After reading Niki's report, and she shared her story. It got me thinking. What negative experiences have you had diving, and what did you learn from them. I have a good friend who got bent in September diving locally, and she shared her story with our dive group. She evaluated the experience with detail, and then evaluated how it might have been prevented. I'm going to see if I can get her permission to post it. I have a couple:


Over the years, we have been on guided dives in other destinations (where you are required to stay with the DM) and not been comfortable with the situations. Once in Cabo, the DM was so busy pulling up fishing line, he dropped to 150feet, we hovered at around 120F, waited a few, saw he wasn't even looking at the divers he was guided, so we began to ascend 10 feet, hang, ascend 10 feet, hang, until we were around 90F, finally he looked up and we pointed to our computers...he was like "oh, ok, coming." We never went into deco, but several other divers followed him to 150F.

On another dive with the same DM, again, he wasn't watching HIS depth, time, and we had to stair step up from 100 feet with deco stops...Michael ran out of air and had to buddy breathe from 60F doing step stops at 20F all the way up. We were fairly new divers at that time, and now, I'd write a little note on my slate that I don't do deco or that depth...and would let the DM know that, as well as the shop owners.

In Jamaica last summer, when we got in the water, there were only 3 certified divers (the rest were students in the water already). The DM YELLS from the boat "LADY, YOU BETTER HAVE ENOUGH WEIGHT BECAUSE I AM NOT COMING BACK TO THE BOAT TO GET YOU MORE WEIGHT." I was like WTF? Looked at my friend Rod, like this guys an Ahole...the DM yelled it three times, I finally yelled back "i'm fine" and said something under my breath. We do the dive, and when we surfaced the swells and wind had really picked up. The DM was panicked. He was yelling at everyone (there were about five of us, a couple students and the three from our group) to get to the swim step and CLING TO IT. The swells were pfive feet (been there done that no biggie if you are calm and keep your head.)

They had a short current line out, I was at the end of the current line just hanging. Waiting for the folks that were clinging to the swimstep to get on the boat. The DM kept yelling at me to get to the swim step. I calmly told him I was fine, and wanted to wait until it and the ladder was clear. He continued to yell at me. Then he had the guy on the boat start pulling the current line in, with me on it...by that time there was one on the ladder, with me right below him...uh...NOT. So I let go of the current line and backed off a bit. The DM grabbed my bc, yanked me in, and yelled at me to take of my fins...uh...ok...so I'm taking off my fins and he yells at me again to take my fins off...I'm like...uh...i am TAKING THEM OFF...

I still get HBP talking about it...lol...

on another dive, we were surfacing, I could see the bottom of the boat. my friend was under it and toward the stern in about 10 or 15 feet of water. I look at him and point up, like, uh...the boat's right over your head dude. There were two other divers by him. I was in about 30 feet of water, and began move farther away from the boat. all of the sudden, with my friend and divers UNDER THE BOAT varooom...the engine starts, prop starts, and the boat ZOOMS off.

Needless to say, I was a little PO'd at everything. Didn't say anything to the DM, but michael and i went to the manager and said he had a rude DM, and that they had two potentially VERY dangerous situations on the water that day.

What I learned from the experiences, if you are uncomfortable with something the DM is telling you to do, or doing, don't do it. Stand your ground. Even if he yells and grabs your bc. I think sometimes, particularly as new divers, we trust that what the guide is doing is safe, and there are bad DMs, just like there are bad doctors, lawyers, accountants, drivers, etc. this is in NO way meant to bash DMs, I just think sometimes we can learn from our experiences and others.
Any other stories to share?

OMG, this brought back a harrowing experience. My second time in Bonaire and our "regular" dive master was off this day so we had another one (I won't mention any names, he lives in Canada now anyway)and we were diving Angel City. The DM thought it would be funny to "play dead". Let his regulator fall out of his mouth, closed eyes and just hanging in mid water. We were a small group of 8 and everyone started freaking out, you could see the horror on everyones face. One diver went to stick the DM's regulator in his mouth and he jumped and started laughing. Everyone just about had a heart attack and signaled to surface. Needless to say we were pi$$ed. The DM thought it was a funny joke and we shouldn't have gotten so upset.

When we returned we told the dive shop and he was reprimanded but it made me feel uneasy and a little dis-trusting of the DM's.

