Buddy Descents

[DandyDon]

I think of the Galapagos as a destination for experienced divers. Are the strong currents and need for occasional negative entries sort of Cozumel's dirty little secret? When I had only around 20 dives of experience, my girlfriend at the time, who had a thousand or so, was adamant that the trip we wanted to do together would be to somewhere other than Cozumel. Having been there a few times now, it seems to me that most of the time the currents are mild and entirely suitable for new divers, but on occasion they can be ripping. It could be hard for an inexperienced diver to know to sit out a dive that the DM says is going to be a meet-your-buddy-at-the-bottom.

If Coz didn't attract newbies, we'd probably get better about everyone on a panga back rolling at the same time for a negative descent, but newbies show up and the crews try to adjust. Ops will usually try to group divers on a panga with similar skills, but you'll always have extras with or without skills & experience who have to go on some boat - so they get mixed, and even back rolls get casual. I do try to go the same time that my buddy goes off the other side at least, but it's often a domino fall instead of an avalanche of divers at the same time.

Too often a newbie with a somewhat experienced buddy will think they don't need a personal DM, and most Ops don't push it. I'd been on much more challenging dives before my first trip to Coz, but I failed to appreciate that my newbie buddy didn't find it as easy as I. She did much better with a private DM, and I was lucky that I didn't have any problems beyond my developing skills.

If my buddy has ears problems on a negative descent I don't abandon them on the way down, I adjust my descent rate to theirs, keeping together the entire time. In short - we go in together, we descend together, we double check each other at the bottom with an okay? No separation at any point.

Yep, if we miss the group, we miss them together. Always more important.

 

[Ron Lee]

It is unrealistic to expect a diver making his 5th dive (first ocean dive) to roll back and go head down to get to the bottom quickly. Give the guy time to come back to the surface after the back roll, gather his wits, make sure that he is ready to go down then descend as a buddy team.

Expect that he may need additional time. Maybe it is a buoyancy issue. Not enough weight. Still learning to clear his ears. Whatever.

I applaud Evelyn for going back to the surface once she became separated from the group. Let's use her dive as a learning experience and we will use Monday morning quarterbacking or hindsight...whichever you prefer...to see what actions might have worked better.

First we have to know that her son was on his fifth dive and first ocean dive. Evelyn had some concerns. I am not sure exactly what. She has a lot of dives but maybe it has been several years since she last dove. First time in Cozumel? Unknown.

Both of these suggest that having a dedicated divemaster (DM)/instructor for the mother/son buddies would have been a good option. Letting the divemaster/instructor know the novice level of the son and any concerns of the mom allows the DM to address things to be covered while on the boat heading to the dive site.

The DM can cover things that they will do during the first dive to get everyone up to dealing with Cozumel currents. They can talk about the descent and how they will go slow as required to make sure that both are weighted properly, ears are clearing OK and address anything else that may come up.

If the private DM is not used, then both should probably be entering the water on the same side of the boat (backroll assumed) so that they can find each other and descend together. Both need to be alert that the other is doing fine and not force the other to descend faster than is acceptable for that person.

Another point to think about. In this case Evelyn came up on her own. What if the dive boat had moved north and was not looking for her? Does she have any signalling devices...mirror, whistle, surface marker buoy (SMB)? How long would she wait for her dive boat or another to come along? At what point do you consider a surface swim to shore or do you just wait? That may be influenced by having a SMB or not.

Hopefully the remaining dives went well and her son is at the start of a lifetime of great diving.

 

[evelyn45802]

withdrawn

 

[Dhboner]

If you have not been in the water in 8 years you are NOT an experienced diver...you WERE an experienced diver but now you are a brand new diver. Sorry but that is the reality of the situation. I am glad to hear that you intend to "debrief" with your son and hopefully you will both learn a few things but, and I can't emphasize this enough, if you don't dive regularly (20-30 times a year) you are "at risk" for problems. I don't say that to be arrogant or accusatory...but the reality is that if your skills and knowledge aren't current then both you and your buddy are at risk.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .
I applaud Evelyn for going back to the surface once she became separated from the group. Let's use her dive as a learning experience and we will use Monday morning quarterbacking or hindsight...whichever you prefer...to see what actions might have worked better. . . .

My wife and I discussed this thread (or this "off-topic" aspect of it) last night. We agreed that if the plan is to do a negative descent where the DM says "meet your buddy on the bottom," we will do our best to look all around us and find each other quickly and stay together on the way down, but if we are more than a minute into the descent without having gotten together, we will ascend and call the dive.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

If you are trying to drift into a wreck, it is generally a little more critical to descend quickly; hitting a linear feature like a reef which is aligned with the current is more forgiving.

The beginning of this video shows a typical entry and descent where we dive.

It is not difficult, my son was 13 at the time this was shot. He was NEVER taught the "PADI" method of feet first descent etc. He first learned to snorkel - where you swim down - so the transition to swimming down on a scuba descent seems perfectly natural.

You can remain upside down and swimming and still keep an eye on your buddy. You can be inverted and spin and see the whole water column, much better and easier visibility than trying to "lay flat" and descend on your belly. Clear water makes descents like this practical.

 

[Ron Lee]

My wife and I discussed this thread (or this "off-topic" aspect of it) last night. We agreed that if the plan is to do a negative descent where the DM says "meet your buddy on the bottom," we will do our best to look all around us and find each other quickly and stay together on the way down, but if we are more than a minute into the descent without having gotten together, we will ascend and call the dive.

Why not stay in close proximity and near 100% visual contact from the beginning of the descent? Whether you backroll and resurface, coordinate the descent beginning or go in negatively buoyant and establish contact a few feet down, most of the recent fatalities have as an essential factor the breakdown of the buddy system.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Why not stay in close proximity and near 100% visual contact from the beginning of the descent? . . . .

Maybe my post wasn't clear. Yes, that would be ideal. But I am trying to address the situation where the plan is to do a negative entry but we do not initially have visual contact with each other. I can recall some times in Cozumel when my buddy and I backrolled off opposite sides of the boat and had to look for each other under the boat. On a small boat, like a panga, it isn't always possible to sit next to each other. It isn't always possible to enter simultaneously, either. On some boats, divers do a giant stride one at a time, and if the negative descent is fast, the first buddy to splash could be well on his way down by the time the second buddy splashes. So my thinking is that if we don't link up within a minute, we both surface. "Meet on the bottom" without an agreement as to conditions under which we might bail on that plan, is not a plan I'm comfortable with.

 

[AdivingBel]

IMHO, on a negative descent where you are attempting to hit a target, it's about communication prior to splashing. If it's a panga, I'm backrolling next to my buddy. I haven't had many situations I couldn't arrange that even on the smallest/largest panga with a bit of communication up front, if I felt it was necessary for the dive. If we're giant striding, we discuss who is going first and it's their responsibility to splash and be in position to watch for the buddy splash even while descending. It's not that hard to descend while still being aware of what's going on around you. If you can't do that, then you may be diving outside your comfort zone.

 

[Steve_C]

Descent is not always a one step process. On a lot of dives I have been on we are anchored into something and there is a hang bar at 15 ft. It is common to enter the water, signal OK to the crew, and descend to the hang bar and meet up there before continuing the descent. Especially useful if it is a bit rough on top. Typically you can watch divers entering from there. This is done with experienced buddies. Also useful if any top current and groups already on the tag line.