Buddy Separation - Safety Stop??

[Rick Inman]

Somewhere (maybe here on SB) I read a suggestion that if your time+max depth =>100, you should do the stop(s). This sounds reasonable, but I'm sure I'd make a judgement call at the moment. However, in at least the last three years and hundreds of dives with every level of diver from nOOBs with zero post-OWclass dives, to my tech instructors, I haven't lost a buddy. There really is no reason why a seperation needs to ever happen.

 

[Narco Polo]

5000 nautical miles east to America , visibility is a luxury ,
buddy separation become a real problem , lights do not go trough most of the time ,
so we use a buddy line ( something like 20 ft quick release handel with a serious floater ) , which bring other constrains , and a serious training , but at least we dont encounter buddy separation
( obviously , it's one buddy line for max and min two divers , each group of two dive independently )

regards

Narco Polo

 

[jeckyll]

Somewhere (maybe here on SB) I read a suggestion that if your time+max depth =>100, you should do the stop(s). This sounds reasonable, ....

Rick: I worry about using any formula like the above unless it somehow takes account into account the specific profile of the dive ... Just my $0.02

I'm with you in terms of not losing buddies, however, in about 80 dives over the last year, I've lost 3.
1 new drysuit diver. We met at the surface as discussed.
1 due to a sticking drysuit dump valve. He was under control before getting to the surface and we met back up underwater and finished the dive
1 due to an inflator that stuck open. I thought I was close enough to catch him and chased him from 60 -> 30 fsw at which point I gave up and did a slow ascent. I was unwilling to do a buoyant ascent to the surface.

 

[TSandM]

I've lost buddies a couple of times on descent, when we had the algae blanket that made the top 20 feet or so virtually opaque. Even good team discipline can fail there. We went back up and reunited and made a more careful descent. I don't think that would happen to me now, because my ability to maintain my position relative to my teammates is better.

 

[Rick Inman]

Rick: I worry about using any formula like the above unless it somehow takes account into account the specific profile of the dive ... Just my $0.02

I'm with you in terms of not losing buddies, however, in about 80 dives over the last year, I've lost 3.
1 new drysuit diver. We met at the surface as discussed.
1 due to a sticking drysuit dump valve. He was under control before getting to the surface and we met back up underwater and finished the dive
1 due to an inflator that stuck open. I thought I was close enough to catch him and chased him from 60 -> 30 fsw at which point I gave up and did a slow ascent. I was unwilling to do a buoyant ascent to the surface.

Yeah, I agree about the formula, just saying...

And you reminded me! I've actually had two guys do an uncontrolled ascent and get separated from me. I forgot. I guess what I was meaning is losing buddy awareness during the dive enough to get separated.

We get some of that bad Belgian vis Narco Polo was referring to in the local waters here in the PNW. We'll dive down to about 3' vis. We just stay real close, side by side, keep our lights right in front at an angle so the buddy can see both, and go real slow.

 

[rjack321]

Another thing which helps avoid sepatation is a dive plan. Specifically, who's leading. Otherwise each person kinda does their own thing and can more easily turn different directions and separate.

One person should lead and it should alternate so that the whole pair gets experience making choices, turning around, etc. One person shouldn't alway be a "follower".

 

[jeckyll]

Yeah, I agree about the formula, just saying...

And you reminded me! I've actually had two guys do an uncontrolled ascent and get separated from me. I forgot. I guess what I was meaning is losing buddy awareness during the dive enough to get separated.

We get some of that bad Belgian vis Narco Polo was referring to in the local waters here in the PNW. We'll dive down to about 3' vis. We just stay real close, side by side, keep our lights right in front at an angle so the buddy can see both, and go real slow.

We do get some bad viz at times

I try to keep my light by my buddies light (and try to get them to do the same) and if there are more than a few seconds of 'where'd the light go' then it's probably time to stop immediately. I also use a tank marker and one day in lousy viz my buddy remarked "I coudln't see you light, but I could still see your tank marker". I think we were only seperated by about 5 feet...

 

[budgy]

I was taught that avoiding separation, required both buddies to work at it. I've wondered how well a discipline based on eye-balling, the buddy on every inhale would work. I've tried the buddy line, it works but I don't like lines. I've also used the torch beam method, I used to have a wonderful lady buddy that always stayed close and shone her torch beam in my path. Lets call her Florence, my lady with the lamp. I find diving with ladies, is generally very easy, they stay very close and are buddy concious. Maybe it's the way God made us, we find joy and comfort in each others close company, playing our natural roles as knight and fair damsel. I don't suppose most ladies, will get to know my 3 regular buddies Harry, Mark and Shamus as a man will. If your a fellow and you don't know them, I think your sure to meet them by n' by. When I think about it, I've met a Harriet, so there's sure to be a Mary for Mark and a lovely mate for Shamus.
I guess I dive a little different with a male dive buddy, because if or when I'm trying to avoid buddy separation, I usually feel, I'm the only one making an effort.

Harry likes to position himself, 3-4 ft behind me and 3-4 ft above, unless he sees something that interests him. He doesn't listen to dive briefing and even if I stop and signal, he won't dive by my side. He's a right pain in the neck, do you think I should get wing mirrors?

Mark is a super swimmer, but he's got to be out in front, no matter whose leading the dive and seldom if ever, looks back. (I've now got an underwater scooter.)

Shamus has changed his name, he used to be called Mark, until I played a crafty trick on him. I gave him my medium jets, when I got myself a pair of extra large jets. These days he just does the traditional leprechaurn trick, you only have to blink and he vanishes.
Och well back to the drawing board, fortunately I get on well with my buddies because there's a bit of me in everyone of them.

 

[andydiver06]

Its a real Dilemma. Personal Safety vs Safety of your Buddy.

If you are doing a dive at 18m + crossed atleast half of your NDL and missed your buddy you are supposed to do a safety stop for 3 min . But time is precious. If really something bad have happpend to your buddy you will be wasting the precious 3 mins. What do you do ? I lost my buddy at 27 m another DM becuase the viz went from 20m to zero due to sudden current. We were trying to locate a new wreck and bottom was really silty. I stayed at same place midwater at 27 m for 1 min trying to locate him. Could not find him so I just came up slowly and did a mid water safety stop at 5 m for 3 min. I did not have a SMB my buddy had. I have drifted quite some distance from the boat. My buddy did not turn up for another 5 mins. I was never worried at that time. But on boat I was thinking that suppose something really bad had happened to him , 1 min searchin + 1.5 min ascent+ 3 min safety stop = 5.5 min + 5 min search on surface would surely have been fatal. We should stuck together no matter what according to good buddies as searching another person at zero viz has hardly any chance.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I think there is an additional piece missing: How to increase the chances of finding your missing buddy during that one minute of search?!

Do these as part of your one-minute circular scan ...

First thing you do is look up ... chances are if your buddy suddenly turns up missing they are either up in your "blind" spot, or on their way to the surface (intentional or otherwise). If the latter, you can see their silouette in the ambient light for quite a ways.

If you don't see them going up, rise up above the bottom a few feet and scan for bubbles. With a dive light, bubbles are far more reflective than most dive gear, and you'll be able to detect them from a fair distance, even in poor visibility.

If that doesn't turn up anything, check for a silt trail. Keep in mind that in certain parts of the world you may end up following a harbor seal, but most places a silt trail will mean a diver. It may or may not be the one you're looking for ... that will depend on the diver density in the area. But it's often a clue as to the whereabouts of the missing buddy ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)