Lesson learned: First, Most DM'S would never dream of doing anything as stupid as this but trust your instinct. If you get a feeling the guy or gal just isn't competent go with your gut feeling.

(this particular DM also hid behind a tree and jumped out one night when I was walking and scared the crap out of me. I came out swinging, he was like "you should have seen yourself, it was funny" I was thinking, you a$$!

RA. I hate it when people "scare" me like that. They think it's funny, but they don't know what my poor heart feels like.

One time, at band camp.......... oh diving stories? Nevermind!!!

RA...O...M....GAWD...that is HORRIBLE. I really have no words.

I almost got the crap scared out of me on a nice Autumn night in New England...oh, wait, right, diving stories....LOL!

I guess one of the reasons for my post, is I always learn from others experiences, and often, particularly when new to diving, we are afraid to speak up (like our trip in Cabo years ago).

and, and....One night in Bangkok, never mind, I'll let Tom finish that story...LOL. I'm sorry I am silly today, must be that bump on my head.

I think we tend to forget how dangerous diving can be when not properly managed, this is a good thread. Like you said Cynde, when you are a new diver sometimes you are afraid to speak up.

I like reading the Lessons for Life stories in the dive magazines. They reinforce all the lessons we were taught without having actually experience the situation.

Here is one from Cozumel in 2007. We dropped off the boat at Punta Sur supposedly 60 feet over the reef edge. NOT ! Could see only dark blue but took a compass heading and proceeded correctly. However with no reference point and carrying my big SLR and housing I dropped rapidly to over 50!, popped my right ear drum and then finally ascended (probably too rapidly). Some others dropped to 80-100 feet way too FAST without realizing it. They were OK from a barotrauma aspect but pissed at the boat operator for putting us so far off target. Only 2 folks completed the swim through at 130' with the DM.

So the point of my story is to carefully watch your depth when doing a free descent without reference points! As an instructor I am ticked off with myself for letting this happen but it makes a good story for my OW and AOW students.

It was late afternoon and I wanted to make a dive. After all, this was a dive trip.

"Make one on your own," Kevin said.

I studied his face to see if he was serious. He didn’t flinch.

"Stay close to the boat and not too deep," he added, blowing cigarette smoke out his nose. "You won’t have a problem."

A group from our local dive shop had driven to Branson Missouri and rented a house boat on Table Rock Lake. We planned to live and dive from it for the next three days. It was the end of the second day and everyone was on the back of the boat with a beer. Everyone, that is, except me. I was getting my gear together, anxious to get back in the water.

Other than Mick, the dive shop owner, Kevin was the most experienced diver on the boat. He and I had been making dives together over the last two days and had dove together extensively in the past. Mick was sitting next to Kevin, sipping a beer.

"What do you think, Mick?" I asked.

"I think there’s a nice ledge right over there." He pointed at a "spot" about ten yards from the boat towards shore. "Stay shallow."

Mick’s wisdom seemed appropriate. I had never "solo’ed" before, but I had almost one hundred dives -- I should be able to make a dive to twenty feet within ten yards of the boat. Especially with the visibility at roughly twenty feet.

I donned my gear and had three "buddies" give me a safety check. I plopped into the water and paddled my way over to the approximate location of Mick’s point. Air and water squirted out of my B.C. as I descended, glancing over my shoulder at the house boat. Apparently, I was unknowingly putting on quite a show, as everyone on the boat was near the rail watching me slip below the water. A couple of them raised their beers in what I hoped wouldn’t be a final tribute.

Nervously, I slid down to about eighteen feet. As difficult as it was, I tried not to think about this being my first solo dive. I found the ledge; a steep set of flat rocks that stretched from about ten feet to well below the deep blackness below me. It wasn’t a sheer drop off, but more of a gradual slope. It almost looked like a giant staircase meandering down into the dark abyss.

I took my flashlight and explored the gaps and crevices in the rock ledge. I could tell my breathing was heavier than normal, and I tried not to think about being alone. I found a catfish or two and couple of large crayfish.

"This will build character," I thought to myself. Slowly, I became more and more relaxed, my confidence improving, my breathing coming under control.

Then it happened.

I kicked, but didn’t go anywhere. I kicked harder. I moved a little, but recoiled back to the same place. I changed my angle and tried to go a different direction. Same results.

