WHERE'S THE FIRE???

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Now I'm the first one in the water as soon as the captain says "the pool is open" and can't understand why others are not ready to dive when the tag line goes out. You came to dive, why are you still on the boat? Let's go diving people.

They have, "I would really like someone else jump in first apprehension syndrome"

It's a race 360GUY, they cover twice the distance I do and I'm on a scooter and the divers don't know or just go with the flow as disconnecting the brain is part of the deal of being accepted
 
Be early is likely the best advice. Early to have your gear organized. Early to have your wetsuit on. etc etc. Then you are not rushed. With time that gets smoother (which is faster) and easier and you learn how much early you need to be for some op.

Solo need not mean that you dive separate from the group, just that your prep to get in does not involve sorting things out with another diver. So one fewer set of things to do.
 
And it’s good to get your gear put together while at the dock before you’re on a rocking boat.
 
Can someone please help me to better understand the DIVE TRIP environment?

I've just completed my 25th dive. I will admit that the things I've seen, while diving, have been unbelievably beautiful, mysterious, bizarre, etc...HOWEVER, every one of my experiences have been soured by this one component, that I have found on EVERY SINGLE DIVE TRIP I've undertaken, which have been about 12.

WHAT THE H*** IS EVERYONE RUSHING FOR???

1. Meeting time 8:30a
2. Boart departs 9:00am
3. Everyione RACES to put on their wetsuits and gear.
4. The DMs are frantically attaching everyone's regulators to the various tanks.
5. The DMs race through the dive briefing
6. We arrive at the dive site.
7. Everyone is frantically putting on their floppy flippers.
8. There's now a RACE to slip into your BC and get in the water.
9. NO SAFETY CHECKS - NO SURFACE WEIGHT CHECKS
10. Everyone gives the "OK" sign, and down we go.
11. Dive ends
12. DMs frantically switch out everyone's regulators with new tanks - YES, ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, I HAVE BEEN GIVEN AN EMPTY TANK!
13. Fruit, sandwhiches, and water bottles are passed out as the boat RACES to the next dive site.
14. We arrive - SEE #3-#10
15. 2nd dive ends as we RACE back to the shop.

Am I totally missing something? It wouldn't be the first time... I undertstand I'm entering an environment as a total newbie, but here's my conclusion: THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE TRIP WAS TO GET TO THE DIVE SITE - GET THE DIVERS IN THE WATER - GET THROUGH THE DIVES - END THE DIVES - GET BACK TO THE SHOP - ALL IN WORLD RECORD TIME!!! It's like the boat and all divers will suddenly turn into LAND CRABS if the whole process doesn't get completed in 3 hours!!!

Listen, I realize, underwater, ya can't stop at every little fish and hold a seminar...LOL...And that you have to keep going, because of nitrogen buildup and air consumption...

But, this has been my experience on EVERY SINGLE TRIP...All different operators. At the end of the day, the most prominent memory is the harried and hectic dive trip I undertook...

My goodness, as divers we enter such an alien world, with signts and experiences that are so magnificent and bizarre they can only been seen while doing what we do, wearing the gear we wear, headfing to the sites we visit...BUT, NONE OF THAT MATTERS...What matters is only that we get out and back in 3 hours...and that everyone gets some fruit.

I don't know! Maybe I'm complaining about NOTHING, and it's ME that needs to "catch up." It's just the race into water that seems so off-putting....Sorry for long posting...
It's not always like that. Some operators aren't quite so worried about the bottom line to the point they rush the dive.

One operator in Maui got to know us after a couple of dives. BTW when you start diving with them they ask you how many lifetime dives you have, when was your last dive, etc. If we had a mixed group in the 6 pack boat they splashed us first and we met everyone else at the mooring anchor. We're good on gas and dive Nitrox so the DM would herd the other up when it was time and told us we could hang out a bit before surfacing. I saw more fish per minute loitering under the boat than most other parts of the dive.

