Buddy skipped safety stop

[Thalassamania]

Safety stops are not required, but staying with your buddy is.

 

[scubadiver888]

just playing devil's advocate...

IF the safety stop was not in the briefing and you did a safety stop, is that "not diving the plan?" and if it wasn't in the briefing and he ascended to the surface and you stayed behind, didn't you leave your buddy? Just some ole devil's advocate there... that is all... back to the bushmills... :-D

The reality is that for a 25 minute dive to 60 feet, my training does not recommend a safety stop. So I wouldn't have done a safety stop. If my buddy skipped the safety stop it would have been fine for me.

HOWEVER, if my buddy stopped for a safety stop I'd stay with them until they were ready to surface. I might 'talk' to them, i.e. ascend sign, OK.

If I was in a situation where I did feel uncomfortable skipping a safety stop but my buddy skipped the safety stop, I'd follow them up and have a chat with them at the surface. To me, the safety stop is less important than staying with my buddy.

 

[NCadiver]

I went on a dive with a new acquaintance yesterday. It was the first dive of the day. We spent 25 minutes down with a max depth of 60 feet. He was breathing air, and I was breathing EAN32. The dive went normally, and the ascent went normally until we got to the safety stop, or I should call it non-stop. He was leading up the rope, and didn't do a safety stop at all.

I stopped at 15 feet, and waited, thinking he would realize his mistake and look back. He never looked back and went straight for the boat. After about a minute at 15 feet, I decided that it was a clean dive, so rather than have them worry about me, I ended my safety stop early.

Once aboard the boat, I asked him why he didn't do a safety stop, and he said that his (very, very old) dive computer told him he was good to go, so it never occurred to him to stop! We had done a pre-dive plan, but honestly, it never occurred to me to tell him that I wanted to do a safety stop. I just assumed EVERYBODY knows that.

Now I know better!

I dive with some old school guys who usually don't fuss with these new fangled safety stops. I let them go to the surface and I just hang at 15' or wherever. It has never bothered me. I figure the odds of something happening to me on a no-decompression dive at 15' are considerably less than some idiot falling off the ladder on top of me in the crush to get out of the water.

I do safety stops, for several reasons. They certainly can not hurt.

One of the bigger reasons I do this is not off-gassing from NDL depths, but rather I might miss something.

I want to be in the water and not on the boat, the minute I get my camera ready to surface and hand up, a great shot will swim by, happens every time. Heck, as long as I have usable gas, I'll hang on the line trying to get the perfect boat/barracuda silhouette picture.

YMMV

Safety stops are not required, but staying with your buddy is.

Good quote’s from these guys, Question when was this guy certified and what agency at one time safety stop were not in the training standards. SCUBASailor you may want to suggest to your friend it time for a new computer with a safety stop function.

 

[captain]

Good quote’s from these guys, Question when was this guy certified and what agency at one time safety stop were not in the training standards. SCUBASailor you may want to suggest to your friend it time for a new computer with a safety stop function.

I would say he should have one already, his brain. He can decide if he needs to stop or not.

 

[JB]

My take was you have already learnt the lesson , to discuss your dive plan before the dive. A safety stop has nothing to do with a computer, it is a choice you make in planning the dive. I was concerned that there was a need for condemnation of your buddy on this forum. Apologies, guess what got my goat was I had just been reading WKPP vs the world!!

 

[SCUBASailor]

I can hardly believe this thread, are we now breeding a bunch of tattle tale, teachers pets. Grow up!!

Editing previous comment:
Oops, don't feed the trolls.

 

[DevonDiver]

I went on a dive with a new acquaintance yesterday. It was the first dive of the day. We spent 25 minutes down with a max depth of 60 feet. He was breathing air, and I was breathing EAN32. The dive went normally, and the ascent went normally until we got to the safety stop, or I should call it non-stop. He was leading up the rope, and didn't do a safety stop at all.

A safety stop is not mandatory for this dive. It is a nice precaution and would illustrate a conservative and prudent diving mindset to complete one, but it is not a safety critical issue.

I stopped at 15 feet, and waited, thinking he would realize his mistake and look back. He never looked back and went straight for the boat.

I think the initial 'mistake' may have been a disregard for proper buddy procedures by both divers, starting with lack of communication and dive planning before you even got in the water.

After about a minute at 15 feet, I decided that it was a clean dive, so rather than have them worry about me, I ended my safety stop early.

What prompted you to abandon you buddy? I would be interested to know your decision making process (at the time) that lead to your course of action. Were you assured that your buddy was not in need of assistance? That he was safe? Did you know his air level at that time? Did you and he communicate and agree to separate at that time? Did he know you had stopped?

Having made your decision to make a safety stop, and separate from your buddy, what then prompted you to abort the safety stop and ascend early?

Once aboard the boat, I asked him why he didn't do a safety stop, and he said that his (very, very old) dive computer told him he was good to go, so it never occurred to him to stop!

Did he not communicate with you at the time? At what point did he notice you weren't there? Did he look for you at any point to ensure your safety? Did he communicate to you at any point during the ascent?

 

[DevonDiver]

The reality is that for a 25 minute dive to 60 feet, my training does not recommend a safety stop. So I wouldn't have done a safety stop.

But you are a PADI diver?

Certification AgenciesPADI

If so, then you need to review your basic knowledge - especially if you are working at a pro level.

The PADI OW course states that "Safety Stops are recommended on every dive". It's in the manual and in the video. As a DM, you should be consistent with, and knowledgeable of, your agency's policies and procedures.

The OW video states "plan a safety stop for all your dives". (see below).

That recommendation is in addition to the special rules for the RDP that state when safety stops are considered 'mandatory' (dives below 30m, dives to an NDL and dives that end within 3 pressure groups of an NDL).

The PADI OW video also clearly states that all safety stops are a conservative measure and that they can be aborted/missed, if other factors (approaching storm, current, low air etc) are deemed more critical.

Here is a little reminder of the basics, for all the budding PADI dive pros out there.... (the very relevant quote is at 31sec into the clip).

 

[Dr Neil]

What's the rush to get back on the boat? Was your buddy low on air? Surely he's not one of those that genuinely thrives on being underwater.

Besides, a safety stop is a good place to collect yourself, stow cameras, reels, observe the marine life, etc.

Yes, recreational diving is no decompression diving, but three minutes of hanging at 15 feet is a whole lot safer than relying on a theoretical algorithm.

 

[SCUBASailor]

This has been an eye opening thread for me. Yes, my buddy was mistaken to leave me behind, but I hadn't realized my own errors in this ascent:
1) I did not communicate in the pre-dive discussion that I wanted to do a safety stop.
2) When my buddy did not stop, I assumed that he was skipping the safety stop without considering that he may have been in distress.
3) I allowed us to become separated because I wanted to do a safety stop, not because I needed to stop.

Eye opening, indeed. Thank you.