I checked my depth gauge, thinking for some reason it would help. Twenty-two feet. I checked my SPG. Two thousand pounds. I could stay here a long time if needed, but I would eventually have to come up.

What was it that had me trapped?

Then I remembered what Mick had said during the dive briefing yesterday morning. He warned us that there was a lot of monofilament line in this lake.

Fishing line! I was caught in some fisherman’s discarded line. That must be the reason Mick sold me this fancy, new knife.

Now I had an idea of the problem and the solution, but I couldn’t see where the line had me snagged. I twisted and turned feverously and finally saw a thin line. It made a beeline from a tree off to my back right straight to the top of my tank. The line was wrapped around my tank valve. Not being a contortion artist, I was unable to reach the line. I grabbed hold of a rock and pulled myself towards the ledge, hoping the line might break. No such luck.

How was I going to free myself?

I settled down and took stock of the situation. I had plenty of air; all of my equipment was working. I wasn’t deep, so if I had to, I could dump my gear and swim to the surface. Not the best option, especially when I looked up and saw tree limbs and such protruding out. I would hate to get caught on one of those without an air supply handy.

I guess I would have to take off my gear – at least partially – cut the line, then get back in the gear. I had done it in the pool (other than the cutting the line part), but never in a "real" situation. This really was going to build character!

Cautiously, I unsnapped the cummerbund clips and slid one shoulder out of my gear. I pulled the tank around so that I could reach the valve. Crap, I forgot to grab the knife -- it was fastened to my BC. The other side of my BC. I swung the BC back over my shoulder, reached the knife and unsnapped it. I then repeated the partial undressing of myself from the BC and sliced the filament from the tank valve.

I was free!

I reinserted myself into the BC, buckled up, put the knife back in its sheath. I started a slow assent and when I reached the surface, laid back in the water for a minute and breathed the crisp late afternoon air. I snorkeled over to the boat and climbed the ladder.

"How was it?" Rodney asked, sitting near the cooler.

"Fine." I don’t know if I was visibly shaken, but I could tell my voice cracked.

"We were watching your bubbles." Kevin said. He pointed out into the water in the direction I had done my solo. "You were at that one spot for a long time."

"Yea, I guess I was." I wasn’t sure whether to divulge the reason.

"I mentioned to Mick that you might be having a problem." He took a swig of his beer. "But we decided you were probably just working the ledge. Nothing to worry about."

I looked over the rail towards the "spot." I then looked at Rodney as I unlatched my gear.

"Hey, Rod, toss me one of those beers."

Great story Dave and great lesson. I am a Missouri boy and know Table Rock and like lakes well. Often more dangerous than the open sea. My only comment is that someone on the boat as shore support should have been sober while you solo dove. Like a designated driver. You were lucky but your cool head and skills helped you through it. I can use the story in a dive class I am sure. As an instructor it is often said we do solo dives (albeit in a crowd) all the time. Thanks.

Dan,

I wouldn't say that my "shore" support was drunk..... just not interested in diving the rest of the day.

If I hadn't come back by dawn, I'm sure they would've come looking for me ;-)

My story is probably slightly embellished (imagine that), so it may not have been quite as life threatening as I made out. But it happened years ago, when I had less experience. I'm sure it was more hair raising of an event then I remember.

Although if you were under that impression -- even slightly -- then I did my job as a story teller. Thanks for the compliment.

Reprint and use at your discretion. No copyright law infringement as far as I'm concerned.

"My story is probably slightly embellished (imagine that), so it may not have been quite as life threatening as I made out."

NO!!!!!!!!! SAY IT AIN'T SO DAVE

Hey Tom, at least I admit my life is a big joke!

If everyone could laugh at themselves... we (you and I) wouldn't look so crazy, would we buddy

On Peter Hues (spelling) dive boat many years ago.
New diver asked "what do you do if you have to go to the bathroom?" His instructor replied, go in the suit.

After the dive the boat smelled real bad, the guy pooped in the suit.

In Dave's defense, I have never known him to intentionally embellish a story.

I meant, I have never known him NOT to intentionally embellish a story...


(Message edited by ggoodwin on December 17, 2008)

Yuck on the #2.

!!! I'm going to stick to Windsurfing !!!!

Mr. Hanky! Hidy Ho!!!!

Dave, I'm not sure Ruth will hire you if you "embelish"...especially you will not get that assistants job.

