As a nice counter-balance to my previous rant blasting things about dive boats that drive me crazy, I found a tidy little how-to concerning dive boat etiquette. While most experienced divers should know all of these unwritten rules, I believe that it's most often experienced divers who break the rules. Among the etiquette points I found most valuable were:
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Arrive early, so you don't make everyone else late.
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Bring onboard only what you need.
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Listen to the dive briefing.
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Store items in their proper places.
The article also states, "Don't try to walk in your fins... Carry both fins in one hand so the other is free to hang on." I found that interesting, because many boats prefer that you put on your fins at your seat and then do the Dive Boat Shuffle to the stern to perform your giant stride.
1. My dive instructor wears a speedo when diving. We have given him hell about it for years. One day, I decided to "get him back." So I said I would surprise him by wearing a thong on the next dive. Anyway, I'm not the kind of guy you want to see in a thong. His reaction was priceless.
Anyway, I think that would probably fall under "Poor Etiquette," but it was worth it.
Posted at 10:48AM on Dec 21st 2006 by Billy Williamson