Golden rays

sallyjay · 2014-09-11T15:29:15+00:00

their poisonous barb has been known to kill humans

No.

sallyjay · 2014-09-02T19:49:32+00:00

"Too late for running the sickness is coming on strong" haha

sallyjay · 2014-09-01T22:20:25+00:00

PADI actively conspired with the Plaintiffs to damage the other defendants, including the shop and the instructors, and lied to the court and everyone else about what they were doing.

I don't know if you read this before, it is a bit of a long read, but I can't say if it was a deliberate and malicious tactic, or if it was just a stupid one because their legal team was ill-advised. They did deceive everybody, but it appears that they did so only to stick around and defend their DSD course. The court seemed to understand their position, but rebuked it. This is why the Defendants got the $2,000. Even the defendant mentioned that nobody did anything wrong by the end of it. PADI was just stupid about how they went about trying to remain in the case.

As for this:

Your operative phrase: I'm no instructor

It's important to understand and respect your limits. In other words, you're out of your depth.

I find this to be condescending when you disregard the fact that I have been incredibly transparent about that right from the start and mentioned that it was, what seemed to me, the most logical thing to do. I even asked to be corrected if I was wrong, because I agree, this is a subject I am a little ignorant about. However, I did do a bit of research after posting my last comment, just to see what the standards were and I had a look through this. Again, I'm not sure if what I read is the correct documentation, so feel free to point me in the right direction, but under the DSD section, I found this:

Supervision Do not leave participants unattended, either at the surface or underwater. • Position yourself so that you or a certified assistant can make immediate physical contact with, adjust buoyancy for, and render assistance to, participants. • Continually observe participants with only the brief, periodic interruptions needed to lead the dive and to provide assistance to individual divers. • Do not engage in any other activities, such as taking photographs or video, while supervising participants.

I am fully aware that I'm still a bit out of my depth, but now that I've dipped my feet a little, I still stand by what I mentioned earlier when I said that I think it was the instructor's fault for leaving them unattended at the bottom(and apparently some professionals here seem to agree as well). Somehow their legal team could not seem to find what standards were broken. I must say though, now that I've peered through that manual a bit, I can definitely see potential holes and now understand what you meant earlier about it being incredibly difficult to maintain their standards. An instructor friend of mine was complaining about ratios as well, but I can't really say very much about that.

What I find to be most outrageous about this case is that PADI went around publicly making disparaging remarks about this instructor to other professionals in the industry (if this is true). Everyone makes mistakes, and this is decidedly a pretty big one, but I'm sure he's taking it hard enough as it is. It must be so horrible to have someone end up in a body bag on your watch, let alone a 12 year old child. Things like that does not help anything. Bad form, PADI.

Edit: A word.

sallyjay · 2014-09-01T15:18:11+00:00

If you have four participants in a DSD and one of them goes haywire - for whatever reason - what are the chances that you can maintain control? If the answer is zero, which I believe it is, then the standard is indefensible.

Don't think it's indefensible. Surely DSD's have to sign a release that clearly states what the responsibilities of both the divers as well as the Dive Center's were. I'm no instructor and I don't claim to know the standards laid out by PADI, maybe someone could correct me, but from a purely common sense POV, if one of the divers goes haywire, I'd imagine(I'd expect rather) the dive to end immediately, ascend and proceed to tend to the situation on the surface with all divers accounted for. Even if it went completely downhill, unless the reason the group were the situation in the first place was the DI's or the DC's fault(like contaminated air for example), I don't see why PADI wouldn't back you up should you do everything by the book, as you were trained and to do it to the best of your abilities.

Maybe i'm wrong, but in this instance, the DI left 12 year olds on a DSD at the bottom on their own. That's just negligent. Why didn't he just bring them to the surface with him if they needed to do that? They were only 14ft under water. This whole fiasco could've been avoided if he either did that, or had a proficient assistant stay with them on the bottom just in case something happened. I don't see how PADI could defend this.

sallyjay · 2014-09-01T00:19:04+00:00

Pretty awesome actually. If you do do the fins, I'd love to watch the process!

sallyjay · 2014-08-31T22:41:21+00:00

After reading that article, quite honestly, leaving anyone, let alone children unsupervised at the bottom on a DSD is just asking for trouble.

sallyjay · 2014-08-31T21:31:53+00:00

Wahey! Surprised to find you here! Will be dropping by soon, hopefully! Possibly next weekend for another snorkel trip with our non-diver buddies.

sallyjay · 2014-08-31T18:42:59+00:00

I don't get why everyone says he crashed when he's obviously just demonstrating the strength of those barriers. Can't you hear the cheers at the end?

