Weight distribution and the boat crew

[eelnoraa]

I haven't been on a cold water boat where crew will pick up my rig. It only happens to me in warm water destination. In that case, I will be using AL plate, AL80 and 6lb on camband. I kind of think a wet BC is probably the same weight as an AL plate with 6lb of lead. And all are not that big of a deal compare to dry weight of a tank.

 

[matts1w]

In Indonesia, and other places around here, the "problem" is two-fold. Obviously there is the issue of lugging the gear into the boat/tender at the end of the dive. We also have to walk gear from the dive shop to the boat which can be pretty far if the tide is out. Often, the boat crew will gladly carry tanks and BCs, and customers are asked to carry weight belts/pockets, masks, and fins. Every now and then you see some guy leisurely walking through the water with his mask on his head and a pair of fins, and meanwhile his poor dive guide is shouldering his rig strung with a ton of weight. Not cool. Sadly, the Indonesian guides are always too kind to suggest said guy should walk out his own BP/W and assemble it in the boat.

I just replaced my Scubapro Knighthawk with SP's Tec BP/W system partially because I found it easier to simply wear with a weight belt than carry the too-expensive-to-drop weight pockets, plus fins, plus a big camera....plus no one has to stress about accidentally dropping a $5.00 piece of webbing in 100 meters of water at the end of a dive. (The other reason is the BP/W packs easier and lighter.)

I'm sure the boat crews like me better too.

 

[EmJay]

Diving in Sodwana is done off a rib. It's warm water diving, so very little weights are required (most recreational divers dive a 5mm suit). I usually dive an AL 10L, back inflate BC and weight belt. Although, 12L steel cylinders are not uncommon. We first kit up, then the operator will transport all the gear down to the boat with a small tractor and transfer all the gear to the boat. They also offload all the gear from the boat and transfer it back to the kit up area.

When we surface, we pass up our weight belt first (if you don't have a camera), then BC. When passing up the weight belt, I am usually careful to remove it properly (so not to drop it) and pass it up with both sides of the belt in my hand. I am not worried about losing my weight belt. It's not a fancy/expensive weight belt. But I would be concerned about the potential damage it does to the reef should I or the DM/Skipper were to drop it.

We generally pass up the BC and give a small push underneath the tank to help the DM/Skipper pull it up. I am paying for the service, but I find it courteous to do so. If there is a large group of divers surfacing at once (3 or more), I have (and seen other divers too) help pull up gear onto the boat/store cameras etc.

So you can see that a DM can potentially move each set up to 6 times (from kit up to tractor, tractor to boat, help kitting up, from water onto boat, boat onto tractor, tractor to kit up area), with 10 people per boat that adds up quickly.

I am a new diver, but surely adding a bunch of weight to your BC/wing is not good for it in the long term? Carrying a weight belt separate from my dive bag is a pain, but I don't feel comfortable diving without easily ditch-able weights.

 

[fnfalman]

You are callous. If you bugger up the backs of the majority of crew, the ship is heading back to port and no one gets to dive. It's a medical condition, and if they are in pain, they deserve the same consideration as a customer. They are, after all, human beings.

Then the dive charter need to staff the crew properly and teach the crew how to use the correct lifting techniques.

I paid their wages so that I can enjoy my dives with my gears. I don't pay them so that I can use substandard or non-personalized gears for their convenience.

When I was working as a loader for UPS, I loaded trucks all day long with plenty of packages that are just shy of 70-lbs by myself. Should I have asked the customers to split up the packages for my convenience?

---------- Post added March 19th, 2014 at 09:18 AM ----------

I am a new diver, but surely adding a bunch of weight to your BC/wing is not good for it in the long term? Carrying a weight belt separate from my dive bag is a pain, but I don't feel comfortable diving without easily ditch-able weights.

That's because you're not used to seeing dry suit divers in very cold water diving environment. Between the dry suit and their undergarments, it's not unusual to see divers needing up to 30+ lbs of lead to dive. You can only pack so much weight on a weight belt.

---------- Post added March 19th, 2014 at 09:20 AM ----------

Every now and then you see some guy leisurely walking through the water with his mask on his head and a pair of fins, and meanwhile his poor dive guide is shouldering his rig strung with a ton of weight. Not cool. Sadly, the Indonesian guides are always too kind to suggest said guy should walk out his own BP/W and assemble it in the boat.

What's the point of going on these exotic dive vacations where they boast full and total service and not using it? As long as the diver tips the crew well at the end of the day, what does it matter?

