What is the largest group you have been diving with?

[JodiBB]

The largest boat I've been on held about 30 people, but once we got to our destination, we broke off based on classes (a lot of OW and AOW classes and they stayed with their perspective instructors). The largest group that I've ever dove with was 7 (including myself). It was a night dive and we got bunched up on each other in the kelp pretty easily.

 

[dannobee]

I was diving in Puerto Vallarta and at one of the dive sites the Chico's dive shop boat pulled up and divers and snorkelers started jumping off of the boat at the same time. There must have been about 60-70 of them total. Thank gawd we were just ending our dive and were getting back into the boat. How can the DM's keep track of that many people?

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

SE Florida diving.....
Most recent dive.....

I have noticed a trend that is very impressive...

Wreck dives are tied off, groups are separatated into teaching and diving...
drift dives are much the same... teaching groups are tossed off the boats for their learning groups.... and others are dropped in other areas. Fantastic for those of us who are more experienced... better for those who are less experienced... Why?

I recently showed a less experienced group, assigned to my drift how to spot rarely sighted reef life, such as stone fish... once spotted by it's tail fin, the less experienced divers thought it was the best part of their dive... some times, new divers are excited to see how we experienced divers do it!!!

But, most of these SE Florida dives have occurred with less than 6 divers. Generally, I don't dive with more than 6 other divers ... most cases I am set with 1 (one diver) for buddie's sale

 

[Davwardo]

I just came back from Grand Cayman. There are quite a few cattle boats there ( especially with the cruise ships ). However, if you research a bit you can find a lot of operators that specifically state they will only take max 8 / 10 people.

Its worth taking a bit of time to look around to make sure you aren't on that cattle boat!

 

[DeputyDan]

My first ever ocean dive was in Key Largo with Amy Slades operation.

I don't know how many were diving but I counted twice - once I counted 48 and the second time 49 people on the dive boat.

Learned later that that is not the norm.

 

[ScubaKai]

Never found large groups to be a problem, unless on a night dive. My dive buddy and I always distance ourselves from large groups by swimming slower on in a completely different direction. Too many bubbles disrupt the visibility.

 

[drbill]

We've had as many as 35 divers on the King Neptune before. With groups that large, the captain and two DM's are present on board during the dive. Plus a number of those divers are in classes with their own instructors and DM's.

It is typical here to have a single DM and the captain handle loads in the 20's, with the DM on board during the dive. Guided dives are the exception rather than the rule here... unlike the places I've dived internationally.

Of course there are the days when there may be 425 or more divers in the dive park... even then you can still find areas where there are few or no other divers present.

 

[Lonefox]

on a recent liveaboard in the red sea we went around in a big 20 man team on the last dive. we swarmed under unsuspecting italian swimmers and let rip with dual regulator purging. needless to say they got a surprise when the water started boiling around them.

You should have let a DSMB go polaris as a follow up

 

[Thalassamania]

I read that during the "Hands Across America" thing there were a few folks (at one end or the other,or maybe it was a lake in the middle?) who were part of the chain whil on scuba - that makes for a pretty big group. Does anyone have the real story?

 

[Rick Inman]

On a recent dive trip without my usual dive buddy, I was on a boat with about 16 other divers (maybe 17), two dive masters, and two intern dive master trainees. I was shocked when we were not broken down into two groups. I asked, and was told we were going as one big group. At least 20 divers total in the group including DMs and trainees.

I think I found a picture of your group: PICTURE