Diary of A Dive Professional... Drop in dives

By Kenzie Rosene, Master Scuba Diver Instructor

So, you want to know what working a Drop In Dive looks like? Well look no further! I'll tell ya right now!

Okay first thing I do in the morning is wake up and brush my teeth. Just kidding, I'm not going to tell you my morning routine. But rest assured I do wake up and brush my teeth!

Drop In Dives begin when I arrive at the shop to greet the participants for the day. My job is to make sure I have checked everyone's certification cards, get paperwork signed, help the shop staff with gathering gear, and assess the level of nervousness in the divers. The Drop Ins are a great way to get more experience with scuba diving, as well as meet people with a wide range of dive expertise. We have people join that are brand new off their Open Water course, all the way to people who have been diving longer than I have been alive. That being said, part of my job is to pair people up to dive together based on comfort level and experience. So while you are mingling and checking over your gear, I am watching you. Insert evil laugh here. 

Once we have figured out the best site based on conditions and experience levels, I send out the divers to meet me at the dive site. As the Divemaster, I am usually the last one to leave the shop. I have to pack the safety gear, spare parts gear, and wait for anyone showing up a little bit late. When it is time to head to the dive site, there is almost always music played slightly too loud in the car, along with very out of tune singing. I say almost always because on occasion, I have a diver carpool with me and I'd rather not horrify them with a private concert. Once I am at the site, I go around with my participant roster and check on gear set ups/fix any issues I see. Then comes the briefings, both site specific and general safety. I throw in a couple dad jokes just to make those briefings EXTRA special. I know when a fatherly joke really hits home when I see the people cringe, pity laugh, and avoid eye contact with me. After that, I double check that everyone has a buddy and a dive plan, and then I can get set up too.

When my group and I hop in the water I of course make sure everyone is okay before we start the dive. From there, I lead my divers around the site, help them sort out any issues, and hopefully spot some wicked sea life. Once the dive is over and the safety stop is complete, it's time to hop out of the water, keep my kit set up, and go around with my dive roster again. Why is my kit set up still even though I'm done diving? Just in case someone in the water needs help. I can easily throw my gear on and get to them quick as a bunny. Once everyone has been checked out on my roster, people are free to go about their day. I always return back to the shop to return the safety gear, rinse my gear, and of course, tell the poor sucker stuck in the shop about all the amazing stuff they missed out on! Just kidding, but I do make sure I rub it in a little if I saw an octopus that day. 

After all is said and done, I go about my day as usual impatiently waiting for my next diving adventure.

Happy Diving!

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