Rude divers

[KatieMac]

I'm a newbie but have already experienced rude divers

• somebody swimming between me and the sand when I was hovering at about two feet watching a cool crab in the sandy bottom. I was on my 12th dive and she was on her x00th (and knew I was new) and yet she didn't seem to care that her bubbles might mess with my bouyancy
• The people who need to swim everywhere to see everything and cut in front of you to take their pic

So interested in what you have experienced so I will know what I can expect and be prepared for when I get back under water.

 

[flyboy08]

Some people don't change just because their immersed in water?

 

[Streydog]

Only been diving 3 years but have dove with quite a few different people. I would not worry about rude divers being the norm.

 

[northernone]

Divers are humans of all kinds. Some are remarkably wonderful. Most seem extra awesome, some complain a lot. Some are downright miserable humans too.... just like life.

 

[Chip Elliott]

Divers are humans of all kinds. Some are remarkably wonderful. Most seem extra awesome, some complain a lot. Some are downright miserable humans too.... just like life.

All too true.

 

[uncfnp]

Hi Katie. Did this happen again or was it the same dive trip you posted about this past spring?

 

[tilikum]

Next time that happens, give them the universal hand signal.

 

[Scott]

There's really only 10 rude people in the world, of course they move around a lot.

Some people just get in their own little world when they're diving or even breathing on land and just don't pay attention. Just increase your situation awareness and laugh at them when they do bone head things.

As for taking images. I missed a lot of shots because I choose the stay behind and let others fight it out to see what the DM is pointing at.
I remember a few years ago I was diving Key Largo with a small group of SB peeps and a guide from the shop we were using more or less shoved me out of the way to show his 'clients' something.

 

[tilikum]

Throw your elbows out when that happens!

 

[scubadiver888]

When I was new to diving I would pick dive trips which felt 'safe'. Not safe from a diving perspective but more I wasn't a seasoned traveller and wanted everything to go well. I would pick the trips which would attract a certain crowd. After a while I started making dive friends. I would find out from them how to find better dive packages. The cost of diving went down a little or the cost of a dive was the same but the dives were longer.

The dives I first went on would be run by people who couldn't afford to turn away rude divers. They were nice to everyone. Now I go diving with shops that will say something to a rude diver. They are okay losing the business. They get a reputation. Rude divers would say a bad reputation. Good divers would say a good reputation.

Over time, you'll avoid the bad dive packages and thus the rude divers. I'd say when I first started diving, EVERY dive had a rude diver. The longer they had been diving the more rude they were. As I found dive friends and different dives (shops looking for quality over quantity) I stopped seeing rude divers. Now it is rare to see a rude diver.