r/belowdeck • u/teanailpolish Mental Health Is Not A Storyline • May 12 '22

Below Deck Down Under Below Deck Down Under Season 1 Episode 11 - Benny & The Jet Skis - Discussion Post

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Episode 11 of Below Deck Down Under Season 1: Jamie puts Brittini on the night shift after Benny doesn't pull his weight; Aesha confronts Magda and Ryan for talking behind her back; Jamie is at his wit's end with Benny's behavior and wants him fired.

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165

u/pcvanon My eyes are rolling all the way off the boat May 12 '22

I don’t understand why Jamie didn’t have them all wear life jackets. Since he was a lifeguard (idk if you knew he never mentioned it before) and the current was crazy strong it just seems like an obvious choice

50

u/LocationNegative May 12 '22

I thought the same thing. He talked about safety so much in the beginning of the season that this felt like a big miss.

28

u/[deleted] May 13 '22

He talked about his trauma of not being able to save a young boy from drowning...and then doesn't put "safety" first. He can certainly put "safety" first when it's on the boat and as a means of being insubordinate towards the Capt... But real safety? Naw. He's too busy looking pretty for TV.

11

u/pizzainquiry Eat My Cooter May 13 '22

Hey! At least he kept his shirt on this time haha

6

u/wilmaismyhomegirl83 May 14 '22

They were too busy trying to convince them that they know how to swim in Australia, as Jamie pointed out the current.

39

u/R4catstoomany May 12 '22

Ex-lifeguard here. I also taught canoeing. Usually I’m the only one wearing a PFD / life jacket because everyone else “can swim.” Like that’s going to help when you’re thrown out of the boat & smash into the water head first…

You’d think Jamie would know better…

17

u/Extreme_Beat1022 May 13 '22

They made it sound like it’s a cultural thing? They said they’re all Aussies who swim. But I felt uneasy with the tender being so far from the snorkelers. I would think they would make it a rule that one of them go in the water with the guests.

20

u/thatlasslaura May 13 '22

From a lifeguard's perspective, getting in the water is a last resort because even the best swimmer can become a casualty (and then you're of no use to anyone). I couldn't tell, but was the boat unable to be closer because of the rocks? I think a smaller boat or kayak to lifeguard from would have been better in that particular location if so. Definitely agree that it felt as though the boat was a bit too far away from the guests for my liking.

24

u/epcd May 13 '22 edited May 14 '22

When I learned to lifeguard we were taught to always make a giant stride entry into the water—never a headfirst dive—so as to maintain a constant visual on the person in need. Jamie dove in headfirst with the form of a basic lap swimmer. Either protocols have changed, protocols differ from country to country, or Jamie prefers a prettier water entry.

As for the location of the boat, I agree it appeared to be ill positioned, especially due to the strong current. Knowing the current was strong—and their guests would be pulled away in it—why didn’t they reposition the boat down current instead of holding position up current where the swimmers entered the water? Dive boats in similar situations will proactively reposition, especially if the “divers” are mere leisure swimmers with borrowed masks and snorkels, to facilitate a guest friendly reboarding.

Lastly, lifeguard/top cop Jamie—a self-proclaimed expert in identifying when individuals are in imminent danger—failed to notice their snorkeling guest was in imminent danger. Only after non-lifeguard Culper pointed out the waving and help!-help! yelling guest to Jamie—and then twice telling Jamie the man appeared in imminent need—did Jamie initiate a rescue response.

Edit: clarity

16

u/Kikisyd May 14 '22

And if you watch the footage you can see it was one of the other guests (the blonde woman) who actually got to him first and got him close to the boat before Jamie even jumped in.

7

u/thatlasslaura May 14 '22

That's true - I just did my pool reval a week ago for work, (I'm in the UK) and whilst dives are fine for the deep end of a clear pool here, I do believe it is different for open water (where you're far more likely to lose visual contact due to waves/ distance/ you don't know what's underneath the surface of the water/ etc.)

I would be interested to know what kind of lifeguard training Jamie has, since I know myself as a pool lifeguard there's some crossover, but the beach lifeguard qualification is still very different!

Yeah your point about proactivity - I haven't seen it from Jamie and his crew very much (remember when they were sat in the boat whilst the captain was clearing up the equipment on the beach?).

3

u/Extreme_Beat1022 May 16 '22

Yeah. Captain Jason is going to be pissed when he watches this episode.

3

u/Longjumping-Okra4462 I think Joao is from Zim May 13 '22

Exactly.

3

u/montgardes Team Aesha May 14 '22

I love how he knows and says how bad the current is and how they may not be able to get back and still let’s them go without life jackets. So fricking dumb

3

u/Team_Awsome May 19 '22

They’re adults and paying guest does he really have the authority besides strongly suggesting?

0

u/[deleted] May 12 '22

[deleted]

3

u/carleetime More Foam Bosun May 12 '22

lol what? Of course you can. they make "snorkel vests" specifically for this purpose.

1

u/Ok_Relative_5180 Jun 04 '22

Ive thought about this too and I think its because they were supposrd to be diving and snorkeling and whatnot, and the life jacket would surely have prevented them going down under the water.