How many would consider using a tether when diving with a loved one?

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If I didn't dive when it was less than 3ft of vis I would waste a lot of time on boats.

There comes a point where it is not a case of being afraid you might get separated but it is a certainty. Sometimes you literally cannot see as far as the end of your arm. In those conditions you want to concentrate on the small life. It is not so easy and a line to your buddy makes it easier. Another approach is to use the SMB line, but that can be harder. A torch helps too.

As for loved ones vs others...

Diving involves risk. Risks can have consequences. Losing a child or partner IS a worse consequence than loosing the average buddy.
Ken-

Where do you dive that had less than 3ft ( arms length) viz on the regular? Is it enjoyable?

I did a bad shore dive the other day and had maybe 6 feet of viz, not the best but I was happy to be In the water.

Normally South Florida has great viz, so I'm sure you're not talking here.

As for the tether - I'll pass. I have held onto my girlfriends bcd or her hand on rough currents or what not.

Also, great thing about warm water diving with a bp/wing, normally no extra weight to lose. Don't have to be a tech diver to appreciate that.

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I have used a dog leash. It has a loop at one end and a clip at the other. Those are nice if you suddenly need both hands. Generally use if viz is less than 12 inches. No real hazard. Just let go of it.

And yes, I would risk my life for a family member but possibly not for someone else.
 
Ken-
Where do you dive that had less than 3ft ( arms length) viz on the regular? Is it enjoyable?

South coast of England. As a club we have already booked boats for next year. One week next October was booked last year. You get the vis you get. Unless it is too windy and the waves too big you go out. Sometimes the vis is properly bad. Usually it can be dealt with, although it depends on the site.

The last time it was bad enough to use a buddy line we did 50min at about 14 to 18m drifting off Brighton. There was almost no light from the surface and the fish were sleeping. When you can only look at a small area you look carefully and see the stuff you might ignore given a wider view.

On the other hand I recall a dive which lasted 8 minutes to 9m off the Isle of Wight. The vis was too poor to let go of the shot line and you could only identify people by their computer as they also held onto the line. That was a wreck and so the risk of getting inside by accident was too much.
 
Do you know of any BP/W that comes with integrated weight pockets?

My Xdeep Zeos's harness has integrated weights. Well, the weight pockets at one end bolt to the BP and the waist strap goes through a loop on each pocket to keep them in place. Is that the sort of thing you were looking for?
 
It seems to me that your concern might be best addressed by additional training and experience than by equipment. If I thought that the dive conditions were beyond my or my buddy (or a significant other as a buddy), I or your buddy should call the dive. Every diver has a comfort level and with more experience comes a level of situational awareness. I am not sure about your wife's dive experience, but she might consider a rescue class (taken without her husband). Don't take this the wrong way, but sometimes I split couples up during teaching. Such training gives sense of independence and provides a more engaged and safe diver.

As a former ski guide, many women are hampered by their husband or boyfriend making all the decisions. Similar to skiing in avalanche terrain, team decisions make for a safe and fun experience. To paraphrase DumpsterDive, fostering dependence does not encourage independence thinking. Best that she becomes a safe and independent diver than venturing into a environment that is beyond her or your experience.
 
South coast of England. As a club we have already booked boats for next year. One week next October was booked last year. You get the vis you get. Unless it is too windy and the waves too big you go out. Sometimes the vis is properly bad. Usually it can be dealt with, although it depends on the site.

The last time it was bad enough to use a buddy line we did 50min at about 14 to 18m drifting off Brighton. There was almost no light from the surface and the fish were sleeping. When you can only look at a small area you look carefully and see the stuff you might ignore given a wider view.

On the other hand I recall a dive which lasted 8 minutes to 9m off the Isle of Wight. The vis was too poor to let go of the shot line and you could only identify people by their computer as they also held onto the line. That was a wreck and so the risk of getting inside by accident was too much.

I also dive on the south coast, normally out of Teignmouth. I agree the viz can be shocking. I dived the Bretagne a few years back, the shot ended up in the mud so we took off looking for her. I attached a reel to the shot to help in the search. After a few seconds I bumped my head on its side. Viz I think was about 3 inches at 30m and pitch black. My wife was with me, I could feel her, I couldn't see her. We communicated by shouting into our regs and strangely enough we thumbed the dive. As I said before, dives should also be fun. I am not likely to bin a dive if I have 3 to 5 ft viz. As you said, it would waste a lot of time/money.


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Does the op frequently dive in 3ft viz?

Either way it's up to him if he takes the sensible advice that a tether isn't the answer to his problem... More experience and/or training is.

From having a negligent weight pocket release, to uncontrolled ascent on loosing only one weight pocket, to not dealing with it properly (all she could remember to do was breath out), to not knowing the bcd has trim/non-ditchable weight pockets.

Plenty room for growing rather than using a potentially dangerous band-aid... You look at it from your perspective but what if you had a stuck inflator... Does your loved one have the skill, presence of mind and experience to know how to help you or when it's necessary to cut the line? Can that person actually locate their knife and cut the line in time before both of you rocket to the surface?

Some people are justifying the use of a tether in some extreme circumstances (imo you'd be better solo diving in those conditions anyways) but in your case/most cases I believe more experience, increased self reliant and better buddy practices are the answers


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He doesn't specify the conditions, we're just saying it s not always a bad idea, which is what the title was about. In his particular example then a buddy line is not the answer. Working gear is the answer. The various swim down answers are also rather condition and config dependent. Try that having lost half the lead required for a drysuit in cold water.

The buddy line does not have to clip on, it can be a loop either held or around the wrist, letting go may not require a cutting device. Similarly an SMB line is just held.
 
In my cummerbund pocket I always carry a coiled 6ft length of 1/4" bungee with a loop tied at each end just big enough to put a hand through (no cutting instrument required).
It's always there and we've used it maybe 15 times over the last 500 dives but it's come in very useful at times.
Some examples:
First as a buddy line like once when viz suddenly dropped from about 20ft to 6" while diving a wreck and a sudden change of current churned up a large area of silt. We slipped it on to our wrists and it left me free to find the wreck and navigate by touch back to the ascent line without having to worry about my buddy. We've also been on various dives where viz would keep alternating from fantastic to almost zero.
Second as a tow line for a tired diver on the surface. Much easier than doing a tow when you're in close proximity. Just put the loop on the first stage main screw and you can both lie on your backs, relax and paddle.
Third as a Jon line when doing deco stops together with a lot of other divers in high current and there is a lot of congestion at the 5m depth on the ascent line. Just loop the bungee around the ascent line a couple of times and you can hang clear of the congestion. At the end of the stop just release one end and the line will free up.
Fourth as an easy way to stay together on the surface while waiting for the boat to pick us up at the end of the dive after a free ascent. One night dive in Coz we spent almost an hour in the water on the surface at the end of a night dive when the group had scattered completely. It stopped us drifting apart.
 
From a recent dive
 

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