Being a good buddy, or looking at "stuff"....

[jjjameson]

OK, First post.

I am starting my OW class in two weeks, very excited. Been doing A LOT of reading online, researching gear, best practices etc. (I know that experience is the only real tool for skill/safety development, not the "interweb", or "book learnin' ").
I've worked professionally as a Mountain Bike instructor, Full time Rock and Ice Climbing Guide for over 20 years, so I understand risk management very well.
I have, (unfortunately) learned that I have a very cool head under extreme pressure and first aid situations; having lead or assisted in everything from guiding parties in deterioration conditions, to S+R in the woods, to splinting broken bones in the backcountry, to body recovery.

Here's the thing: I've done enough snorkeling to know that I am a "mission focused" person in the water. I want to look at stuff, and specifically hope to do a lot of shark tooth hunting/fossil hunting in Florida. I tend to follow fish, explore nooks and crannies, see the "little stuff" and appreciate it.

I've been reading up on DIR concepts, and Hogarthian rigs, best practices etc.
I'm pretty bummed out. It looks, initially, like I will be a really crappy "Buddy" due to my desire to not just swim next to other divers using scuba, but instead to be doing "things" while diving. I want to be a good buddy, I want MY buddy to be a good buddy.
How do you reconcile enjoying the underwater world while still being a good buddy?
What if I'm really focused on looking for sharks teeth, doing a very careful and thorough search of a pile of debris? Will I need to find a buddy who will take turns with me, and me with him, watching each other v.s. looking for stuff? What do you do?

 

[Jax]

OK, First post.

<snipped>

Here's the thing: I've done enough snorkeling to know that I am a "mission focused" person in the water. I want to look at stuff, and specifically hope to do a lot of shark tooth hunting/fossil hunting in Florida. I tend to follow fish, explore nooks and crannies, see the "little stuff" and appreciate it.

I've been reading up on DIR concepts, and Hogarthian rigs, best practices etc.
I'm pretty bummed out. It looks, initially, like I will be a really crappy "Buddy" due to my desire to not just swim next to other divers using scuba, but instead to be doing "things" while diving. I want to be a good buddy, I want MY buddy to be a good buddy.
How do you reconcile enjoying the underwater world while still being a good buddy?
What if I'm really focused on looking for sharks teeth, doing a very careful and thorough search of a pile of debris? Will I need to find a buddy who will take turns with me, and me with him, watching each other v.s. looking for stuff? What do you do?

Hiya, JJJ :wavey:

I'm a fairly new diver, too; I also had your concern. My dive instructor said that my buddy and I should decide where each would be (one breath apart, who is on left and who is on right, etc.). Then, every third exhale, look. That's all. It becomes second nature after a while.

My hubby generally takes the lead, and I have an "attention getter" for when I see a photograph opportunity. I have a pattern as I follow up and to his left: look right, look down, look at him, look left, look up, look at him. Then I'll look around, in case someone else has spotted something!

What all that means is that you, too, will discover what works for you and still allows you to see all and be a good buddy.

Given all the rest of the stuff you've done, you are going to LOVE scuba . . . just what you need, another expensive sport . . .

:blinking:

 

[TSandM]

The answer is yes -- to have the best dive, you need a buddy with similar goals. If you want to sort through a pile of debris looking for teeth, your buddy should want to do the same.

You can dive well with buddies who have different goals, but each of you may have to compromise your perfect dive to be good buddies.

BTW, DIR divers don't have to dive in lockstep and do nothing but look at one another. DIR is about having very good skills, and well-trained awareness, to allow us to enjoy and share a dive with our teammates, without losing touch with them or awareness of important things like where we are, what our gas supply is, what our decompression status is, and where the boat is

 

[Peter Guy]

Welcome to SB and diving. Just a few comments:

a. We all have limited bandwidth (situational awareness) and yours will be "focused" primarily on just diving. You won't be looking at much of anything at first -- just focused on your gear and where you are in the water column.

b. As you get more experience you will have to make a choice -- am I a solo diver (whether or not you have a buddy) or am I a team diver -- your choice.

c. Can you be a team diver AND be a photographer, look at stuff, etc.? Yes -- it just takes time and practice.

Depending on where you dive, you may find that you maintain buddy contact passively. For example, here in the Pacific North West, where it is dark and visibility is pretty bad, we (at least some of us) use very bright lights (mine is a 21 watt HID) which allows me to focus on looking at things AND watch my teammate's light -- as she is seeing my light and looking for her stuff. As long as I can see her light, and she can see mine, we both know everything is OK. This is much harder to do in areas with high ambient light and quite frankly, you have a harder time doing what you want to do.

There are techniques but you probably won't learn them in the typical OW class.

Have fun.

 

[mudhole]

jjjameson. you'll be a welcome addition to the diving community. And, you'll probably be teaching your partners how to accomplish a dive plan. Adapting your experience in the wild will be easy. Before each dive you discuss with your partner, what you want to accomplish, even if that is only blowing bubbles, while working with your equipment. Hunting sharks teeth, will be like shopping in a shopping mall. You move around the mall, and try different stores till you find what you're looking for. If your partner signals he has found something, you go to share that find.

