Can 3 people dive as a buddy unit? Odd numbers!

[Pyrowill]

Hi, this might sound like an odd question but can I and two of my friends dive together? I know the buddy system is so two people and can look after each other, but is it possible that if I went with two friends I could look after one, he looks after the third, and the third looks after me?

I've have two friends that can scuba in my area and just curious if we have to make it to even numbers. This would be UK diving if it happens to be law specific.

Thanks

 

[Tigerman]

Theres no requirement of being even numbers, but you should be aware that more people can have some challenges of its own like gear configurations, being able to keep track of everyone and such..

 

[tstormdiver]

Yes, it can be done, however it is not always the most optimal way. All 3 buddies must thoroughly understand their responsibilities & the responsibilities of the other members. Also the members must ALL watch out for each other.

 

[Gombessa]

I've always dived in a team of three, so it's always a bit surprising to see how often this question is posed.

Yes, a team of three can be very safe, and in fact is preferred by some (including myself) because it provides additional resources, particularly when things go south (if two people are involved in an air-share, the third can take the lead and help captain the ascent/exit).

It does take a bit more practice to get used to managing a team of three; everyone has to be on the same page, and it's even more important that nobody breaks away from the team without signaling the other buddies. Especially when you're just starting diving, it can be task-loading enough to keep track of one buddy, so keeping track of two can take even more effort. But it can be done, and once everyone gets the hang of it, it's every bit as easy (and perhaps moreso) than diving in just a pair.

As an aside, at least for me, three seems to be the limit. When you get to 4+ divers, all of a sudden you're not really diving with buddies, you're diving in a big group, which is generally not a good idea because all of a sudden nobody has a particular responsibility to any other specific diver; keeping track of any one person becomes a "group responsibility," which often translates into no responsibility. When 4 people dive together, it's almost always better to sub-group into two teams of 2, and make sure the buddy pairs stick together even if the other divers get separated. With 5, it's better to split into one group of 2 and one group of 3, etc. Just my $0.02.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

You can dive with an "odd" number of divers. 2-diver pairs are ideal, but 3 is ok if you understand that each of you needs to keep track of each other....

One diver is designated as the leader, the other two follow; but this can often mean that the "leader" is in the center, with a "follower" at each side, so that the leader only has to turn his/her head from side to side to see the other two divers.

There are 5 divers in our family, so we often dive with one team of two and one team of three. It is not a problem.

Best wishes.

 

[Teamcasa]

Three on a team is fine but it requires better and a more complete surface pre-dive communication session. Who leads. Who is watching whom. Clear and agreed upon hand signals. Dive position for each member in open water, kelp or other restrictions. Who does what when X happens.

I'm sure there are more questions to ask before you dive but you get the idea. I dive with two buddies from time to time and believe me, it is fun but the leader (generally me) does a lot more looking back and checking on each member of the team.

 

[Doc Harry]

Three is an ideal number for cave diving. Can't see how 3 would be bad for rec diving as well. Three is also an ideal number for other sports such as mountaineering.

 

[Gdon]

I can't even tell you how many times I've been in a threesome :meeting: which ended as a duo . It's darn difficult to keep three people together under some conditions. But enough about my personal life.. Let me talk about Scuba teams for a minute. Many times I have seen my two companions diverge to the point that I was about to lose sight of both. So I had to make a choice.. which one to go with and which one to leave behind. Things that go through your mind at a time like that.. which one is more likely to need (or be able to offer) assistance?... which one might have put me in his/her will?... which one is headed to the surface after a ten minute dive (and after driving 12 hours to the site)?... Which one is buying the beer tonight. These are questions I would rather not have to think about.

 

[Pyrowill]

Thanks guys, I suppose to you lot it was quite an obvious question, thought I'd check, thanks for all your feedback

 

[TSandM]

We do the majority of our diving in teams of three, just as Gombessa stated. The person in the middle has the biggest resonsibility. He's looking to either side to keep track of his companions, if you are diving wing-on-wing; he is the person relaying signals from the leader to the guy in back, if you are diving single file.

Everyone on the team must make a commitment to staying together. It's impossible for someone to follow two people who are going in different directions! In low viz, this means each wing man MUST key off the one in the center, or if in single file, you have to have lights or some other means for the guy in front to know the others are behind him.

Once you've developed good situational awareness, diving in a team of three is no more difficult than in a pair, and as Gombessa said, you have more resources available.