Its a BIG ocean out there…
Its always funny to see how couples handle each other underwater. Usually, if the couples are quite experienced, they stay relatively close to each other, but not too close. But then you have the couples who are fairly new to the sport of diving. These guys are either all over the place, or so close to each other that you find one of them pushing their hands away from their body as if to say” give me some space!” I get tickled everytime I see a boyfriend or hubby getting too close to there new diving partner, and you almost always see some discomfort in the eyes of the woman. Most women, when learning, do need to feel that there is someone just an arm reach away. Being a diving instructor, it is no problem to move close to the person and then away again without ever “crowding” the diver or diver-ette. New, over-enthusiastic diving partners can literally scare the Bee Jesus out of someone else trying to learn to dive or perfecting their technique. They generally swim in too close, bumping into their partner, then start signing directtly in front of their face, then to top it off…want to start grabbing gauges to check air pressure. All this commotion around a new or “not quite sure of one’s self” diver, can lead to a diving accident. I have numerous times seen where there was an out of control ascent towards the surface that could have been serious had I not been right on top of the situation. Once back on the boat or shore, I pull the “helpful” diver to the side, reminding him that he/she also was new to the sport and that they were not qualified to handle underwater emergencies …and sometimes even ask “could they please let me do my job!” I have never had someone say “I know what I’m doing, leave me alone!”
Chances are that if you crowd your diving buddy, they are NOT going to want to be your diving buddy much longer. We all have to remember that it’s a BIG ocean out there and to give each other a little room. Moreover, an overly helpful diver can kill the desire for some to continue diving. Out here in Playa del Carmen, the underwater visibility is great year-around so there’s rarely any chane of losing a diver…so spread out alittle and give each other some room….you’ll both enjoy the dive alot more!!!
