Buddy Line!!!
- Thread starter Harvo
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I've never had a problem, but then polyprop floats.
No. I have never used a buddy line.
Doesn't this solve a problem that should not exist in the first place? I ask because it seems to me that this creates far more problems than it solves, particularly including a very real possibility of entanglement.
What purpose does a line serve and how is it better than proper team skills?
norcaldiver
Guest
I agree. On paper this seems great, but in reality doesn't this create more potential problems than it's worth
I agree a buddy line is a serious entanglement risk, but then I dive in reservoirs that still have trees in them. In cases where near zero vis is encountered, close coordination by the divers is more important and in short stretches of zero viz, physical contact can be maintained.
On a dive this weekend we were at 130 ft with limited viz and generally low light conditions. I was towing the legally required dive flag/entanglement hazard (that boaters ignore anyway) and had to roll about 120 degree occasionally to ensure the flag line was tracking properly between the trees. After one roll I managed to snag a web of monofilment that had caught in between the trees over the years. The last thing I would have needed with a dive flag, the need to roll on my side/back and the need to clear monofilament line at 130 ft in the dark in low viz would have been a buddy line. The additional task loading would have been bad enough but being pulled further into the mono line mess by a buddy on the other end of the buddy line (who had just skimmed over the top of the tangle of line) would have be very unsafe.
On a dive this weekend we were at 130 ft with limited viz and generally low light conditions. I was towing the legally required dive flag/entanglement hazard (that boaters ignore anyway) and had to roll about 120 degree occasionally to ensure the flag line was tracking properly between the trees. After one roll I managed to snag a web of monofilment that had caught in between the trees over the years. The last thing I would have needed with a dive flag, the need to roll on my side/back and the need to clear monofilament line at 130 ft in the dark in low viz would have been a buddy line. The additional task loading would have been bad enough but being pulled further into the mono line mess by a buddy on the other end of the buddy line (who had just skimmed over the top of the tangle of line) would have be very unsafe.
I think where Harvo is referring to is for the conditions we tried diving in this weekend. No vis to 1 foot vis with no entanglment risk.
Beach diving for sharks teeth off of Venice Beach.
Beach diving for sharks teeth off of Venice Beach.
In other words, the same type of vis that is regularly encountered in quarries, lakes, rivers and oceans.
Touch diving protocols are just as effective and don't carry the added thrill of getting wrapped around something you didn't know was there. Passive communication using lights also works well.
I still can't see any possible justification for tying myself to another diver or for dragging a line between us. There are safer and more effective methods available.
If my buddy can't stay with me unless s/he is tied there, then I'll be in the market for a new buddy before the day is over.
I dove off Venice Beach FL acouple times as Knavey said and VIS is 1 ft or less. There is no way to keep track of a buddy and look for fossils.
We have been just meeting on the surface a certain time.
With a buddy line it is good to know that help is a tug away.
We have been just meeting on the surface a certain time.
With a buddy line it is good to know that help is a tug away.
I would have to agree that a buddy line is completely unnecessary. If you develop proper buddy skills this need is removed. As an underwater archaeologist, I am used to diving in low to 0 vis waters while looking for remains. This is done by feel as is buddy communication. If you become so preoccupied that you cannot keep in contact with your buddy you might want to think about establishing better buddy skills before you starting adding elements like a buddy line that can surely cause more problems than they solve. This is just my opinion however.
LVX
LVX
Personally I prefer to maintain physical contact with my buddy in bad viz. I'll hold on to his bcd or his hand. I think a buddy line is .....uhm ... a sub-optimal solution to the problem.
As for the hazards, someone mentinoed entanglement but I'd say that a more serious risk is the risk of getting literally dragged along with your buddy when you don't want to be. Assisting a diver in distress is hard enough without the line in the way and I've spoken to several people who have recieved DCS hits by being dragged to the surface by their buddy who was making a panic ascent. At least one diver I know of has died because of this.
R..
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