Relegated to the back of the dive group

[Doctorfish]

I would categorically refuse to do this if asked. You are on holiday and deserve to enjoy your diving.
Most dive ops will let experienced divers do their own thing anyway, rather than play follow the leader. The only people you should have to be responsible for in this sort of setting are yourself and your buddy, not the whole group.

 

[dmaziuk]

You are the paying customer. Don't be intimidated. Position yourself off to one side. Instead of following swim parallel to the group.

Doesn't work in swim-throughs: you can go over or you can go in single-file. In all fairness, I can see the problem with me taking my time framing up a shot while a bunch of divers are stuck behind me in a swim-through heavily breathing their tanks down in all that excitement. We never had more than 8 people in our group on Roatan and luckily nobody was stirring up that much muck...

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I am sure to vet out a dive op to make sure that my goals and their services are compatible. If not, I look elsewhere, as I will be on vacation and don't want to deal with this sort of drama. Even if that means going with a different op than the rest of your group. We can meet up back on shore.

 

[Mouse51180]

Funk that...drop that dive shop off your list and find a new one. If HE cant watch all the people HE took out...then HE needs to hire more help. Those people aren't your responsibility. Get to the front of the pack and get yo pics bro!...let those newbies screw up the vis after you have past it. If they don't like it...I can offer them a nice perfect buoyancy class .

You dont sound like the type of person that will sit there forever holding up the group. As a photographer you need to respect the fact that people are waiting on you, but at the same time they need to respect that your money is just as green (or rainbow colored if your in Canada) as the next person. You should give yourself a time limit to hold up the group and if you dont get your shot...move on. They need to give themselves a time limit of "let him get his shot" before screwing up the scenery....oh what a perfect world this would be.

 

[agilis]

Doesn't work in swim-throughs: you can go over or you can go in single-file. In all fairness, I can see the problem with me taking my time framing up a shot while a bunch of divers are stuck behind me in a swim-through heavily breathing their tanks down in all that excitement. We never had more than 8 people in our group on Roatan and luckily nobody was stirring up that much muck...

Photography adds another element I have never been much interested in. It is possible to hang back or to even reverse direction and then catch up. I always try to make every dive as much of a solo dive as possible by keeping my distance, especially if I've dived the same area before.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Photography can complicate any group dive, as the photographer has different goals than the divers who are just wanting to swim around and look at stuff. Add in a swim-through and things can get even more complicated. The photographer generally wants to take their time, stop when they see a potential shot, take however long is needed to frame and take the shot, and usually wants to bracket or in some form take multiple shots. If the other divers are behind you in a swim-through, they are stuck until you're done. If they're in front of you, they're likely going to stir things up, leaving less than optimal conditions for a photo.

The best approach is to avoid group diving in areas where you anticipate restrictions. I had similar circumstances in the Red Sea at one of our stops that involved swimming in sea caves. One fellow kept trying to swim underneath me as I was taking photos. While I could understand his desire to keep going, no way I wanted him in front of me as his trim was ... shall we say ... less than optimal.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[uncfnp]

Unacceptable. I would not accept the responsibility or liability. Instabuddies is bad enough but no way instadive group!

How would I handle it? Just say no.

 

[scubadada]

As a paying customer, I dive where I want, ahead of the group, behind the group, off to the side of the group, or, if allowed, not with the group at all. I pick my operators based on my diving freedom, you should too

 

[Captain Swoop]

I would him to **** off, I'm the one paying him, he's working for me, not the other way round.

 

[Scott]

As someone who leads group trips I have accepted the fact that I will always be at the tail of the group. I enjoy photography as much as everyone else, but realize I may not get a large number of money shots.
I wouldn't ask a group member to become the tail. They can hang out if they want. In other words you paid to be on the trip and you should be able to dive in any position in the group you choose.