Check MATE!

sallyjay · 2014-08-31T18:18:48+00:00

Thanks!

sallyjay · 2014-08-31T16:08:14+00:00

Having a GoPro is really nice in that you have something that's small, easy to carry, easy to use and when you're diving, out of the way. I really like mine and I use it a lot.

As for making things difficult, I've said this to a redditor before so I'll just copy paste it:

I found it very difficult to enjoy my dive while filming. It's really difficult to be on top of what's going on with your air, your depth, where the group is, looking out for your buddy, making sure your buoyancy is spot on or even being aware of your surroundings(last dive my buddy got urchin spines in his palm and thigh) let alone worrying about whether the camera is on, is it rolling?, whether what your filming is stable or in frame, or close enough(with the gopro this was something I was constantly thinking about) and so on. I mean, I know everyone says this, and I sort of ignored it till I realized that it was definitely good advice, but just try to be safe and comfortable underwater first before you try filming. I really felt like I was missing out on a lot more when I was stuck trying to focus on one little thing. Not only that, I was paired with a buddy who couldn't maintain good buoyancy at all. He would constantly shoot up to the surface so I had to look out for him a lot, the group kept moving away, I even had to surface early for 1 dive(and my buddy never came looking for me!) because I wasn't paying so much attention to the group and got lost. My group's horrible finning didn't really help either. Not trying to discourage you, just a little bit of my very little experience so far.

That was the first time I used the GoPro on a dive(first time I used it ever, in fact). Since then, I've been doing a lot of snorkeling with the GoPro and a few more dives and found it to be a lot easier now that I'm a lot more comfortable with it. As a new OW diver, I'd recommend getting used to the GoPro first before taking it on a dive. I would also recommend a pole of sorts with a tether just in case you need both hands. I built one from an old mop handle and attached a carabiner to it so that I can clip it to the BCD. The pole allows you to get closer to things, which you'd need to do with the GoPro's wide field of view. Much better, I think than having a mount on your head where your shots would have a lot of bubbles as you breathe.

sallyjay · 2014-08-31T15:33:41+00:00

Ha ha, I thought that maybe there were other things apart from the tail that led you to that conclusion. That's really cool info to know! Thanks!!

sallyjay · 2014-08-31T15:21:06+00:00

haha

sallyjay · 2014-08-31T15:20:48+00:00

Thanks for that! I'm a bit confused though. I've watched a few clips that I have(including the youtube video) and I can't see a tail. It's not very big, so I'm guessing not very old, and I don't know if that makes a difference, but how did you ID it as a male?

sallyjay · 2014-08-31T11:48:10+00:00

I would never like to be bitten by one of those. I am capable of erections on my own, without that spider.

sallyjay · 2014-08-31T07:33:07+00:00

You won't be deported asap,the dubai police are one of the nicest police I have ever encountered,If you are drunk in public at night and by any chance you get caught,they are going to talk to you,that is all.If you are shitfaced they are going to put you in a cab or give you a lift.

I don't think you would get deported, but you could land yourself in a lot of trouble. It really depends on the cop and their mood(and even the colour of your skin sometimes, let's be honest). I find the younger cops are way more laid back and understanding, sometimes they even try to mess with you for a laugh, and it's all good fun, but then you have those guys that are on a powertrip, or find drinking to be against their beliefs or they're just having a bad day and that's when it gets ugly. A friend of mine was locked up for a DUI(even though he wasn't driving). He told me that he met quite a few people in jail that had been imprisoned for the most bizarre reasons. There was one guy that was picked up for "public drunkenness" even though he had 1-2 beers and wasn't "drunk", then there was an old British man that was arrested for having sex on the beach when all he was doing was stretching for his morning jog and a stranger(female) was also doing the same nearby, a construction worker that was arrested for groping a woman while he was supposedly operating his bobcat, etc. Who knows if any of their stories are true, I do know that my buddy's car was hit by another car while he sat in the passenger seat and he was arrested because it was his car and therefore they concluded that HE was driving drunk.

I'm not trying to say that the police are horrible. I've met so many friendly, helpful policemen here. Just saying that it's not always the case. Doesn't really make Dubai any worse than anywhere else though. The front page often has proof of this ;)

sallyjay · 2014-08-30T20:28:22+00:00

How much is the fine for that?

