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Just interested to hear some thoughts and philosophies regarding your "ideal" diver. What skills are most admired by you?
Attitude ... it's the one thing you can't learn in a diving class, it has to come from within. Skills can be learned ... and they're only worthwhile if they're properly applied. It's the mental approach that matters most to me.
My version of an "ideal" diver is someone I wouldn't hesitate pairing up with somebody I love. Someone I could intrinsically trust with that person who's really, really important to me.
That does, of course, imply a certain level of competence. But more so it implies somebody who exhibits due care in choosing their dive site, planning their dive, making sure that they and their buddy are properly prepared for the dive (mentally as well as physically), and who can be trusted to conduct the dive in a responsible manner. It's someone who thinks in terms of "our" dive rather than "my" dive ... who follows the dive plan, who positions themselves to be seen, communicates to be understood, and in all ways performs in what I'd call "predictable behavior" ... because that's what makes diving with that person enjoyable and stress-free.
My "ideal" dive buddy isn't going to be based on their equipment choices, which agency they trained with, or how many dives they've done ... it's going to be based on their emotional stability, their willingness to conduct the dive as part of a team, and an overall congenial personality ... in other words, somebody I can relax and have fun with.
All that other stuff can be learned easily enough ... assuming we choose dive sites and circumstances that require additional learning ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)