But I digress. Good story. I have a few kelp stories like that (not me getting tangled, but other divers on the boat)...ya kick, and kick, and kick...and ya know that that dang kelp is caught on something. I'd never dive solo in kelp for that reason.

Dan, make sure you use Jerry's story to...LMAO...i have tears from laughing so hard...

Linda, Mr. Hanky...LOL!


and just WHAT would you use this crocheted Mr. Hanky for in the Bathroom????

I know.

oh my, that's big...LOL!

Well thank you! You are making me blush.

"oh my, that's big"

Thats what she said.....

Geoff, your bother's 'mbellishinating again.

Ummm....I have a couple that are NOT happy endings, that I'll spare you.

As an instructor, I think my favorite three student questions are:

"Do I wear my feminine protection inside my wetsuit?"

"Didn't I have a mask when we left the beach?"

"Where shall I put my diamond ear rings?"(I may have posted that before, but it still floors me.)

OK, I guess I'm off topic....

It's all good Barbara.

I won't share what others have done but, here is my most er, STUPID adventure.

About 18-19 years ago, a buddy and I couldn't wait for all of the ice to go out to get in the water. Now about a year before some friends almost bit it when they went under ice without compasses (or not trusting their compasses), their story was published in Underwater U.S.A. some of you might remember that newspaper.

Darren and I, being so much smarter and learning from their mistake decided to dive a place called Marblehead and run a line out to make sure we found our way back to shore. While we were suiting up (drysuits), we checked, and rechecked each others gear, the surroundings reviewed our dive plan and decided that because the ice pack was over 200 yds off shore we were safe so, we made our entry, neither of us concerned at all that the wind blowing at us. After about a half of an hour we turned, found the line and started returning to shore with a slight problem, we now had ice above us.

Fortunately, by the time we got in about 6' of water we had arrived at the packs' edge and kicked like h*** into shore. I don't think two guys were ever more quiet at the end of a dive, than us, that day. As we were loading the van the sound of ice being pushed up on the beach could be heard. I almost believed in God at that moment.

Now here is a funny story because disaster was avoided.

About six years ago I had purchased a new drysuit in October and because life (and business) had gotten so busy I hadn't dove it since it arrived. My right hand man busted my b**** saying I should sell it as I wasn't going to use it until ice-out (yep, no more ice in my life). Well Chris and I made a bet, I told him I would dive the new suit before the end of the year. Rather than lose the dollar bill (and pride), I called two buddies and at about 10 am on December 31st () Jim B and Gary W (Smack's dive buddies too) and I started a dive in windy conditions surface temperature of 20 (f) water temperature of 35-36 (36 at 25'). After 20 minutes Gary wanted to surface as he was having a seal issue so, up the three of us went into 2-3' waves. We started kicking our way back to shore unable to convince Gary to go back down into the "warmer" water. When we got in water shallow enough to stand in without the waves going over us we took our fins off sinking into the mud a little. Well okay, I should say Gary and Jim got their fins off, I got knocked off balance once after getting my right fin off so being the "smart" one I put my left hand out holding onto some aluminum docks that were alongside us and reached for my left fin with my right hand just as the docks started to move - AWAY FROM ME. No big deal right? Wrong!!! Wet glove on cold cold metal, think "OOOOPS I STUCK - HALP!!" here. Yup, I was froze to the docks and my right foot was in the mud. Hand came out of glove just about the same time my head went under the water - damned water. Tried to make it look like I intended to resubmerge - didn't work so, I got my foot free, stood up, ripped glove off of dock and exited water with two laughing buddies laughing their butts off.

Done? Nope! Get to trucks, start to take gear off, manage to get SCUBA unit off, then hood, mask, right glove etc. then, turn to have buddy unzip drysuit - DAMNED FROZEN ZIPPER.

Drove to shop, heater blowing full blast having to pee - badly. Fortunately by the time we got to the shop the truck's heater had thawed my suit's zipper, Jim pulled in behind me unzipped my suit as I was unlocking the door and ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh disaster avoided

Chris paid me the dollar - life was good

Tom, thanks for sharing. Nice visual on both. I dive in a dry suit, but I do not think I will EVER dive where there is ice on the water...nope, not one little bit.

OK, I did laugh at the visual of your glove stuck to the dock...and your foot in the mud...again, nice visual.

