Don’t Make These Scuba Diver “Pet Peeves” Mistakes
Ultimate “Divers’ Pet Peeves List”
1. The Unprepared Diver
The unprepared diver is one who is not ready. They show up late, and miss the briefing. Most likely they did not research the dive, and they don’t know the planned depths. Maybe they talk loudly during the safety briefing. They missed it, and caused you to miss it too.
Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance Positively – the Prepared Diver will have reviewed how to change their dive computer from air to Nitrox, already will have tested out new equipment, will have adjusted weights and straps on new items and self-assessed themselves and their plan.
If you know you use air like crazy; tell them, and be the last person off the boat and plan to be the first one back up on board. A good operator will already have asked about your consumption rate and paired you accordingly.
If there is something else they should know; tell them. Even something you think is not worth mentioning might be a big deal to them for their planning purposes.
Solution: Go back through the open water manual for a self-refresher.
2. The Unprepared Operator
The dive operator is one who runs late, seems disorganized, shuffles dive partners endlessly, and does not have safety gear easily located. Here is a must read: Danger Signs of an Unsafe Dive Boat.
Solution: Read online reviews, join a dive club and compare notes, be observant. If possible – check out an operator a couple of days before diving with them. This isn’t always possible, so read every review you can find, call, ask questions, try to get a look at the boat in advance.
One time we dove from a boat that if we had seen it in advance, we probably would have declined to dive with them. Now, when we are in an area with a few free post-dive hours, we go check out any other operators, we might dive with in the future.
3. The Know-It-All-Diver
After diving several times with Dive Key West, I asked Dive Master Max Ebel his diver pet peeves. I was just sure he would say it was the unprepared diver. “No, we are so used to that, it doesn’t both us anymore,” he said.
“People who know more than me! They’ve had 100 dives total, I’ve had 75 last month,” he explained. “We do this every day.”
He went on to explain that the unprepared diver will listen to instruction or suggestions, but the know-it-all will not. “I would take the unprepared over the know-it-all,” Ebel said.
He did mention a concern about resort courses being brief and lacking enough time for adequate classwork and training.
The Others
Please comment below on the other divers’ actions that drive you crazy. I’ll add them to the list!
I Don’t Go Anywhere Without:
- North American Rescue CAT tourniquets.
- PierShare to rent your dock out or rent a dock.
- BoatUS for your boat towing insurance! Code: “HEWAF88”
- Thank you Bill for being the Best Sailing Partner EVER!
Here’s a humorous article on the topic – “Don’t Be THAT Diver.”
