Advice for traveling without dive buddy

[Tigerman]

For me its been a luck of the draw that mostly have given me new friends that I have dived with again later - but there IS of course the odd bad experience, which is why I learned to check out the people I dive with a bit more before I jump in.

 

[DevonDiver]

My girlfriend doesn't dive. I AM working on "gently" persuading her to give it a try - but she is still very undecided about it.

It's unwise to coerce, in any way - including emotional pressure - someone to become a diver. There are many reasons for this, but most experienced divers, who've been in that situation, will attest to it.

I have only used dive operations that include a DM in the water (that i can tag along with) for free.

That's common practice in many locations - it is how most new divers do scuba.

My reason for this is that i have too often been partnered up with complete dummies in the past on dive trips. Although this was not always the case it has happened more often than not.

A bad buddy always blames their buddy.

So to avoid dealing with this i now prefer diving without an "official" buddy - and I look to tag along with the DM.

You criticize 'clueless' buddies, but at the first opportunity, abandon safe diving principles and the lessons you were taught?

If i'm gonna spend my heard earned $$$ on a dive trip, the last thing i want to do is eat up my air supply and bottom time because i have to "hold another diver's hand" (metaphorically speaking).

Your air consumption is your business. There's no physical reason why the existence of a buddy would affect it. What would effect it is inexperience, stress and task-loading. It is your inexperience that allows the simple process of maintaining the buddy system to become task-loading to an extent it causes your air consumption to rise.

I think it'd be beneficial to re-assess where you think you stand, in respect of dive experience, skill and capability.

Am I the only one that has this issue? Any advice?

1) Adhere to, and apply, your training - especially the buddy system.
2) Respect your inexperience.
3) Improve your own diving, don't blame others.
4) Accept that people have varied strengths and weaknesses when they are learning.
5) Find some enjoyment in teamwork and mutual assistance.
6) Helping and tolerating others brings fullfillment. Criticizing them brings resentment.

 

[sixt3denied]

Most of your statements are ridiculous. Example: If i have to swim up to 10 feet to stay with my buddy to assist him (because he cant control his buoyancy or cant equalize his mask etc) while the rest of the group has descended to depth- i'm pretty sure that cuts into my bottom time. It also causes me to exert extra effort which uses more air. And your statement that i have "abandoned" safe diving principles is also ridiculous. If that were the case i would be diving solo. I have dove with buddies that sink to the bottom and land on the reef or shoot to the surface due to poor buoyancy and improper weighting. Or they devour their air and decide to ascend to the surface without any signal to me. Blow past their safety stop because they can't maintain neutral buoyancy etc etc. I didn't spend the price of an airline ticket, hotel, equipment, and the cost of a dive so i can chase someone up and down in the ocean when their skills are not strong enough to do basic tasks that were supposed to be learned during their cert. We are all supposed to be competent divers. If not, the certification means nothing. But your negative comments are typical of forums. So i suggest that you are the one that should re-evaluate your skills, your cockiness is glaring. No doubt if i look at your post history i'm sure it is a common occurrence.

I am all for diving with a competent buddy. Sometimes i have gotten lucky and have had a great buddy. But too often there's only 1 or 2 people without buddies on the boat- and neither are ideal.

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[AaronRiot]

Personally, I think DevonDiver gave you some great advice and constructive criticism.

 

[sixt3denied]

His advice was filled with inaccuracies and incorrect assumptions.

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[Ysuboy]

To the OP, I mean no disrespect so hopefully my comment will come over and be conveyed correctly.

I am fresh out of my open water certification and am looking forward to enjoying a chartered trip in the next month. I seem to be having difficulty finding someone to go with me so I will probably be partnered up with someone with more experience. I will probably be holding them back, and holding them down, however you want to call it. As much as I feel bad that I might be doing so, I also know if it were not for me, they would not be diving safely so regardless of what I can or cannot do, I know I am still there for them because if they end up in an emergency situation, me being green or not, I am right there with them.

To add to that, if it's so important that you get the most out of your money, I would suggest as others day and rent a dm. I would only assume the money would be well spent since it's such a difference to dive with someone experienced vs someone like myself.

Personally, if I got a vibe from someone that after talking to me, they were not thrilled to dive with me, I (meaning me) would ask for a different dive buddy. I don't want to dive with someone that does not want to dive with me. That will ruin my dive too because I will feel guilty the entire time and may end up making a mistake or do something beyond my capability in fear of hindering my buddy's experience, and which could lead to a accident of some sort.