I however, was IN PAIN when you zipper got stuck and you had to pee...and i do NOT mean a "funny hahaha kind of pain."

In 1976 I was diving in the Gulf of Mexico on a couple of shrimp boat wrecks ... the first dive was at 60 fsw and the second was in 45 fsw.

These are dives 8 & 9 after my NAUI sport diver course.

I used my own brand new steel 72 cu.ft. Healthways tank with a J valve pull reserve on the first dive I had found and recovered a large 4 blade brass wheel or prop (42RL42) that had been spun off the wheel shaft of a fishing boat. I was feeling pretty lucky as I new I could sell it for a couple of hundred dollars.

The second dive I was using a steel 72 USD with the J valve that I had borrowed from a friend. When it got hard to breath you pulled the rod attached to the valve which made it easy to breath again and also warned you that you had 500 psi left and it was time to get back to the boat.

Little did I know that my friend had taken it apart and reassembled it upside down - so in the up position I had sucked the tank down to almost empty with no warning. Oh yah did I mention that my buddy was spearfishing and had taken off after a fish a left me ... I pushed the rod up one hard breath - down Nothing - up one real hard breath.

I start my assent Right Now ... slowly - calm don't panic ... I had two more breaths before it was empty and I free assented - blow and go the last 25'

I went to my local Dive shop the very next day and bought one of those new air gauges (SPG) so I could always know how much air I really had at any time I wanted to know. I never borrowed tanks again either.

"Little did I know that my friend had taken it apart and reassembled it upside down"

UNINTENTIONALLY I'm sure

uh...let's hope so Timmy! Man, you are like Lloyd Bridges! Got any pics of you in 70s gear?

omg, that is Jerry's BC I swear! Did you sell it to him?

Cool pics Timmy! Love the red gloves to match the red BC...if that's what they called it then. Did it inflate?

Hey, good reading. Glad I sparked a discussion.

I could tell my Salt Pier story. Lessons I wish I didn't learn the hard way.

Years ago, at the end of the dive, the end of the afternoon, I watched squid for a while and unwittingly got off course to the planned exit. I surfaced to get bearings, and was caught in an offshore current and wind that had kicked up during the hour we were below surface. I quickly found myself about to be swept past the pier and I headed for the southern-most ladder. Found out it was a ladder that came down toward the water, but not into the water. I was tired and I held on with one hand, rising and falling considerably with the swells. I signalled Bob and he was on shore by then and saw me.
Then I considered what to do.

Bob seemed to be looking for a way to come out on the pier, which as you know, is not open to the public. I lost sight of him and was unsure where he was. After 15 minutes or so of holding on dangling with my whole scuba kit, inbetween swells, I suddenly realized my arms were spent and it didn't matter how determined I might be in my head, my hands were going to fail me. I knew that I couldn't hoist myself out of the water in gear, not even with fins. I needed to raise my foot to the level of my head to get up the ladder. OOF.

I debated a few moments, and then took off everything, hesitated some more, and let it all go! If I had thought I could get back to shore against the offshore current and wind I would have, but I thought my only hope was to get up on the pier. Without gear. Damn.

Somewhere between Bonaire and Curacao is a beautiful, complete scuba BC, reg, computer, tank, fins, and acoutrements.

Dive shop guys said I should have sunk the thing. Bob thinks I would have had a terrible time dumping all the air from it in the precarious position I was in. Dive shop guys also forgave me for losing the tank, saying my life is far more valuable than a tank.

The next few days, I bought everything over again, from 3 different dive shops on Bonaire. What a boon for them! Now, we carry a line and brass clips, although I bet I'll never need them.

Crazy footnote: The Salt Pier was being secured to a higher level that week and the next day the ladder was blocked with plywood!

Yes it did - LOL automatically

This is a painting I did years ago - my girl friend dove in this little Seatec may-west style BC that had very little if any lift. Check out the gardening gloves !!



Now that I think about it it didn't even have a secondary interior bladder ....

(Message edited by muddysoapfish on December 17, 2008)

Niki...w..o..w...I can't really imagine being in that situation. The price of gear is not worth the price of your life...and then the ladder was closed off the next day.