We've had similar experience on both coasts of Mexico and a liveaboard in Indonesia. Now we live on Bonaire and shore dive at our own pace. Our normal dives are 70-80 minutes with some longer. If we go on a boat dive we realize that their plans generally only include 60 minutes so we just go with the flow.

Best bet is 6 pack outfits. 46 Newtons are great boats but too many people on one boat....it's called a cattle boat for a reason. We steer clear of those.
 
No tides?

Tidal swings aren't sever enough in the tropical western atlantic to require charter departure times to be tied to the tidal schedule. That does apply to some shore diving sites but I'm not aware of any charter boats in FL or the Caribbean that adjust their schedule due to tides. If anyone knows of any cases where this applies please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Time-saving tip; while wetsuits get hot topside, you can put it on and keep the top half unzipped and hanging down so your chest and arms aren't covered. Helps prevent over-heating, but give you a jump start on getting the thing on. You will also get into a routine sequence over time; instead of standing their looking at your gear pondering 'What do I do now,' you have your boots already on and your fins sticking out from the compartment under your seat so you can pull out and don them from a sitting position, etc...

Your gear up process will get more competent, confident and efficient. Your confidence level that you can get it together and be ready when the Captain calls 'Pool's open' will grow. Things seem less rushed when you don't need as much time.
 
Time-saving tip; while wetsuits get hot topside, you can put it on and keep the top half unzipped and hanging down so your chest and arms aren't covered. Helps prevent over-heating, but give you a jump start on getting the thing on. You will also get into a routine sequence over time; instead of standing their looking at your gear pondering 'What do I do now,' you have your boots already on and your fins sticking out from the compartment under your seat so you can pull out and don them from a sitting position, etc...

Your gear up process will get more competent, confident and efficient. Your confidence level that you can get it together and be ready when the Captain calls 'Pool's open' will grow. Things seem less rushed when you don't need as much time.
Agree with all the advice given by several about getting ready, the little things you can do to not feel as rushed. We all figure that out after a boat dive or two when we know what's gunna happen. Once the bell goes off, it still sees like a bit of a rat race to me. I rented a pontoon boat in FL once for a day. No rushing at all that time (I know, that's not the same as a dive op with a schedule and other divers aboard). I thought "Jeez, why am I rushing to get my BC all buckled up when no one else is around?"
 
Tidal swings aren't sever enough in the tropical western atlantic to require charter departure times to be tied to the tidal schedule. That does apply to some shore diving sites but I'm not aware of any charter boats in FL or the Caribbean that adjust their schedule due to tides. If anyone knows of any cases where this applies please correct me if I'm wrong.
That’s very different to the eastern Atlantic! Slack water (as the tide changes direction) can be minutes long with spring tides. Use the wreck for respite from the current! Neap tides are preferred, but that’s every two weeks.

At deco you can drift a couple of miles or more from the wreck. Drift dives can be fun in 2kts.

Ropes off depends on the tide and will be from 0600 through 1130, going forwards about 30 mins a day.
 
That’s very different to the eastern Atlantic! Slack water (as the tide changes direction) can be minutes long with spring tides. Use the wreck for respite from the current! Neap tides are preferred, but that’s every two weeks.

At deco you can drift a couple of miles or more from the wreck. Drift dives can be fun in 2kts.

Ropes off depends on the tide and will be from 0600 through 1130, going forwards about 30 mins a day.

We can get strong currents here but they’re not tidal. Think Gulf Stream circulation driven. That’s why most of the diving in places like Cozumel & Palm Beach County FL is drift diving. We can definitely get 2 kt currents. They’re just not tidal and therefore aren’t regular in terms of periodicity. Some dives the current is virtually nonexistent while other dives you’re sailing over the reef.

Some of our shore diving site ARE tidal such as Blue Heron Bridge due to its location in a large lagoon with a sizable inlet. Most parts of that site need to be dived at or near slack tide ideally high slack tide.
 
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