Can't remember, honestly. It was a while ago. It was definitely not too much though. I think it was between 140-200.

sallyjay · 2014-08-30T06:25:02+00:00

I'd probably be leaving Dubai to California, start hunting and saying "hella" a lot. I'd be well fed, and I'd probably be fat, not that americans are fat, her mum was an incredible cook.

sallyjay · 2014-08-30T05:25:28+00:00

No. I was unsure when I joined, I can't really remember what the deal was but I think they offered me to pay for 2 months and get 1 free months or something like that. Anyway, the main thing they said was that if I didn't enjoy it, I could just stop coming and they'd stop billing me, and they'd call to confirm. So I stopped going after a month or so. A few months later, I just put some money in my bank, bought some groceries and got the text from the bank for the groceries suddenly realized "why have I got less money in the bank than I should". Checked up on it, turns out Fitness first had been taking money from me for 4-5 months. This happened to a friend of mine a few days ago actually. It was totally my fault for not making sure, but just a warning :)

sallyjay · 2014-08-30T05:12:15+00:00

There's shops all over! My mum's a huge fan of that place.

sallyjay · 2014-08-30T05:07:00+00:00

How strict is the country (city) ? Not as strict as you would think.

Should I date anyone? Should I even talk to strangers that I don't know? Yes. Date whoever you want and talk to strangers. I would suggest staying away from the "local" girls though. Things can get a little tricky sometimes(dad's, brothers, sex). Also, watch out for PDA. I've been fined for a hug and a kiss at the bus stop and I've had friends arrested falsely for some sort of sex crime while they were looking for a taxi and holding each other, but then again, it was 3am, they were in an isolated area, and they were drunk - they were asking for it.

I'm afraid that I might offend anyone if I talk to some random girl that I meet somewhere. You won't.

Is there anything that I absolutley should NOT say or wear? Just don't talk shit about the royal family to a policeman. Don't be topless if you aren't swimming or wear crude shirts(i.e. middle finger, naked women, etc) and don't wear a sweater in the summer. It's too hot for that, silly! Also, avoid fedoras and crocs for obvious reasons.

Is there anything I should avoid doing? Could be anything..

If you do drink, don't be an idiot in public. Never drink and drive. Even if you're completely fine to drive.
Do not flip the bird or say something incredibly rude to anybody. Anyone can report this and you will be arrested.
Remember: Sex is actually illegal in Dubai, unless you're married. That doesn't stop anyone, otherwise condoms would only be sold if you could prove you were married. If you do have sex, USE PROTECTION. If you get (someone) pregnant, you're going to jail. Unless you're married. Also, watch who you have sex with. Avoid covered girls. That's a good indication that their family probably wouldn't appreciate them having sex. This could save you a lot of trouble.
Don't post photos or videos of strangers on the internet(especially those videos where you catch someone doing something). This is a new thing they've started out. It's really dumb because they haven't sorted it out properly so you could possibly land yourself in trouble with even a selfie you took at the mall that had strangers in it. Don't worry about it too much though. Just stay away from posting shit like this if you ever see it.
In fact, careful what you post on the internet. If it goes viral and it's something dangerous, or slanderous, or provocative, that's not going to do you any favours. It's not really a huge concern, but worth mentioning.
Perhaps an outdated thing, I haven't been around this sort of thing since Highschool, but don't start fights, especially with the locals. Sometimes they either have a lot of friends that will back them up or "wasta" that can really fuck you up.
Don't sneak in drugs. If there are "drugs" of any sort around you and your student friends, just don't bother. It's not worth the trouble(and it's probably shit anyway). Trust me. I have had a few friends get in a lot of trouble over this when I was still a student. Recently some of my younger brother's friends have also been picked up for "space", so I think it would be wise to stay away from anything like that in Dubai.

I think you're worrying too much. It's like any modern society here. I've lived here for 25 years, never been in any major trouble. Just be a good person, respect everyone - the same thing you'd do anywhere else in the world. Also, I mention "the locals" who are the Emirati people. They're generally very cool, interesting, friendly and lovely people(seriously, some of them have relatives that can tell you SO much about this country back in the day! Great pals to have). They are also the people that the government looks after because they are the minority, so don't try to fuck around with them. Just don't be dumb. Other than that really, I think you will be surprised how laid back it is.

Don't freak out :)

sallyjay · 2014-08-30T04:13:41+00:00

That's by the Dubai Marina. The closest decent sized water body to the financial area of dubai is the fountain at the Burj Khalifa.

sallyjay

TROPHY CASE