The Chairman
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I almost always carry a light, because you never know when you need to look under a ledge.In low light conditions I usually carry a light.
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I almost always carry a light, because you never know when you need to look under a ledge.In low light conditions I usually carry a light.
I can only tell you what I would do in that situation. Surface currents can be rough and stressing yourself trying to battle such a current can precipitate DCS. I feel safer just off the bottom and in a valley if I can.is it wise to encourage descending back to the bottom when alone ?
I almost always carry a light, because you never know when you need to look under a ledge.
as stated above, all our students are taught to look around for a minute or so (look 360 degrees as well as up and down) then SLOWLY proceed towards the surface as you would if you had a buddy. if a safety stop is required, DO IT. then (even slower) head to the surface. if your buddy and you had discussed this possibility before the dive, tey should be at the surface as well.
our students are taught to do a safety stop for any dive below 30 feet.
if a certified diver feels they do not need to stop, that is up to them.
obviously the right decision as to what to do will depending on the circumstances. but considering we are in the newbie section, is it wise to encourage descending back to the bottom when alone ?
I went through that once. Three of us together and the other two kept going instead of coming up. After awhile I went back down. Just in case there was a problem I could help with. I didn't find them.As a new diver you should be trained to go to the surface if you can’t find your buddy after 1 minute of searching.
While it was probably medically safe, you should have stayed on the surface until you reconnected with your buddy.
I almost always carry a light, because you never know when you need to look under a ledge.
A safety stop is never required. Requiring one while in class is understandable. Discussing when a stop is necessary, rather than optional I believe is one of the reasons for training. Training divers to always make a safety stop during an emergency situation may not help them or their buddy.
That distinction should be a matter of discussion during training, a diver, or his buddy, can die in those three, or five, minutes.
I don’t encourage a diver to do anything they don’t want to do. I do believe much more time should be spent in training preparing a diver for the issues they will meet.
Of course I was trained when SCUBA was dangerous and sex was safe.
it is my humble opinion that in this situation (missing buddy) it is not an "emergency".