Backward Roll
By Guido Duken Photo Tony Karacsonyl Dive boat etiquiette
Good manners and some basic nautical knowledge go a long way towards having a more pleasant dive charter.
I
n the good old days, when the captain was displeased with you, he would either give you a taste of the cat o’ nine tails or keelhaul you. Tis, of
course, was before paying customers had recourse to consumer councils, litigation and civilized standards. But this does not mean that one has carte blanche to become an on- board pest. Diving is a social sport, and as such it is most fun when the participants interact harmoniously with one another. Good manners go a long way towards achieving this. Moreover, your on-board safety is the responsibility of the skipper, which is why his word is law and should be respected. Here are a couple of guidelines on good dive boat etiquete. Readiness: Be prepared when you arrive at the dock site. Tis involves some preplanning, which means you need to know a few things ahead of time. Is there food and drink on board? Do you know when the boat is leaving? Do you have your receipt or ticket handy, as well as your certification card? Have you rented the equipment you need in advance? An affirmative answer to these questions means that you should be adequately prepared. If the weather looks doubtful, you should make a phone call and see if the trip has been cancelled. Nothing makes a skipper, his crew and fellow divers more angry than being delayed by some oaf who arrives fashionably late or not at all. Etiquete: People don’t walk into your house unannounced, so don’t board without asking permission. Te crew or the skipper may still be working aboard filling tanks, cleaning up or stowing gear. Nothing causes a flammable situation quicker than climbing aboard a small boat, tilting the vessel in the process
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and causing the skipper to pour half the petrol on his shoe. You may hear some nautical terms that you won’t find in the yacht club manual. Talking of which, learn some nautical terms so that when the skipper tells you to sit on the port side you know he means the leſt side. Know where the bow and stern are. Note that the head is the toilet, and not the round object perched on your neck. Safety: Te skipper is responsible for your safety, so listen to him. Having an accident is nobody’s idea of fun, since
it’s bad for morale, business and the skipper’s license, which is why you should let the captain and his crew do their job, and only help when you are asked to. Listen to the pre-dive briefing as you will learn something about the type of dive and the local conditions that you’ll be dealing with. Never assume that you ‘know it all’. Find out about the dive site before you get there, which will ensure that it is the sort of dive that you are actually interested in. Tidiness: Te word shipshape means
exactly what it implies: keep the ship or boat neat at all times. Being a qualified diver, you know all about dive bags, which means you can stow all your belongings where they won’t bother anyone. Put your weight-belt where your 150kg Samoan skipper won’t stub his toe on it. Clear the exit and entry points so that your fellow divers can get in or out of the water quickly. When you reach port, don’t slink over the side like a harbour rat just to avoid some manual labour. Carrying some equipment will be good for your fitness and make that post-dive beer option even more atractive. Time: Computers may allow you to dive longer, but there’s a reason why a time limit is placed on your dive. Firstly, the amount of stipulated botom time has been calculated to contain a built-in safety limit. Secondly, it keeps divers together and prevents them from popping out of the water at irregular intervals, which makes picking them up much easier. Tirdly, it removes the temptation of diving until you’ve sucked the last breath of air out of your cylinder. And finally, boats run on a schedule, which means your extended botom time could be cuting into the next charter’s time. Tat is extremely bad manners. Tanks: If you had a good dive, thank the skipper and his crew. Give compliments where they are due, and criticise where necessary. Isolate the aspects you disliked and state your grievances clearly. Te only way that dive charters can improve themselves is if the company knows what works and what doesn’t. Te crux of good boat
etiquete is that your good manners will translate into a more enjoyable dive experience for all involved.
September/October 2011
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