Following Article a re posting from Scuba Diver Life.  

  Written by Thomas Gronfeldt

1. Using your tank valve to dry off your regulator cap

I also mentioned this one inTop 5 Bad Habits for Divers, but I mention it here as well because it’s not only bad for your gear, but also annoying for everyone around you.

2. Spreading your kit out over the entire dive deck

Keep to your own designated spot and keep your spot in order. Don’t take up your space and everyone else’s because you like to have your gear laid out just so. Space is at a premium on boats, so respect others by keeping yours tidy.

3. Gearing up (too) slowly

Slow and thorough is one thing, but try not to leave the entire dive group waiting in the hot sun while you tinker with your gear. Make a mental checklist of everything you need and go through it deliberately and concisely. This will ensure you’ll remember everything without having to rummage around and repeat tasks.

4. Overusing a tank banger

Small, metal rods that you can tap against your tank to make a sound that can be heard by your buddy, dive team, or the guide, tank bangers are nifty little underwater communications devices. But overuse them and you’ll scare off the animals, especially the shy ones, such as sharks, mantas and turtles. And you’ll make the experience more like a percussion concert than a quiet, serene dive and force your companions to turn their heads your way every 10 seconds.

5. Inadvertently photo bombing other divers’ images

Pretty compositions attract photographers, so when you spot one, look around and make sure you’re not finning into someone else’s shot. Nothing is worse for a photographer than having a great shot ruined by an oblivious fellow diver blundering into the frame. Wait until they’re done snapping, and then have a closer look. With that being said…

6. Stopping to take pictures every five seconds

We get it; underwater photography is your passion. But if you’re the type who holds up everyone’s dive by stopping every two fin kicks to take a photo, and spends 10 minutes lining up the perfect shot, you’ll soon find yourself struggling to find a buddy. When you’re diving with non-photographer buddies try to keep with the group while taking photos along the way. Better yet, dive with other photographers, so you can take the time you need to line up a perfect shot.

7. Overtaking inside wrecks or caves

You may be quite comfortable inside wrecks and caves, and maybe the divers in front of you are moving much slower than you’d like. But even if you think you’ve got plenty of room to pass them — don’t — unless you know for certain they’re as comfortable as you are. Wrecks and caves can be scary for divers who are new to them, and another diver squeezing past can be the thing that makes a small tunnel suddenly seem claustrophobic. So respect the line and stay behind until you’re somewhere you can swim around them without overtaking them.

8. Ruining the viz for others

Speaking of wrecks and caves, do try to be aware of your fins and hands when inside one of these structures. Even if you’re the last man on the line, and you’re doing a swim-through — meaning you won’t be passing by the same spot again — there’s no need to ruin the visibility for the dive team that comes after yours.

9. Being an experience snob

Diving is a social sport, and it should be an inclusive one. We dive in buddy pairs or dive teams, and we hang out at dive shops and on dive boats. And we were all beginners once. Yet some divers turn up their noses at less-experienced divers, even when they ask for advice or assistance. Some go so far as refusing to dive with anyone who doesn’t have a specific equipment setup, or who hasn’t logged a certain number of dives, or hasn’t dived specific sites. Don’t be that guy. A novice diver is a learner, not someone to be looked down upon, and as long as his experience level and the dive make for a good, safe match, he has just as much right to dive there as you do. Help the newbie become a better diver, just as others probably did for you.

10. Being a know-it-all

All divers are different, and divers learn at different rates. Just because you see someone doing something differently than you would, don’t start correcting him. Stop; breathe; think. Is he doing something dangerous? Or is he simply doing something different? If it’s the latter, let him do things his way. No need to be a busybody who polices what others do. Of course, if the other diver is doing something wrong, or something that could put him or others in harm’s way, offer your help in the nicest possible way. But if not, dive and let dive.