Ok, after all that was stirred up from the simple glove question, I'm almost scared to post this diving question...now don't beat me up to bad, mom-in-law is coming with us this year..is a certified diver..with that said, she hasn't dove in several several years..while I strongly suggested a refresher course, but IT AIN'T HAPPENIN, the positive is my wife and I come to Bonaire every year and will both be monitoring very closely and moving very slow..now to the question, will any dive operators have a problem with her diving after a long absence?..I know on the profile sheets we always fill out, there is always a space for last dives and so on..is there any set guidelines or rules they go by..again, don't beat me up too bad, I tried to convince about the value of the refresher course but again aint happenin thanks

Monty, there is a lesser known rule banning not only gloves but mothers-in-law, from the reef.

Seriously though, I can speak of only one dive operator and one rusty diver (who was not, thank god, my mother-in-law). Said diver joined us for his first dive after an 11 year hiatus. Did not hide the fact from the store when he checked in. Did not have a problem. And he was able to get in control of his buoyancy faster than you can say "hitler woman" (which is an anagram of mother-in-law).

(Message edited by lgreco on July 27, 2009)

Monty,
I won't beat you up, but may have to go ninja on your MIL! LOL

I believe the dive shops will let her dive, some won't care she hasn't been in the water for years, others may suggest doing a check out dive with a dive master...PLEASE strongly suggest she do this. I won't go into details but had a horrific experience in Bonaire with a diver who hadn't dove for 10 years. I myself have not dove in a few years and wouldn't dream of entering the water without a refresher! I enjoy snorkeling with the kids now...maybe next trip to Bonaire I'll dive again!

The "best practice" followed by most places, not just in Bonaire, is if you haven't dived in the past 12 months, you either dive with a DM for your first dive or take a refresher, which can be combined. I've not found Bonaire strict on this, perhaps because the litigation potential is less, and the first-dive-orientation may suffice.

Some places are reducing the 12 months to 6 months!

The issues are diver comfort/safety and reef protection. Perhaps if she doesn't care about the former, she can care about the latter.

It reminds me of the classic definition of "Mixed Emotions".....Seeing your evil mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your new Mercedes.

Only MY personal opinion that diving is not a sport that suffers fools gladly. I would not feel comfortable underwater with a known potential disaster in the making. Years and years of absence to me equates to very little remaining underwater skills. In the world of Total Diving Freedom that means total personal responsibility for one's safety.

If you feel qualified/trained to shepherd her underwater and insure her safety, then go for it.

There's not one answer here.

If the Mother In Law has been certified for ten years or so and has a few hundred dives and owns most of her own equipment, then I don't see a major problem.

Shore diving especially is low pressure and easy to take it slow and remember how everything works again.

It seems the general consensus is that there probably won't be a problem with the dive operation..of course as to the safety side, that is a complete other issue, not to be taken lightly of course, but at the same time, don't want to discourage her the opportunity to go and experience what we all love again...she was somewhat of a hermit for several years to to a bad back surgery, not hardly ever leaving the house, but after a fine neurologist reworked the back, the difference is amazing with her wanting to go..after years of us pleading..of course she has been ok'd by all of her dr.'s...there will certainly be a lot of playing around in the rubble getting comfortable making sure of the buoyancy and if everything doesn't go just right, then she will have a wonderful week guarding the truck and enjoying everything else that bonaire offers..it is very exciting to go with someone for the first time, to see bonaire again through their eyes..thanks for the input and we will be watching her closely..you know, I don't think she's ever had an amstel brite

It is a bit sneaky, of course, but perhaps you can talk to the dive op before your MIL appears there and get them to lean on her a bit to dive with a DM the first time. Might work, especially if you quietly cover any expense. Don't want to lose anyone, even those with a label like MIL. :–))

Or you and your wife could just decide that you two want a DM along, for unstated purposes.

Glen, I was thinking the same thing but wasn't quite sure how to word it politely!

Of course, a sneakier scenario, would be the MIL arriving at the dive shop first and slipping them a $20 to tell the SIL that no DM or space is available for a refresher dive/course

The most important thing for the dive shop is whether she has complete control over her buoyancy. According to STINAPA rules the dive shop has to ensure that she does as part of the Marine Park orientation. The checkout dive (which is compulsory) has to be supervised by the dive shop. Some shops do this directly (they dive with you on the checkout dive to make sure your have buoyancy under control and that you have the correct amount of weight). Some do it indirectly (they stand on the shore or dock while you dive). You may want to choose an operator that does a directly supervised (guided) checkout dive and ask them to go over the basics with your MIL.

