Dive Alert Buddy Watcher Underwater Signaling Device - PAIR -- we bought, I suspect, the last two ever made. I'm always aware what general direction my BH is, but the rest depends on the dive.
How often do you check up on your buddy during a dive?
- Thread starter Degenerate
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
MrBigfins
Contributor
For me it depends, depends on who my buddy is, experience level, visibility, conditions, comfort in environment etc.
My perception of this changed drastically when my son became my normal buddy. At this point it changed from being responsible to my buddy to being responsible FOR my buddy. When I dive with an instant buddy or a friend, I feel a responsibility to you to ensure that I will be in a position to help you in anyway that I can, but you are trained just like me and you are responsible for yourself. With my son as a buddy it is different, my priority becomes ensuring that he safely makes it to the surface PERIOD. This makes me responsible FOR him, and changes my mindset entirely.
When diving with my son, he has been trained to swim within 3 feet of me and preferably about 1' in front of me to my right. We have a signal that is used if I feel he needs to be tighter to me for whatever reason, and he adheres to that.
When diving with insta buddies or friends, I prefer they lead so that I can ensure that I keep appropriate distance to help if needed. I tend to stay within 3_4' in lower vis or stronger current and stretch that to 6_10' in higher vis lower current applications.
My perception of this changed drastically when my son became my normal buddy. At this point it changed from being responsible to my buddy to being responsible FOR my buddy. When I dive with an instant buddy or a friend, I feel a responsibility to you to ensure that I will be in a position to help you in anyway that I can, but you are trained just like me and you are responsible for yourself. With my son as a buddy it is different, my priority becomes ensuring that he safely makes it to the surface PERIOD. This makes me responsible FOR him, and changes my mindset entirely.
When diving with my son, he has been trained to swim within 3 feet of me and preferably about 1' in front of me to my right. We have a signal that is used if I feel he needs to be tighter to me for whatever reason, and he adheres to that.
When diving with insta buddies or friends, I prefer they lead so that I can ensure that I keep appropriate distance to help if needed. I tend to stay within 3_4' in lower vis or stronger current and stretch that to 6_10' in higher vis lower current applications.
I do most (95%) of my diving solo and have for 57 years. When I buddy up, it depends on who I'm diving with. If it is one of my experienced buddies (usually instructors) I only check occasionally. If it is my son, or a diver whose skill level I don't know, I check much more often.
So wouldn't it be fair to say that you are effectively diving solo for most of the dive with your "experienced buddy"?
That's been my perspective throughout this thread. There is buddy diving, where you count on the other person to be able to help you with any urgent situation at any time, and you commit to being able to help the other person with any urgent situation at any time. And then there is solo diving, where you are not counting on each other or committing yourselves. If there is a middle ground, I think it could use its own name to avoid confusion.
Nobody's gonna help you with a heart attack or a vessel in the brain going pop at "any time". It's just that your chances proper help in time are better when you aren't under water breathing through a straw out of a tin can.
So when you filter out OW "emergencies" where you can just swim to the surface, and medical emergencies where your chances are not so good anyway, what's left?
MrBigfins
Contributor
I should add that I dive with a pony regardless of who my buddy is
drjtprice
Contributor
There seem to be a lot of articles in the diving magazines of late where people have died or disappeared when they either stayed down or went up without their buddies. Usually group dives, but still, where was the buddy?
drrich2
Contributor
There are shades of grey, middle grounds so to speak. I see a couple of different obvious views that come up in buddy diving discussions.
1.) I'm here if you need me. We stay in the general vicinity of each other, and if you run low on air you can swim over and nudge me and I'll share, or you can loudly grunt or use a tank banger if you want my attention and I'm not within reach, etc... I'd help if you asked me.
2.) I will monitor you. This interpretation 'goes the extra mile' to monitor the buddy for signs of anxiety, subtly odd behavior that might indicate narcosis, watching to make sure he/she doesn't get entangled or have a sudden major medical event (e.g.: heart attack), etc... I'm responsible for you.
I think a lot of people buddy dive according to 1.), but in Accident/Incident threads on the forum where some are quick to ask 'Where was the buddy?' (which ironically could discourage people from wanting to be one), I get the sense some people believe it's supposed to be 2.).
I think no one has an objection to a diver choosing to practice 2.), but when people push (explicitly or implicitly) the idea 2.) is mandatory, that's another story.
Richard.
Similar threads
