How often do you check up on your buddy during a dive?

[dmaziuk]

I agree but I have seen many more cases of leaking hoses that the diver may not be aware of. A) Their buddy should have been there to make them aware and B) they should still check their spg, but if they are used to their air consumption being x at a certain depth they may not be paying the attention they should if there is a leaking connection.

I don't know about 14mm hood with earplugs, but on warm-water reef dives you gotta be deaf to not hear a leak that will affect your gas mileage that much. I had leaking SPG spools and leaking o-rings that I chose to ignore, I may have surfaced with 400 psi instead of 500 once or twice.

 

[Louisville Diver]

In all seriousness, in well-lit situations, about 10-12 feet away seems fine. I've never timed it, but it feels like I'm checking positions every 30-45 seconds.

My usual buddy is my wife, who looks for me about every 5 minutes as an afterthought and swims in whatever direction she feels like going quickly and effortlessly while breathing nothing. She hated my signalling bell, so I replaced that with a tank banger which she seemed to have difficulty discerning, so I've just been using my dive knife as a banger which she can't hear at all....

 

[Louisville Diver]

I don't know about 14mm hood with earplugs, but on warm-water reef dives you gotta be deaf to not hear a leak that will affect your gas mileage that much. I had leaking SPG spools and leaking o-rings that I chose to ignore, I may have surfaced with 400 psi instead of 500 once or twice.

I suck midrange sounds (got a newly minted divemaster/guide in Mexico to thank for that, along with me stupidly following along), but when I spring a leak, that whine pierces my soul.

 

[TMHeimer]

In all seriousness, in well-lit situations, about 10-12 feet away seems fine. I've never timed it, but it feels like I'm checking positions every 30-45 seconds.

My usual buddy is my wife, who looks for me about every 5 minutes as an afterthought and swims in whatever direction she feels like going quickly and effortlessly while breathing nothing. She hated my signalling bell, so I replaced that with a tank banger which she seemed to have difficulty discerning, so I've just been using my dive knife as a banger which she can't hear at all....

Those tank bangers didn't work for me either. Nice rubber band if you want to use it to strap something to your leg.

 

[happy-diver]

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.

This is the middle ground man
Solo is going by yourself only

perhaps turning up to a place like heaven on the Mornington Peninsula and just diving in

An insta-buddy who doesn't plan to stay with you isn't a buddy at all--he's a solo diver masquerading as a buddy so that the boat allows him to dive.

and for those without option why does the system force this upon us

If I lead the way because a buddy has less local knowledge, I do check a couple times a minute, mostly to signal direction or point at things anyway. I do check on their air at least once to avoid surprises, if I think there could be a risk associated.

Hey buddy I invited you on a dive a while back, it's your turn now
If you cant help but burst out laughing, that's ok
How's the Tweed River looking

 

[dmaziuk]

My usual buddy is my wife, who looks for me about every 5 minutes as an afterthought and swims in whatever direction she feels like going quickly and effortlessly while breathing nothing ...

My usual buddy is my wife whose gas mileage is about equal to mine. So if I'm "accidentally OOG", going to her for "air share" isn't going to do either of us much good. I'd still want to hold her hand for CESA, but just for reassurance and warm and fuzzies, not for the air in her tank. 'Cause at that point she's out too.

 

[Roy_W]

We dive mostly in a lake where circumstances, visibility for example can change very, very quickly. As such, checking for a buddy is not an option, you always know where your buddy is, either by sight or by touch. Losing a buddy can happen very, very quickly so we always discuss the scenario before we descend... ( A quick 360° , then it's end of the dive and of to the surface, respecting dive limits )

I have also dived also in great conditions, Egypt, Mediterranean, where the visibility is excellent but even then I do not distance myself by more than a 2 or 3 meters from my buddy. If you have to deal with a situation, it is to your advantage that the are very close.

Your buddy is an extra lifeline, they might not always be the easiest option, but they are an option, as long as they are close enough...

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I am going to respond based on open water, NDL, non-penetration dives. I check on my buddy ever 30-45 seconds for the most part. I tend to get stuck leading dives quite often. Even when it is just a fun dive, I am the one who is nominated to lead. I prefer my buddies be at my side so I can quickly glance and see them. Not staggered behind me or in front of me.

I was diving with a new diver and potential student last week. We were evaluating his current skills to see where he needs work. Upon exiting the water I told him the first thing he needs to work on is his positioning. He was always to my side but about a meter behind me. I explained to him how difficult it was for me to check on him and that proper buddy or team positioning should be side by side within two arms lengths. This was the first he had heard this but it made total sense to him once fully explained.

I have read some here saying people can go without air for X amount of minutes and that made me think of my tech course which I discuss with each student I have because it made such a big impact on me. We put on the good ol black mask cover in the pool. One diver (the one donating) was 10 meters away. Their job was to donate gas once the OOA diver reached them but NOT until then. As the OOA diver, we had to exhale fully, then begin the swim by following the line and signal OOA when we thought we were close to our buddy. It never failed that each of us signaled much earlier than the actual distance. Sometimes within three kicks. You take the black mask cover off and realize just how far away you were and have to rethink your strategy. As the one donating you were ready to donate and often thinking, "I see you signaling but you have a long way to go before I am allowed to donate" We all completed this but it shocked us all just how far that swim was. It also made for some good laughs.

We often train for OOG emergencies but seldom do people train for OOG emergencies when the failure happens upon exhalation. After this exercise we all sat and talked about our OW reef dives and how often we let our buddies get further away than we should. This specific exercise made me rethink what is an acceptable distance and how often to check on your buddy. This is why I tell this story to all my students, discuss team positioning and also discuss buddy awareness.

 

[drjtprice]

When I took my AOW (back in the days of buddy breathing) we did an exercise out of the water with one diver sitting and breathing from a regulator, while the other had to run around a course while holding their breath and then start buddy breathing, You learn very quickly that when OOA, stressed (or panicked), that everything goes out the window and as the donor you are unlikely to get the air back when you think you are!

 

[NothingClever]

Visibility, current and experience level of the other diver help me determine the measures I take to manage risk.