couple of questions for 1st "real" dive

[loudgonzo]

Hello all,
I am newly certified and will be travelling to the Bahamas next month and making my first "real dive" in open water. I travel as part of my job and is the reason I got into diving in the first place. My question is the following and any help/input and suggestions are greatly appreciated;
1.Since I will be travelling through business, more times than not, I am alone, how does the buddy system (pairing up with someone) work on a boat if there are an uneven # of divers?
2. I've read the thread about proper etiquette, but when teaming up with someone I don't know, and since its my first dive outside of certification, am I at their "mercy" for the dive...ie. how deep, where to go, etc...?
3. I will have most of my own gear, mask/fins/BC/snorkel...and will need a regulator, weights, tank and suit....besides a save a dive kit which I also have...what else should I make sure to take with me? whistles? strobes/sausages...etc?

Thanks

 

[nolatom]

If you're on a boat, the captain or DM will find you a buddy, either in a twosome or a threesome. Ask early, and you're more likely to find yourself in the former than the latter.

If you're newly certified, chances are your pick-up buddy will have had more experience than you. If so, and it's good experience, you'll learn stuff. If not, at least you'll learn what not to do. Just be firm that you want to stay within your comfort zone, both for depth and remaining air. you want enough air to do a relaxed safety stop, so make sure you've got your "air" hand signals down so you both know what they mean.

A whistle is a good idea, so's a strobe. Both are cheap and easy to buy.

Best of luck. i mostly learned from my pick-up buddies, and they were mostly good. May your experience be the same.

 

[Scottri]

If there is an odd number someone will most likely get buddied up with the DM.

You are always responsible for your dive. You should NEVER be at someones mercy. If you are not comfortable with your buddy's profile let them know and you don't have to follow someone beyond what is within your comfort zone and training. Make sure you discuss this BEFORE the dive. Let them know how deep you want to go, how long you plan to stay down and so forth. Then, stick to the plan.

When I travel I bring my mask, fins, regulator, BC and a small save a dive kit. I always bring a safety sausage and a whistle.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[loudgonzo]

Thanks for the quick replies!! Very helpful! one last question I see most dive kits have zip ties, what would some of the uses be besides securing hoses to BC?

 

[Scottri]

I've used them to secure mouthpieces, fix a busted mask strap and other things. Very handy to have. I always carry a few of a couple of different sizes.

 

[fisherdvm]

Irregardless of who you are matched with as buddy, I would tell him/her that you will stay very close to the divemaster. There is a 90% chance that your buddy would not care where you are.

There is a thread within the last month about what to do to check out rental gear for safety. I saw some pretty old and poorly maintained gears in the Bahamas. Check for BC leaks, torn reg mouth piece, loose regulator covers, etc.

When you dive with an assigned buddy, assume that you are diving solo, so stick close to the DM, or rent a pony to be safe.

 

[smash29]

I don't know if this is the norm, but I just did my first "real" dives last week down in St. Thomas and the instructor that was diving with us told us to consider him our buddy and to let him take care of any issues that may arise with the other divers. There were only 5 of us along with him and he was never far away from any one of us. Again, I don't know if this is the norm but he put everyone at ease and it was a great experience.

 

[fisherdvm]

Cheking rental gear thread:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=184216&highlight=rental+gear+check

 

[DandyDon]

Yeah discuss this with the Dive Master and/or Captain - get their assistance. I noticed your gear skipped a couple of the most important ones...

Dive your own Reg. I'd rather carry my own reg than my own BC if I had to chose one. I try very hard to make sure I have both - but my reg travels in my roll-on, goes to my room at night, etc.

IMO, only fools dive the ocean without safety sausages in or on their BCs. A lot of divers don't bother, but that is foolish. One couple I know here in west Texas told me about getting swept by current on a Caribbena trip and the boat searching for them. I asked if they had safety sausages? "Yes, but they were in our dive bags on the boat." :11: The Gulf Stream skirts the Bahamas, and it's a long ways to Bermuda.

The $15 model is fine, the really nice kit sold by DAN is great.

 

[RonFrank]

First, tell the Boat Op you are a newbie! Unfortunately this means they may pair you with another newbie. If there is an uneven number of divers, then they may pair you up as a threesome.

You are NEVER at the *Mercy* of another diver. You are certified, and you SHOULD have the skills to make a dive plan, and the common sense not to do stupid things like go to 100' on your first dive. I'd ask for shallow reef sites when booking the trip. If they are planning on an 80' wreck or reef dive, find a different op that is doing something shallower.

You may want to consider renting an AL100 if possible until you get to know what type of breather you are. One thing I do NOT like to do when diving on vacation is to buddy up with someone on a shallow reef who blows through an AL80 in 40 minutes, and then ends the dive. When that has happened, I generally go back down solo.

I'd HIGHLY recommend getting your own suit, and then reg ASAP. Suits are called P-Suits for a reason, and IMO rental wetsuits are somewhat disgusting. But more important, they may not be comfortable. If the suit chafes or don't fit right it's uncomfortable. :shakehead

IMO a Safety Sausage should be MANDATORY for all boat diving in Open water. This is especially true if you are drift diving, or in stormy seas. As any ocean site can have current changes, and unpredictable seas..... well see my Mandatory remark!

A save-a-dive kit is generally there to deal with problems with mask/fin straps breaking, or Reg issues. Good to have, but I doubt any OP is going to want you taking apart their equipment if things go wrong. Make sure you try the reg out ASAP before the boat leaves. Just hook it up to a tank, and take 10~20 breaths off it BEFORE you depart if at all possible, or better yet, do it in the shop.