Since you went out on a limb and risked a BT spanking with your posting, I will do the same and be very frank. I personally think that it shows poor judgement from your MIL to bluntly refuse a scuba review/refresher dive. If she has not been diving for that long it does not make sense to put herself and her daughter and SIL in a life threatening situation (which any dive by default is). If she still has all the skills she needs then the refresher will be brief and most of it will be spent looking for underwater wildlife. If she does need some help then it makes sense (to say the least) to have an experiences instructor at hand to help out.

Just my two (or four) cents.

Well said, Bas! I agree.

easy now guys, we are getting close to that spanking I was worried about

Bas,

That is why we are trying to help! :–)

That DM-accompanied checkout sounds like a good way to do this, especially if the dive op 'requires' it for all three divers.

My MIL wasn't stubborn but I understand that there have been such. :–)



(Message edited by glenr on July 27, 2009)

My posting is not meant as a verbal spanking. It is meant as a common sense honest opinion on a very serious subject. As a PADI instructor I consider it my most important task to teach my students good judgment. That makes me inclined to speak out when I see poor judgment in dive related issues. Please realize that it is not just the life of you mother in law that is at stake. It is also the life of her potential buddies. And to top it all off it is the life of many marine creatures (coral included) that will be smashed if she does not turn out to have proper dive skills.

Now I have to admit...it DOES start to sound like a verbal spanking now

Monty, you may want to ask yourself some major questions about your MIL.
1. Have you ever dived with her?
2. Was she a good diver in the past?
3. Did you feel safe diving with her?
4. Does she have her own equipment and has she maintained it?

Some alternatives on how to trick her into a refresher - when it comes to MILs one must be resourceful without any danger to ones safety.

If you all have your own equipment, why not go check it before you leave so there are no problems on Bonaire and by all means have your MIL go with you.

If she needs to service her regs it would be very smart to check them out before going to Bonaire.

You could tell her that it is mandatory to have a buoyancy test on Bonaire and that you and your wife want to practice before going so that it doesn't affect your diving - and invite her to go with you. She may think her buoyancy is good (and you would of course agree with her), but a Bonaire DM might think differently which could affect her trip.

Hopefully she will see the logic in all this. Having said that, experiencing my third MIL, logic is not in their nature - at least what we men conceive as logic.

Just some ideas that might create a healthy, happy and safe dive trip.

And so to stay out of trouble - of course my comments on MILs does NOT apply to any BT MILs. We all know you are logical and sensible women...

LOL thanks for the disclaimer Barry

Maybe you can scare her into a refresher by quoting from those dive disaster stories in SCUBA DIVING magazine. Before every dive trip, I watch the PADI video course on the VCR, lame as it is--even if it's only been a year. (I should probably upgrade to DVD.) You never know what tidbit might slip your mind in a moment of panic. Maybe she wouldn't object to that.

As an instructor as well, the scuba review / check out dive is a necessity. A great thing to do upon first arrival in Bonaire at the dive center where you check in. Makes it easy for the divers who do not have easy access to a pool at home for a refresher with an instructor or an acceptable open water location. Many people refuse quarry diving and only do blue water and that is OK but upon arrival at a blue water location a review check out is critical for her own safety and her buddies.

I always do an easy dive on first arrival on Bonaire to check my gear and refamiliarize myself with salt water buoyancy and such.

I'm wondering if this thread may be getting bent out of reality from no first hand input.
We need to get the MIL on BonaireTalk...now!

Similar me on first dive day after being dry for a while, I leave my u/w camera back in the room and just focus on the basics for a while...

Have you mentioned to her the $2m life insurance policy you took out? ; )

HI HOLLY....actually its a half mil....but seriously, one might think that we were completely throwing caution to the wind by the above spankings...however,...she will be in the pool before we go to check out equipment, and having been diving on Bonaire for 11 years and 19 total, I feel as though cindy and I are probably close to being as qualified to observe and adjust and make safe decisions as some dm's that we have experienced throughout the carribean...uh oh..better duck having made that statement...it is our intention to spend as long as it takes in front of Belmar to ensure everyone's safety, including the reef..this situation to me, is not nearly as dangerous as someone from our neck of the woods, getting a weekend certification on an area lake, getting their card and being turned loose on the world...when our teens went through this type of course and accompanied us to Bonaire, I would have worried myself to death if we hadn't been along to monitor their diving, they definitely weren't ready to dive without someone watching very closely...with that said, and with enough folks offended, again the original post was strictly for information about the dive shop rules along these lines...oh by the way holly, my rant wasn't intended as a response to your post...hey it's monday ranting time

we3ll said Monty have a great time.. and I am sure everything will be fine