The strongest current I've been in on Bonaire, was a dive at Front Porch. The PLAN was to descend to the New Yorker at around 90fsw, then head south and up the reef a bit to Willy, do a cam apperance, and either exit at Eden, or if we had enough air, go back to Front Porch and exit. We get to the New Yorker, cool, poke around, some current, but not really bad, take some pics. The we head South and the current was R..I...P...P...I...N...G...we soon realized that if we made it to Willy, we would have a difficult time getting up the "hill"...so we decided to abort, head back South and up. I was literally crawling up the reef. If I could find something to hang on to, like a cement block (there are a few there), I'd hold on to catch my breath, look at the little juve fish under the rock to distract myself, then crawl a few more feet, grab another block, crawl a few more feet. We got to the shallows and it wasn't so bad there so we putzed around to use up the air. it was seriously like climbing mount Everest (to me anyway....lol)

Timmy, cool cool cool pic. Is that EM by any chance?

I remember ripping currents at times right in front of the Eden web cam. You never know when or for how long.

The only time I had to crawl was getting back in the mouth of the bay at Cai, but the rhythm of the surge makes it possible. I was last in, but still had enough air to look at baby lobsters at the exit. (Thanks to Bas for that dive, of course!)

haha...Niki, I have done the "crawl" at Cai too...and got to look at the lobsters...the crawl at Cai was like a cake walk compared to the current at Front Porch that day. I've experienced current at Eden, but NOTHING like that day....

More stories, anyone?

RA agent 99 - that clown DM really should get a clue. He will be or cause an accident, being that nutty. I feel your outrage...

Tink - that's not EM - she didn't dive back then.

This happened on my last trip to Bonaire.

Well there we were at the end of another perfect Bonaire dive at Andrea II. The visibility was amazing and the critters friendly. We were in the shallows slowly working our way back to the exit. I looked up and there was a large catamaran above us on the mooring. I realized that it was probably the Woodwind on her daily run. I signaled to Art to surface and we worked our way up.

I broke surface first maybe 20 yards from the Woodwind. I immediately turned head down and headed for the bottom. After a few seconds of panic I thought of my dive buddy, I needed to save him. I turned and found him and he was almost to the surface. I waved to him but could not make him stop. He broke surface and also immediately dove back down, it was to late for him.

It would seem that once a week the bus comes over from Sorobon for a Woodwind trip. It would also seem (how do I put this politely) that week the patrons were particularly large and old. Do you know how hard it is to find a red hot poker 40' down at Andrea II.

There is a bright side to this story. Over Brights that night we decided on a universal sign for large, old, naked people. Two hands covering both eyes. Another case of good dive pre-planning can prevent later tragedies.

LOL LOL !!!

Some of us from Sorobon, in 1999 I think, took the water taxi to Klein and decided to go as far north up the beach for some isolated clothing optional snorkeling and sunbathing. I had on my dive boots, blue force fins, mask and snorkel and nothing else. Blissfully minding my own business above the reef, I suddenly realized I was in the lens of a video camera swimming by me in the opposite direction, at the end of a guy and his arm. If anybody has seen that video on youtube, let me know!

P.S. I had done a professional job of applying sunscreen, but a recessed area between bu*t cheeks got fried. And the next day I was the joke of Sorobon. All the guys wanted to help apply aloe and first aid cream... LOL

LOL Cecil I bet that dive profile looked interesting

OK here is one from my one of my first dive trips. When I started diving i was the only person I knew that dove so I was always the guy on the boat looking for a dive buddy. I was in Destin FL and linked up with a local who had been diving for about 5 years. I thought this will be good since i was kinda a newby. We were about 60 ft down and about 10 min into the dive when I noticed he was kicking a lot to stay down. I thought this was odd but before I could react to his problem he grabbed the handle on my BC and began dragging me to the surface, quickly. All I can think about at this time was getting bent even though we hadnt been down not time at all. We surfaced and he then let go of my BC. I yelled some choice words at him and the DM jumped out to rescue us since we didnt come up the anchor line. Back on the boat I found the problem. He was too cheap to buy a weight belt and carried his weights in his BC (not weight intergrated) pockets that he forgot to zip. and while looking at something they came out and then his tank went boyant and away WE went.
Lesson learned: buddy checks now include propper weights SECURED well and if I dont feel right I will talk them into a few more lbs. just incase.
The boat captain did not let him dive the second dive and linked me up with a less experienced diver that turned out to be a great dive buddy.\

Mitch