Six Things you need to know so you are not “that guy” on the dive boat

If you’ve done any amount of boat diving, you have probably run into “that guy.”  The one no one wants to be buddied up with, the one that everyone is annoyed with, the one who never seems to beable to follow the dive briefing and procedures.  Boat diving has its own set of rules of etiquette that are so much simpler than Miss Manners guide to high tea, so there is no excuse for you to be “that guy.”

#1: Ask permission of the crew before boarding the boat.  
Dive boats can get crowded with everyone milling around and the crew will appreciate being able to get all of their prep work done without having to climb over everyone’s bags, be interrupted with questions and generally have their pre-dive flow disrupted.

#2: Once your gear is assembled, stow all of your other belongings out of the way to leave room for others.  
The best way to avoid losing some small but essential item is to keep your gear organized and in your bag, rather than have it strewn throughout the boat.  Clip your mask to your BC, tuck your fins under the bench where your gear is.  Put on your wetsuit just up to your waist so you will not overheat on the way to the site, but still be able to easily pull it on the rest of the way when the time comes.  Since they have a funny way of separating from each other, put your booties on.  This will have the added bonus of making you a little safer moving about on the slippery deck.

#3: Do not rinse your mask in the camera tank.  
Defog belongs on masks, but it can be bad if it gets on sensitive camera gear.  The photographers in your group will be tempted to cut your air hose underwater, Sea Hunt style if they end up with a big blog of defog in the middle of all of their pictures.  If there is a designated mask bucket, use it to rinse your mask, but if there is not, it is okay to apply the defog to your mask and then scoop some water out of the camera bucket to rinse your mask.

#4: Listen to the dive briefing 
Even if you have dived with this operation or at this site many times and feel as though you could give the briefing, still stop and listen.  At the very least, stop and gaze in the direction of the DM with your mouth shut as the briefing is given because others need want to hear what is being said.  In addition, procedures may have changed, and you may end up being the one who doesn’t know what to do in case of emergency instead of the seasoned diver who is really a help in a clinch.

#5: When it is time to gear up, gear up.  
Do not dawdle around trying to be the last one in.  Turn on your air, rinse out your mask and get ready to step off.  While it can vary depending on the conditions or the process followed by the dive operation, it is preferable that you enter around the same time as your buddy, however, if this is impossible, then enter without him and wait at the surface, or a few feet under the boat, if staying at the surface is not advisable.  Just be sure that you and your buddy have agreed on where you will meet.

#6: Respect the limits for depth and time set out by the dive leader. 
You may more air left in your tank when the time is up, but you still should ascend when you get the signal.  The crew may be trying to get you back to the resort in time for lunch, or wanting to allow enough time to get an adequate surface interval.  If you decide to go deeper than your dive leader has planned, you may risk being on your own if anything goes wrong.  For example, if the dive was planned to 100ft and you decide to dive to 120ft, your divemaster may not be able to go down and get you if you are narced or you have any other problem, especially if he is using nitrox and that deep a dive puts him in danger of oxygen toxicity.
So many dive sites are inaccessible except by boat and dive operations like to have their dive boats filled as close to capacity as possible, but observing a few rules of boat etiquette can go a long way towards making the excursion enjoyable for all.  In addition, you will never be referred to as “that guy.”

Stay tuned next week for another installment of Tater’s Journey towards Divemaster. As always, please share this blog, leave us a comment or follow us. Until next week, cheers!

Reminder!  Manta Divers is adding another Buoyancy Clinic at the Rec Plex on March 9 at 8am.  Call to reserve your spot.