Bad buddies...

[MaxBottomtime]

The best thing I ever dive was to find buddies who dive solo. We usually dive on Sundays with a "team" of three, but we sometimes don't see each other underwater. We also rarely descend/ascend together. It's made diving more enjoyable for each of us.

 

[Dan]

I thought we are discussing about bad buddies, not best buddies.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

My best buddies would be bad buddies for someone else.

 

[The Chairman]

I thought we are discussing about bad buddies, not best buddies.

It's more a study in abject denial.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I had a buddy so bad once that his own stupidity almost lead to him dying because of his arrogant figjam behavior. I ended up rescueing him after a whole CF of things that lead up to near disaster. He wasn't really an instabuddy because I already knew him, but this was our first dive together as buddies.
Other than that, I can say I've had enough annoying buddies that I finally made the decision to solo dive.
My buddies (friends) now pretty much understand that we are all solo divers that just happen to be in close proximity to each other.

It would seem easy to find a buddy.
After all, we were all trained to buddy dive, buddy protocols, standardized training (according to PADI) every diver trained within their system should have received the same core training according to their template. Whether that's true or not I don't know.
I personally find that trying to find a good long term compatible buddy to dive in the strict protocol of the defined buddy system is very difficult. There might be 1 out of 50 people that would make more than a mediocre buddy with some sort of drama on every dive.

 

[MichaelMc]

I think the best plan is solo trained and equip'ed, yet happy to share a dive with a compatible buddy.

Like safe to go to the cafe for lunch on your own, but happy for a good conversation if that occurs.

 

[rabe]

I think the best plan is solo trained and equip'ed, yet happy to share a dive with a compatible buddy.

Like safe to go to the cafe for lunch on your own, but happy for a good conversation if that occurs.

Yes, I think is the best option...
Unless you are with someone that you know you can totally trust. Sometimes it happens

 

[Rechno]

What I do not really understand is, that you are talking about doing a technical dive, but going up to avoid deco.
The "technical" dives I know, are planned with bottom time, deco-stops, runtime etc. so that the dive-plan should have been discussed before. especially when to start ascending.

You say, you saw him at the anchor while you were above him. Why were you not able to reach the anchorline? Was the current so strong?

 

[Antmany2k]

i actually seriously considered giving up diving due to bad buddy experiences. ironically it was diving with instructors and insta buddies that changed my mind. it was my regular buddy who i trained with that pushed me to the edge. i was constantly chasing and looking after him and i got no enjoyment out of diving. i went on a trip by myself and had the best time ever so i carried on. and i am a little ashamed to say that when i went back to Turkey i told my buddy the price of the holiday was higher than it was to stop him coming with me.
1 of the wrecks is a WW1 cargo ship with live bombs. if i don't trust my buddy in open ocean i sure as hell am not following him down to 100 year old explosives!!!

 

[raftingtigger]

Well, sometimes -often- I don't have any buddy, and I get what I get.
90% of the times is totally fine. Is the remaining 10% that worries me.

A bad buddy is worse than no buddy sometimes. Train and quip yourself for solo diving (or self-reliant if you prefer). You can still buddy up, but if they leave you then you are still OK. If they start messing with you then end the dive and never dive with them again.