What is the Minimum you want from a Buddy?

[seaducer]

As someone who has conducted solo dives, and is comfortable with that, I guess my list may be a bit different.

Lets start with 2 things I hate.

1- You are a human, not an octopus, so don't hang all over me.
2- Im looking macro, so if you wanna be Micheal Phelps we are either splitting up UW or you are going to have to sssslllooowww down.

I will waive number one for brand new cute divers.
I will never waive number 2. I will chase you down a total of 3 times. Then you are out.

I appreciate someone who appreciates where we are, and what we are doing. Don't mess with things like puffer fish, don't pull a lobster out unless you are legally catching it, don't touch the coral.

Pay attention to your gauges.

I have some training and I hope the mental ability to help you however you need to keep you alive and get you home. Please pay attention so I don't have to.

Unless I am paying big money I often do not mind limiting my dives for new divers, but we need to discuss this in the planning stage.

If we are buddy diving because someone in the team is not comfortable with the idea of solo, then I will be as attentive as possible, often putting the camera away if conditions warrant real attention. Otherwise they need to know my focus is often else where.

That's about it. Ive had enough poor insta buddies to not expect much, the people I regularly dive with are all top shelf. We can plan and dive alone, but have fun diving together and make a good team. If conditions become hazardous we are all close enough to help and can see each other, and speaking for myself in those conditions I appreciate their presence and their skill. Hopefully they feel the same way...

 

[String]

All i want from a buddy is for them to tell me if they're planning on wandering off in advance and doing their own thing. Otherwise i have to waste my dive looking for them.

Everything else im more than happy to do myself.

 

[BDSC]

My number one requirement is stay off of me. I don't want to be bumping into you everytime I change directions and I don't want you running into me. Just stay reasonably close and in sight. And don't swim above me! Stay to my right, left, behind, or in front of me but not above me. I hate to have to spin around looking for you and you're 10 ft above me.

That's really about it. I just don't like to feel crowded in a big vast ocean.

If I have a number 2 it would be if you are going to ascend and feel comfortable doing so and don't mind me not ascending with you, just tell me you are headed up.

 

[mjh]

The bare minimum, don't do anything stupid that could put us both at risk.

 

[mjh]

Duplicate

 

[pidgiepoo]

For someone I would dive with on a regular basis:

-
- someone who is alert and awake
-

..

Being "awake" would be nice.

 

[J.R.]

Competence.

 

[Saltwater Junky]

I think the OP and TSandM listed the biggies I look for.

 

[Charlie99]

No surprises.


I could have a big list of specific details, but it varies from dive to dive and buddy to buddy. The core requirement is simply that we do what we agreed upon. i.e. NO SUPRISES!

 

[Ardy]

The other thing I dislike is total reliance on the buddy system. It is a good system with divers you know of similar skills but it has it's down parts with other divers.

I was on a liveaboard in PNG a couple of years ago and we were doing some muck diving on an island in 1-3m (10ft) of water. The young DM in charge of the boat made me stay on board for 45mins until another diver became available to buddy me. I thought this was a bit over the top but maybe it was more to do with insurance.