LeFlaneur
Contributor
I starting to come to the conclusion, that, while dive shops vary in quality, nothing can make or break your dive like the other divers who happen to be on your boat.
On a recent trip to Cozumel I managed to identify a few types that I thought I'd share
Remora-Buddy: Since I was solo I got paired the first day with a guy who assumed a position over my right leg at a distance of about 18 inches and stayed there the entire time, undeterred by the periodic fin in the face. Every time I turned around he'd be staring at me as if to say "what what what!?" It freakin' creeped me out.
Little Miss Touch-A-Lot: She was from Russia or Eastern Europe I think, traveling with a Spanish guy over twice her age. (hmmmm -- can you say russianbrides.com?) She stroked the coral, she pet the sea fan, she grabbed the turtle, she poked the octopus, she was lucky I don't carry a dive knife.
Inspector Gadget: You know him, he's the middle aged man with the shiney new digital camera. The real tragedy is that before he got the camera he was probably a good diver. Now, fixated on his 1x2 screen, he's oblivious to the fact that he's drifting into the reef and finning up a cloud of sand. Ironic that a camera can make people stop seeing.
Paris Hilton of the Deep: She looked good getting on the dive boat in her little yellow mini and O'Neill skin. But once in the water it was another story: arms flapping, tank slipping, fins on the bottom, while her boyfirend towed her around by her bc handle. Every so often she'd show him her spg and he'd signal okay. Never before have I seen someone participate so little in the preservation of her own life. She is proof that diving is safe.
Speedy McCrash: He wants to see it all and he doesn't care how many divers he has to take out to do it. This guy seemed to be everywhere at once -- so much that for a while I thought he was twins in matching gear. On a six person dive he managed to collide with everyone at least twice. I made the mistake of peering under a ledge and looking as though I'd seen something interesting. Three seconds later I was treated to the novel sensation of an AL-80 skipping off my skull (it feels about like you'd expect). The upside is that he burned through his air in 30 minutes and the rest of us got to spend another full 30 enjoying the reef in peace. During his safety stop he pulled the hat trick and took out an entire family of snorklers and a glass bottom boat. Okay, I made that last bit up, but it wouldn't have surprised me.
On a recent trip to Cozumel I managed to identify a few types that I thought I'd share
Remora-Buddy: Since I was solo I got paired the first day with a guy who assumed a position over my right leg at a distance of about 18 inches and stayed there the entire time, undeterred by the periodic fin in the face. Every time I turned around he'd be staring at me as if to say "what what what!?" It freakin' creeped me out.
Little Miss Touch-A-Lot: She was from Russia or Eastern Europe I think, traveling with a Spanish guy over twice her age. (hmmmm -- can you say russianbrides.com?) She stroked the coral, she pet the sea fan, she grabbed the turtle, she poked the octopus, she was lucky I don't carry a dive knife.
Inspector Gadget: You know him, he's the middle aged man with the shiney new digital camera. The real tragedy is that before he got the camera he was probably a good diver. Now, fixated on his 1x2 screen, he's oblivious to the fact that he's drifting into the reef and finning up a cloud of sand. Ironic that a camera can make people stop seeing.
Paris Hilton of the Deep: She looked good getting on the dive boat in her little yellow mini and O'Neill skin. But once in the water it was another story: arms flapping, tank slipping, fins on the bottom, while her boyfirend towed her around by her bc handle. Every so often she'd show him her spg and he'd signal okay. Never before have I seen someone participate so little in the preservation of her own life. She is proof that diving is safe.
Speedy McCrash: He wants to see it all and he doesn't care how many divers he has to take out to do it. This guy seemed to be everywhere at once -- so much that for a while I thought he was twins in matching gear. On a six person dive he managed to collide with everyone at least twice. I made the mistake of peering under a ledge and looking as though I'd seen something interesting. Three seconds later I was treated to the novel sensation of an AL-80 skipping off my skull (it feels about like you'd expect). The upside is that he burned through his air in 30 minutes and the rest of us got to spend another full 30 enjoying the reef in peace. During his safety stop he pulled the hat trick and took out an entire family of snorklers and a glass bottom boat. Okay, I made that last bit up, but it wouldn't have surprised me.