Again, not trying to bash or put you down. I can understand your frustration, I can understand why you don't want to be with a newby, but please you need to realize there are ways around it such as hire someone to dive with or bring someone with you. If you do not want to do either, maybe you need to just be a little more understanding and appreciate you were once that person that cut other people's times short.

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[Tigerman]

Most of your statements are ridiculous. Example: If i have to swim up to 10 feet to stay with my buddy to assist him (because he cant control his buoyancy or cant equalize his mask etc) while the rest of the group has descended to depth- i'm pretty sure that cuts into my bottom time. It also causes me to exert extra effort which uses more air.
...

Actually no, It allow you MORE bottomn time as you reduce both your nitrogen loading and air usage by being shallower.
You should also not need to SWIM up btw. If you have to swim up it means you are overweighted and THAT IS a thing that make your air consumption increase.

And your statement that i have "abandoned" safe diving principles is also ridiculous. If that were the case i would be diving solo. I have dove with buddies that sink to the bottom and land on the reef or shoot to the surface due to poor buoyancy and improper weighting. Or they devour their air and decide to ascend to the surface without any signal to me. Blow past their safety stop because they can't maintain neutral buoyancy etc etc. I didn't spend the price of an airline ticket, hotel, equipment, and the cost of a dive so i can chase someone up and down in the ocean when their skills are not strong enough to do basic tasks that were supposed to be learned during their cert. We are all supposed to be competent divers. If not, the certification means nothing. But your negative comments are typical of forums. So i suggest that you are the one that should re-evaluate your skills, your cockiness is glaring. No doubt if i look at your post history i'm sure it is a common occurrence.

I am all for diving with a competent buddy. Sometimes i have gotten lucky and have had a great buddy. But too often there's only 1 or 2 people without buddies on the boat- and neither are ideal.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Actually if you are "tagging along with the DM" and hes not your stated and agreed upon personal buddy with whom you have done your predive checks and agreements, you ARE diving solo with nothing but a group of same ocean buddies that may or may not assist you..

If this come across as "negativity" to you, thats your problem and not mine.

 

[AaronRiot]

1) Adhere to, and apply, your training - especially the buddy system.
2) Respect your inexperience.
3) Improve your own diving, don't blame others.
4) Accept that people have varied strengths and weaknesses when they are learning.
5) Find some enjoyment in teamwork and mutual assistance.
6) Helping and tolerating others brings fullfillment. Criticizing them brings resentment.

That's great advice right there.

In regards to your earlier reply to me about hanging out at the front of the pack so the DM or another random pair can look out for YOU: That seems a bit hypocritical (forgetting the safe diving practices issues) given that the DM saving your butt would end the dive for the whole group (that they've all paid for) or it would end the dive of a random pair who had not agreed to be your buddies (who also paid good mula to be there).

 

[DevonDiver]

His advice was filled with inaccuracies and incorrect assumptions.

I'm sure it must feel that way to you - which is why I suggested some introspective self-examination of your problems.

Blaming others is a dead-end for development.

I can only assure you that my comments were meant with your best interests at heart and were the best advice that I could give, drawing upon 20+ years of diving, 5000+ dives, hundreds of students qualified and multiple recreational and technical instructional ratings with 4 different agencies.

I can only interpret what I see written on the page... but what I have seen written points towards issues that you're failing to appreciate.

I'll be happy to explain further, if you would be interested in hearing that advice. Let me know..

 

[TSandM]

I understand the OP. I've had three pure "instabuddy" experiences in my diving life (meaning being on a boat, and getting in the water with someone I never met before that day, and previously knew nothing about). Two of them were delightful . . . but one of those divers was GUE trained, and the other was UTD. The third experience was something entirely other . . . I did two dives with a couple of fellows who were long-term buddies, and neither was fun. We simply weren't on the same page at all, and nothing I could do on the second dive could salvage the situation. That was the day I realized that, if I had to travel alone and dive with random people, I'd seriously consider carrying a pony bottle.

On the other hand, I've had fantastic luck with people I've met and talked to on the internet, whether it's been SB or another forum, or even just Facebook. Of the many folks I've met, some of whom have hosted me in their home waters, and some of whom I have hosted, I have had two mildly dissatisfying experiences, neither of which was at all stressful or dangerous. And I've made some long-term friends and met some wonderful people.

Of course, if you're going to a resort destination and you've already booked it, you have to deal with the folks who are there. But if you can pre-plan at all, you may be able to rustle up some internet buddies who will be great fun and great company. At least, I've found it so.