Mentoring New Divers Without Overstepping

Mentoring can be incredibly rewarding and incredibly frustrating. If you've got a few dozen dives under your belt, or you've taken advanced or technical training, chances are you've been tempted to help a newer diver improve. Maybe they’re struggling with buoyancy. Maybe they forgot a step during setup. Or maybe they just look nervous. But helping isn’t always helpful, especially when it’s unwanted or poorly timed.

When Should You Help?

Helping isn’t just about what you know, it’s about context and consent.

• Was help requested? Wait to be asked, or ask if they’d like help. Don’t assume.
• Is there actual risk? If someone is about to skip a critical pre-dive safety check or make an unsafe mistake, that’s different. Step in politely and clearly.
• Are you part of the team? If you aren’t in their buddy pair or group, be especially cautious. Jumping into someone else’s team dynamic is rarely welcome.

Tip: Invite, Don’t Inflict

Use questions that invite discussion rather than imply a need for correction:

• “Hey, do you want a hand with that?”
• “Want to talk through your dive plan?”
• “I ran into something similar once — happy to share what worked for me if you’re interested.”

These approaches show respect while still offering support. The goal is to be helpful, not instructional.

The Fine Line Between Teaching and Preaching

You may have great experience. But if you aren’t their instructor, remember:

• You don’t know their training background. They might have learned different methods.
• You might be wrong. Training evolves. Agency standards differ. Be open to that.
• Don’t cite your dive count. Dive numbers mean nothing without context. Don’t use them as credibility shortcuts.

Many bad divers have hundreds of dives. Many great ones have fewer than 100. Being a good mentor means staying humble.

Don’t Ruin the Experience

Even well-meaning advice can kill someone’s vibe for diving.

• Don’t critique post-dive unless asked. The surface interval is for debriefing your own dive team unless someone invites input.
• Don’t hover underwater watching or correcting. It’s unnerving and distracting.
• Avoid gear shaming. If someone’s equipment is safe and functional, let them use it. Save the gear talk for another time.

The Silent Treatment Doesn’t Help Either

On the flip side, don’t be passive-aggressive. If someone asks for feedback and you waffle or say “you did fine” when you don’t mean it, you’re not helping.

Leading by Example - Don’t Preach. Just Dive.

You don’t need to say a word to mentor.

Being a diver is about action, not words. New divers learn more from what you do than what you say. A calm, controlled dive with clear procedures and respect for the environment leaves a stronger impression than any lecture ever could. This is one of the key parts of my diver code of conduct

• Run your checks visibly and without stress
• Move slowly, with good trim and buoyancy
• Communicate clearly with your buddy
• Treat dive staff and crew with courtesy and gratitude

If someone is watching you, you’re already mentoring. Let them see the kind of diver worth becoming.

What If They’re Doing Something Unsafe?

This is the hardest situation. If a diver is about to endanger themselves or others:

• Intervene respectfully, but firmly.
• State the concern, not your credentials. Say “your tank strap is loose” not “I’m a rescue diver.”
• If they brush you off, escalate to staff or the divemaster. Better to risk awkwardness than injury.

If the dive has already started and something seems off, signal and communicate. Better to abort early than watch a preventable problem unfold.

What If You’re the Problem?

Sometimes the desire to help is masking something else:

• Are you trying to prove something?
• Are you frustrated by your own dive experience?
• Are you defaulting to critique instead of curiosity?

Good mentors check their motives. If you're correcting someone to feel in control or validate your own knowledge, you're not really helping.

If You Really Want to Help, Get Trained

Consider becoming a divemaster or assistant instructor. These roles come with formal mentorship training, liability coverage, and structure that pure recreational diving lacks.

You can also:

• Join local dive clubs or pool nights and offer to assist new divers with their skills (when asked)
• Contribute to skill-building discussions in a respectful way
• Share your learning journey honestly, including mistakes