If you want to lug your own gears and all that jazz, come to SoCal. That's how we do it here.

 

[TSandM]

Man, I sure hope I never in my life reach a point where I think paying money means I don't have to regard the people I'm paying as human beings with their own issues. My mother raised me to be considerate and polite, and I don't much like being waited on (while also enjoying it, a guilty pleasure). When people are taking care of me, I think it's good manners to do what I can to make their jobs easier, or at least not to cause them any undue hardship. If I can do something simple like rearrange some weight to make their load a little lighter, why on earth not?

 

[fnfalman]

Man, I sure hope I never in my life reach a point where I think paying money means I don't have to regard the people I'm paying as human beings with their own issues. My mother raised me to be considerate and polite, and I don't much like being waited on (while also enjoying it, a guilty pleasure). When people are taking care of me, I think it's good manners to do what I can to make their jobs easier, or at least not to cause them any undue hardship. If I can do something simple like rearrange some weight to make their load a little lighter, why on earth not?

Aren't these dive vacation spots always boasting about full, luxurious service?

Don't you pay a lot more than other vacation spots for these services?

Sure, I'd appreciate their help and I'll treat them as human beings, but at the same time I'm paying for a service. If I think that the crew is overworked, then I'd talk to management.

I am not saying that just because I throw a few dollars around, it means that I can treat people like dirt. However at the same time, I'm paying for a service and I should get that service.

If you don't want to be waited on, then don't use those types of charters. I don't like to be waited on hands and feet, that's why I prefer SoCal diving. I do my thing and expect minimal help from the crew. Of course, I'm not paying $7000 for a week's worth of diving either.

 

[Edward3c]

Aren't these dive vacation spots always boasting about full, luxurious service?

Don't you pay a lot more than other vacation spots for these services?

Sure, I'd appreciate their help and I'll treat them as human beings, but at the same time I'm paying for a service. If I think that the crew is overworked, then I'd talk to management.

I am not saying that just because I throw a few dollars around, it means that I can treat people like dirt. However at the same time, I'm paying for a service and I should get that service.

If you don't want to be waited on, then don't use those types of charters. I don't like to be waited on hands and feet, that's why I prefer SoCal diving. I do my thing and expect minimal help from the crew. Of course, I'm not paying $7000 for a week's worth of diving either.

Under UK Health & Safety rules there is a limit to what can be lifted by employees (as defined by a risk assessment, but following maximum limits published by the HSE). Guests can lift whatever they like.

 

[Laurie S.]

Due to back problems and a hip replacement, I rarely will attempt to climb a ladder on a dive boat. And, it's not possible to climb the ladder at all on my boat with gear on. I take it off in the water and always help by pushing the tank up as they are pulling. I usually also put the gear on in the water, otherwise if I try and walk with it on, I'm in a lot of pain the next day.

 

[Storker]

Man, I sure hope I never in my life reach a point where I think paying money means I don't have to regard the people I'm paying as human beings with their own issues. My mother raised me to be considerate and polite, and I don't much like being waited on (while also enjoying it, a guilty pleasure). When people are taking care of me, I think it's good manners to do what I can to make their jobs easier, or at least not to cause them any undue hardship. If I can do something simple like rearrange some weight to make their load a little lighter, why on earth not?

Dude(tte), I'd started thinking that I (and my wife, of course) were the only people left on earth thinking like this. Now, I realize there's at least three of us! :shocked2:

 

[EmJay]

Aren't these dive vacation spots always boasting about full, luxurious service?

Don't you pay a lot more than other vacation spots for these services?

Sure, I'd appreciate their help and I'll treat them as human beings, but at the same time I'm paying for a service. If I think that the crew is overworked, then I'd talk to management.

I am not saying that just because I throw a few dollars around, it means that I can treat people like dirt. However at the same time, I'm paying for a service and I should get that service.

If you don't want to be waited on, then don't use those types of charters. I don't like to be waited on hands and feet, that's why I prefer SoCal diving. I do my thing and expect minimal help from the crew. Of course, I'm not paying $7000 for a week's worth of diving either.

Purely for interest, diving in Sodwana is around ZAR270 a dive (around $27), so it's pretty cheap in my books. A full weekend of diving (5 dives, 3 nights worth of accommodation in 3 star self catering units) can cost as little as ZAR2500 ($250) if diving with certain LDS. Really a bargain in you don't have to travel far.

I guess certain areas have certain customs. I generally like to be friendly and carry my own weight (hehe, see what I did there?).