Advice for traveling without dive buddy

[sixt3denied]

Hey all,

Here's the deal.... I recently got back into diving and have several dive trips coming up. My issue is this:

My girlfriend doesn't dive. I AM working on "gently" persuading her to give it a try - but she is still very undecided about it.

So - in planning my dive trips - I have only used dive operations that include a DM in the water (that i can tag along with) for free. My reason for this is that i have too often been partnered up with complete dummies in the past on dive trips. Although this was not always the case it has happened more often than not. Somehow I always seem to get stuck with the guy that is completely clueless, can't equalize, can't control his buoyancy, is totally over-weighted, is an air hog- etc etc etc. So to avoid dealing with this i now prefer diving without an "official" buddy - and I look to tag along with the DM. If i'm gonna spend my heard earned $$$ on a dive trip, the last thing i want to do is eat up my air supply and bottom time because i have to "hold another diver's hand" (metaphorically speaking).

I live in New York. But i like diving in tropical waters - (usually the Florida Keys, or Boynton Beach/West Palm Beach Florida area) so it is very hard finding a buddy that can travel at the same time that I do.

Am I the only one that has this issue? Any advice?

Thanks!

By the way, I will be diving with Underwater Explorers in Boynton Beach Florida on Saturday September 22nd at 1:00PM and Sunday September 23rd at 1:00PM. There are 5 spots left on the boat for each of those date/time slots. You can sign up here if you'd like to join me. Maybe we can fill the boat! https://securec7.ezhostingserver.com/diveboyntonbeach-com/indexs.cfm

 

[windapp]

This is a flame free forumn so my desired comment must be left unwritten.

 

[freewillie]

You could try finding a local dive club and inquire about any group trips. My LDS also books trips and while some divers sign up through the shop have buddies, many do not. It's a good way to meet local divers and potential future buddies.

 

[shoredivr]

Go on the regional SB forums and ask for buddies, state your desired dive locations etc and you'll be surprised how many PMs you get. It has worked for me.

It also helps to have solo certification.

 

[AaronRiot]

The 'free' dive guide is there for the group - not you personally. If you would like a DM buddy they can be rented though

If your skills are more developed than your dive buddy's, perhaps offering advice or assistance would be the nice thing to do.

If you want to add personal safety, maybe a pony or a slung 80 would put your mind at ease (always remembering that if you are somebody's buddy you still have THEIR bailout even though you've chosen to carry your own).

Good luck.

 

[DandyDon]

Do not push the GF into it.

I got a 19 cf pony, reg, and sling. It's a lot of work & money, and not the same as a good buddy, but still a good idea.

 

[Tigerman]

I do travel a lot alone and that means I get to be the one without a buddy.
There is a few things that can help when it comes to "instabuddies" and the thing thats MOST helpful is to have a chat with them before you dive.
Find out how many dives they have, how long its been since their last dive, if they have dived similar conditions to the ones youre in before. It can give you a chance to find out wether or not the person is someone with your preferred prerequisites or not.

Or you could of course just rent a private DM..

 

[sixt3denied]

The 'free' dive guide is there for the group - not you personally. If you would like a DM buddy they can be rented though

If your skills are more developed than your dive buddy's, perhaps offering advice or assistance would be the nice thing to do.

I always assist my buddy (regardless if they are competent divers or not). While i realize that the DM is there for the group, usually they lead the dive- so i tag along with the group, usually near the front of the pack. At least this way i feel as though if something went wrong, the DM or another diver would be close enough to assist me. Though not ideal, i feel it is better than diving completely solo. I actually enjoy assisting fellow divers that need help. But when your buddy floats up to 10 feet because he cant clear his ears or cant control his buoyancy, while everyone else is at 50 feet- he becomes a distraction and burden. None of us are perfect but we should all be competent enough to do the basics. Isn't that why we are certified?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[farsidefan1]

I do travel a lot alone and that means I get to be the one without a buddy.
There is a few things that can help when it comes to "instabuddies" and the thing thats MOST helpful is to have a chat with them before you dive.
Find out how many dives they have, how long its been since their last dive, if they have dived similar conditions to the ones youre in before. It can give you a chance to find out wether or not the person is someone with your preferred prerequisites or not.

Or you could of course just rent a private DM..

I agree with Tigerman. Predive talks solve a lot of problems. Or you could just do as you are doing. Dive with the dive guide with the understanding that if you intend to use him/her as your buddy, you should take it upon yourself to stay close enough to actually function as a buddy.

 

[TMHeimer]

I have only done one tropical trip so far, and the DM led. On the charters in the US and NS the DMs generally don't dive with the group- just buddy pairs. I agree with all about talking a lot beforehand. Experience, dive plan, signals, equipment, etc. Size up what your buddy will be like. Give advice if the buddy seems to need it--perhaps be the leader/decision maker if that's agreed on. If it's deep, maybe take the pony anyway, even if you get paired up with someone good. Other than that, or hiring a DM, I don't think there is much else you can do. I've been in that situation often, as my wife doesn't dive. Luck of the draw. PM me if you know of any shore dives in your area that are deeper than 10'. I'm in Westchester each July and maybe we could buddy up for one.