Divers not good enough

[PaulC]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Steve W @ June 17 2003,15:14)]Anyhoo, who were those three divers last year who got bollocked by the Harbour Master for  diving in the Fairway at Abbs, eh ?  

Oh, ah, Stevo, harsh, harsh...

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (John Gulliver @ June 18 2003,20:15)]I must be missing the point here. Surely, divers with little or no experience of diving in the sea are not just jumping in by themselves? If I dive in a place where I am not familiar with conditions, I expect the skipper to drop me in the right place at the right time. I don't expect to have to check tide tables etc myself. I also expect him, or the diveguide, if there is one, or the diveleader if I'm diving with a club, to tell me eveything I need to know to dive safely there and get picked up safely at the end of the dive in his/her briefing. I shall be diving in St Abbs, with a group of Swedish friends, for 4 days in September from Billy Aitchison's boat. I expect Billy to provide the same service as I get anywhere else in the world. We'll be doing the diving but we expect him to do the planning, skippering and briefing.

<font color='#000F22'>First John M8 belated happy birthday. All the best for your retirement.


Sorrey to say that in my experaince of UK dive boats the extent of the skipers help is getting you there putting the shot somwhere in, on or near the wreck a telling you when it's slack. There are notable excptions Like Girl Grey out of Brighton but apart from that the skipers are basicly taxi drivers.

Todays dive is typical. Small boat 14 divers kit everywhere, two hours out, arrive drop in the anchor, slacks in 10 mins lads. Thats it.

There is a group of 14 divers who vagley reckognise each other from previous dives with kit ranging from a single 12 to twin set and two deco stages. We ran bottom times from 25min to 1hour 20mins and the only thing we had in common is we all came up the shot due to local shipping.

BUT the skipper didnt tell us that. We just all knew or asumed we all knew. You must come up the shot in the shipping lanes or get run over by a car ferry. Had there been a couple of Dover virgens on the boat they might of bagged off and ended up doging the row-row ferries.

I think it is the divers responsibuility to ask first and never asume.

First 50m deco dive I did was on the Moldavia. I planned to come up the shot as I was a bit nervous having to hold a long stop for real dispite all the practice sesions. Only when I rang other Mol veterans did I find that the skiper pulls the shot after all the divers were in and it was a definate bag off dive.

Good job I asked

Last week I did deco on a deco station for the first time, today I pulled the anchor set the waster and sent the chain up on a lift bag (some one had done this bit) for the first time and it all went OK because I was willing to admit my numptyness and ask loads of questions (sometimes twice).

My idea would be for the training agencies to have a basic check list for pre dive questions.

Somthing like:

BOAT DIVE (Wreck)

How longwill it take to get to the dive site

How long is slack

What are the currents like after slack (if apropriate)

When we arrive how long will we have to kit up before slack tide

Which part of the wreck it the shot on

Will the shot be left in during the dive

Should we deco / ascend on the shot or on a free drift

Is the shot going to be tied in to the wreck

If we loose the shot should we bag off or reel up from the wreck.( where storng currents apply)


That sort of thing. It might sound obvious to regular boat/ wreck divers and after a few dives in one area some of the basic stuff will not be necessary but it amazes me how on advanced dives people do the strangest things. &nbsp;Last year a diver didnt reel off from the shot and got lost on the wreck and although he knew the tide was a good two knots he baged off and did a 30min deco.

The boat had to stay with all the other divers on the shot so this chap just drifted away over the horison??

When recoverd and asked why he didnt reel off from the wreck he said he didnt think of that? &nbsp;

Dive marshels etc are great in a club environment but they dont exist in my type of diving. I would recommend any new diver to join a club and have proper dive marshels who do proper pre dive brefings before every dive and when they feel confident enough in the majority of the necessary sea diving skills they can book places on boats but should still ask for the full SP an any new boat or any new wreck.

ATB

Mark Chase

[John Gulliver]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Mark Chase @ June 21 2003,23:18)]First John M8 belated happy birthday. All the best for your retirement.

Thanks Mark!

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ] Sorrey to say that in my experaince of UK dive boats the extent of the skipers help is getting you there putting the shot somwhere in, on or near the wreck a telling you when it's slack. There are notable excptions Like Girl Grey out of Brighton but apart from that the skipers are basicly taxi drivers.


BOAT DIVE (Wreck)

How longwill it take to get to the dive site

How long is slack

What are the currents like after slack (if apropriate)

When we arrive how long will we have to kit up before slack tide

Which part of the wreck it the shot on

Will the shot be left in during the dive

Should we deco / ascend on the shot or on a free drift

Is the shot going to be tied in to the wreck

If we loose the shot should we bag off or reel up from the wreck.( where storng currents apply)

I must have been lucky. The dive skippers I've had the pleasure to dive with in the UK have all been excellent and have given me/us the information you suggest.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ] I would recommend any new diver to join a club and have proper dive marshels who do proper pre dive brefings before every dive and when they feel confident enough in the majority of the necessary sea diving skills they can book places on boats but should still ask for the full SP an any new boat or any new wreck.

ATB

Mark Chase

I can't argue with that.

[Mr T.]

*bump*