Posted by Wayne on November 20, 2000 at 14:02:04:
In Reply to: On the other hand... posted by brianc on November 20, 2000 at 13:38:00:
I normally only show my nitrox card for this reason. In September I was on a charter on Maui. We had a total newbie doing his first post-certification dive. He reported than he had trouble descending. The DM/Guide told him to descend to the wreck and wait for us. The plan was to wait for the rest of us to enter the water and all drop together and meet/find the newbie on the bottom (leaving him alone in 60 feet at a wreck, with his new wife who dove a few years ago). My wife and I were already in the water when he made this decision. I immediately offered to escort the newbie down and watch over him until the official DM arrived on scene. He did not have problems, but I was glad I was there and glad that I had shown my black card on that dive. My wife was glad because we got an extra 10 minutes of bottom time!
When I have been paired with strangers, it has usually been a good experience. But a big part of this comes from predive preparation. I show them how my gear works. Then I familiarize myself with their gear. We go over signs and plans. This extra up front effort increases the safety factor and reduces my anxiety a lot.
Wayne