Taking Advantage of Special
Opportunities (to the Exclusion
of Other Group Members)

Has this one ever happened to you? You’re on a group trip. Your fearless leader announces one morning that he won’t be on the boat with everyone else today. Why? It seems the resort operator has arranged to take your instructor (and a small number of his hand-picked cronies) on a “special” dive to which you are not invited.

It might be a deeper dive, a wreck dive, a shark encounter or some other activity that, given the opportunity, you’d really like to take part in. However, your group leader — the fellow whose way you helped pay — is going and you are not.

I’ve seen variations on this more times than I can count. It’s among the stupidest thing an instructor can do because it makes those who are footing the bill feel left out.

At many destinations, there are “special opportunity” dives — such as shark dives — which any group member can sign up for should he or she choose. It’s one thing if the group leader goes along on one of these dives; in fact, the group members taking advantage of this opportunity may specifically request that he or she do so, because of the leader’s additional training and experience. It’s quite another thing, though, when trip leaders cash in on opportunities that just aren’t available to most group members.

It’s the group leader’s job to make sure everyone in the group has the best time possible — not just himself and a few hand-picked buddies.

Focusing on non-group-related interests »

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