of thing seems to happen more in the tropics with "vacation" divers who maybe haven't dived in a year, or it's been a while since their OW course. The charters I've been on in the U.S. usually had fairly experienced divers with good skills and no need for a dive guide or advice on hand finning.
Contrary to what many say, I do believe there are odd times when use of arms when diving is appropriate, but that's another subject.
As a few folk above have said, speak to the operators and most will hook you up no problems. If numbers are odd you might end up diving as a three but that isn't too bad.
Be up front with the folk you dive with about your experience and consumption - a little consideration on both sides goes a long way. Most people will happily dive with someone relatively inexperienced so long as they now that - if not you don't want to be diving with them anyway!.You might be lucky and get teamed up with someone who will help you out (I find that if I am watching the other divers I always pick up things that I can learn from - either things to try to master or things to avoid doing).
Be up front with the folk you dive with about your experience and consumption - a little consideration on both sides goes a long way. Most people will happily dive with someone relatively inexperienced so long as they now that - if not you don't want to be diving with them anyway!.You might be lucky and get teamed up with someone who will help you out (I find that if I am watching the other divers I always pick up things that I can learn from - either things to try to master or things to avoid doing).
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