One of the things that makes Reef Encounters unique in Okinawa is the autonomy we give divers who go on our tours. While we have some of the best underwater guides on the islands, we don't, like many dive shops, expect our divers to always follow them.
Of course, if divers want to go their own way, this has to be made clear to the dive guide at the beginning of the dive, so that the guides aren't trying to keep watch over divers who aren't part of their group. Divers who break off also have to listen carefully to site briefings so they know what to expect when they get under water. It's also strongly encouraged that each diver carry their own SMB (surface marker buoy) so that they can be seen on the surface in an emergency or in the event they have to ascend in a high-traffic area. In addition, divers going independently have to be honest about the limits of their own training and experience and be sure the dive they want to do falls within those limits. Finally, just like all divers going out on any dive, guided or not, they need to dive in buddy teams of two or three divers, plan their dive appropriately and dive according to that plan.
With all that in mind, why should you consider diving a different profile than the rest of the group?It may be that your training level is above that of the group being led. Maybe we're taking a group of newly certified divers to Maejima to dive along the bottom the reefs looking for sharks, but you'd rather cruise the "Sand River" down to 80 ft to see the garden eels. The new divers, none of them with advanced training, have a 60 ft depth limit, so there's no way our guide would take them deeper on a non-training dive. If you wan to see the eels, you've got to go with your buddy.
Also, there may be a time when the guide is going in one direction, and you want to see what's in the other. Certified divers are certainly welcome to explore this way. Just remember that dive guides often choose an outward direction based on currents or other environmental conditions and you need to be very careful that you don't find yourself having to fight the elements on your way back to the boat.
There are all kinds of reasons why you may want to consider going your own way on one of our dive trips and with Reef Encounters, if you have the training and experience, you can as long as you apply common sense and good judgement. Having said that, our dive guides are excellent and we encourage you to enjoy diving with them. But some divers really just want to go down and do their own thing - and we get it.
Of course, if divers want to go their own way, this has to be made clear to the dive guide at the beginning of the dive, so that the guides aren't trying to keep watch over divers who aren't part of their group. Divers who break off also have to listen carefully to site briefings so they know what to expect when they get under water. It's also strongly encouraged that each diver carry their own SMB (surface marker buoy) so that they can be seen on the surface in an emergency or in the event they have to ascend in a high-traffic area. In addition, divers going independently have to be honest about the limits of their own training and experience and be sure the dive they want to do falls within those limits. Finally, just like all divers going out on any dive, guided or not, they need to dive in buddy teams of two or three divers, plan their dive appropriately and dive according to that plan.
With all that in mind, why should you consider diving a different profile than the rest of the group?It may be that your training level is above that of the group being led. Maybe we're taking a group of newly certified divers to Maejima to dive along the bottom the reefs looking for sharks, but you'd rather cruise the "Sand River" down to 80 ft to see the garden eels. The new divers, none of them with advanced training, have a 60 ft depth limit, so there's no way our guide would take them deeper on a non-training dive. If you wan to see the eels, you've got to go with your buddy.
Also, there may be a time when the guide is going in one direction, and you want to see what's in the other. Certified divers are certainly welcome to explore this way. Just remember that dive guides often choose an outward direction based on currents or other environmental conditions and you need to be very careful that you don't find yourself having to fight the elements on your way back to the boat.
There are all kinds of reasons why you may want to consider going your own way on one of our dive trips and with Reef Encounters, if you have the training and experience, you can as long as you apply common sense and good judgement. Having said that, our dive guides are excellent and we encourage you to enjoy diving with them. But some divers really just want to go down and do their own thing - and we get it.