Like most shoppers, you and your dive buddy should be shoulder to shoulder, and searching for interests you both can share. In your planning agree on what to do if you become separated during the dive. At the mall you'll plan to meet at the food court, On a dive you may agree to meet at the anchor line, or at the surface, make your plan before the dive.

If you climb mountains, you've met people you never want to climb with again. . . you'll meet divers you never want to dive with again. Just dive a lot and work with many divers, you'll make a few friends you'll dive with for years.

As far as equipment, and the "specialty" rigs, don't be in too big a hurry. You'll find, special equipment for special needs, but the basic equipment is used by millions of divers. . . Hogarthian and DIR is followed by the hundreds. If your instructor, and your diving partners are using these special techniques, just realize you'll be spending more money, and more hours of training, to learn advanced techniques.

Get your basic training, then blow lots of bubbles. When you've got a couple hundred dives, Look around at your local diving opportunity and jump right in.

 

[RonFrank]

You are going to be a crappy buddy at first because you are going to stink as a new diver! Pure and simple, I don't care what kind of super hero you are, new divers are inexperienced divers, and they have all sorts of issues they must overcome that has nothing to do with what you want to look at UW. You will be a crappy buddy at first because you have no diving experience.

I would get over that first hurtle, and then worry about the rest. One can be a good buddy, and also focus on other things, but that generally takes times and experience.

If you dive good vis, and warm waters the diving is easier. If you dive currents, cold water, and low vis then diving is more difficult, and your buddy skills will likely be poor starting out.

IMO the MOST important thing you need to do as a diver is be a good buddy. That, unless you choose to solo dive which for a newbie is not the best plan.

I'd get certified, do some diving, and then reevaluate your situation. It's not that difficult to be a good buddy, and enjoy a dive. But it does take some time in the water to hit that goal.

 

[Jerzi]

You will usually find buddies that are interested in the same thing you are based on the location and area you dive. Unless you are diving with a buddy that has been to the area way to many times I doubt you would have a problem finding something interesting within a few feet of each other.

Situational awareness is very important and you can easily lose focus on this if you find something interesting to look at or explore.

 

[scubamountaingirl]

what a great question to ask before you even start... so thoughtful

I practice UTD unified team diving this goes hand in hand with DIR and GUE practice. it is for OW and anything above....

ideally you want to have a buddy who will stay with you. if you see a nice fish they go with, if you see a nice rock they go with, if they want to rest, you rest with them. that is the best buddy.

if in fact you are diving with someone who is there to photograph or videotape, know that in advance, agree to be their buddy and stay with them on the dive.

all dives are fun if your safe and diving within your limits. some are more fun than others.

sometimes, you are the more watched and sometimes, you end up watching more.

does this make sense to you? a buddy is someone who has your lifeline in their hands and vice a verse.

I was not taught this in PADI OW nor do most of my dive buddies that are Padi trained. they do not do equipment checks, bubble checks, and swim ahead of me in a dive, every now and then looking back to see if i am "ok"/ this is NOT to say that all divers padi trained are not good buddies.

this to me became less acceptable as my goals changed...

hope this is helpful
dive safely and HAVE FUN
WW

 

[jjjameson]

Thanx to everyone so far... I appreciate the responses.

Hey Ron, just so you know, trust me, I'm no super hero, and I don't think that I am. I was just making the observation that I am accustomed to be able to be counted by others when things get weird, and trying to see how others do the same, while still enjoying the underwater world.
I won't "stink as a new diver" I will be a "new diver" no more, no less.
I will stink compared to someone who has hundreds of dives under their belt. I may find it's all I can do to keep from hyperventilating, or spitting out my reg, or I may be as comfortable as a fish. Time underwater will tell, making posts on the interweb won't.
I plan on being a good buddy, just as I plan on diving with good buddies. Just trying to sort it all out.

That being said, this is the newbie forum, right? Hopefully I can feel comfortable asking questions here.....

 

[scubamountaingirl]

doh!!! I am still a very new diver and am JUST after taking my aow and rescue class getting used to not being the "worst" diver in the pond...LOL

most likely you will always be able to find a more experienced diver to buddy up with. Last year i had a wonderful man who took me under his wing and dove with me for weeks. he kept his eye on me and even though we did not go through the paces i go through now with buddies, he was the best.

so dont sweat that. as a newbie everyone you dive with will be more experienced than you unless you dive with someone of your own caliber and that is ok too. just do easy dives, dont stress yourselves out with task loading. check your equipment before you go down, know each others rigs so you know where the backup reg is. stay shallow so in case a problem does occur you both can exit gracefully and all will be fine.

this is good that you are considering this. I worried about this for two years with no voice and now that i have more experience, I pick my partners carefully . and i just turned down a dive tomorrow because it was in waters that i did not know and a buddy from a forum. two unknowns that did not make me comfortable.

You will be fine...

ww