Dive Buddy did not surface with me
- Thread starter Squishy
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I married my dive buddy, so I rarely have an insta buddy. We stay close together when it is just the two of us diving. However, when on a guided dive with a dive master and a predetermined route it is not uncommon for us to swim farther apart, but still within sight. When we return to the boat we will occasionally surface separately, but still watch each other. Obviously this only works in places with good visibility.
I've only had one really bad insta buddy that left me about 100 feet inside a wreck. I'm guessing he was narced and forgot his training. I didn't really care since I had the reel and two lights, but was only mildly annoyed since I only have two hands. He went on to become a PADI instructor and I haven't dove anywhere near him since.
I've only had one really bad insta buddy that left me about 100 feet inside a wreck. I'm guessing he was narced and forgot his training. I didn't really care since I had the reel and two lights, but was only mildly annoyed since I only have two hands. He went on to become a PADI instructor and I haven't dove anywhere near him since.
You did absolutely nothing wrong imo, and yes you have a right ot be a little angry. One of the most unprofessional dives I've ever been on was in Hawaii, (I forgot where we were exactly but its was an overhead environment (lots of lava tubes and stuff), and the dm openly bragged about how he wasnt even certified or just had his sea card and thats it or some crap that wasnt funny at all.
I had the exact same situation in hawaii as well except the roles were slightly reversed. My buddy wasnt feeling well so I grabbed an insta-buddy. If I cant dive with my normal buddy I always prefer my 30cf slung under my arm but so be it.
I made to get all the info from the dm and actually sit there and plan the dive wiht my buddy (actually used it as an excuse for him to practice with a table) He did the right thing and was straight up about being a fairly new diver.
That was basically all he had to let me know and then I felt like the rest of the responsibility was on me, since there was very little guidance on the dive. I made sure to go over basic hand signals, especially safety stop 3 minutes, ascend vs. ok and to agree on how to tell each other how much air we had. Right before we got into the water the dm announced that anybody who wanted to enter the tubes could and that he didnt care. It wasnt my call but that did not sound cool to me, I asked my buddy what he wanted to do and that I would join him, he opted to follow above the first two and we did the last two toghether.
the DM also mentioned the dumb little trick that you dealt with, instead of staying toghether doing a safety stop and navigating back towards the boat, he said once you hit 500 motion to ascend and the other buddy would wave you goodbye.
That would of been the appropriate signal if you guys were able to go over it ahead of time. also no one should ever use thumbs up and ok interchangably thats jsut poor diving.
anyway everythign worked out, but ya that was the only time I've ever seen that wave your buddy goodbye and then pray tha tyou find the boat kinda dive before....
I had the exact same situation in hawaii as well except the roles were slightly reversed. My buddy wasnt feeling well so I grabbed an insta-buddy. If I cant dive with my normal buddy I always prefer my 30cf slung under my arm but so be it.
I made to get all the info from the dm and actually sit there and plan the dive wiht my buddy (actually used it as an excuse for him to practice with a table) He did the right thing and was straight up about being a fairly new diver.
That was basically all he had to let me know and then I felt like the rest of the responsibility was on me, since there was very little guidance on the dive. I made sure to go over basic hand signals, especially safety stop 3 minutes, ascend vs. ok and to agree on how to tell each other how much air we had. Right before we got into the water the dm announced that anybody who wanted to enter the tubes could and that he didnt care. It wasnt my call but that did not sound cool to me, I asked my buddy what he wanted to do and that I would join him, he opted to follow above the first two and we did the last two toghether.
the DM also mentioned the dumb little trick that you dealt with, instead of staying toghether doing a safety stop and navigating back towards the boat, he said once you hit 500 motion to ascend and the other buddy would wave you goodbye.
That would of been the appropriate signal if you guys were able to go over it ahead of time. also no one should ever use thumbs up and ok interchangably thats jsut poor diving.
anyway everythign worked out, but ya that was the only time I've ever seen that wave your buddy goodbye and then pray tha tyou find the boat kinda dive before....
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I just do not see it a buddy-pair situation if the two do not descend and ascend together - period. Anything else, including waving bye when one does ascend, is same-ocean diving. If we are going to do the latter, let's call it that and excuse me from moral and legal responsibility if something goes wrong, as well as let me know in advance to not count on the other one.
So many deaths happen on and after ascent tho.
So many deaths happen on and after ascent tho.
TEArrington
Registered
OP: I think you would have been crazy to follow, and I would have asked for another buddy who would surface with me on the next dive. To me the rules of insta buddy need a corollary - I will be a great buddy but I will not put myself in danger or do something stupid just to stick with my buddy.
Everyone does things differently, but here is what me & my regular dive buddies do before every dive: We go over a lot of hand signals and repeat our team's dive plan in a fairly detailed manner. Also, we talk about how anyone can end a dive at any time. We will surface together as a team whenever one of us is ready to (agreed upon air management rule, problem, or end of the dive and safety stops).
The only acceptable time for us to do something other than ascend together has been when all of these conditions are met: we are a team diving within a larger group of folks we know; we are hanging out in the "safety stop" zone; conditions are great with no current and great viz; there is a mooring line or something that goes to the surface that we will ascend along and the other team member can clearly see you all the way up; and there are others still hanging out below that can help the remaining buddy if need be. There is still some degree of risk in ascending alone, even these last 15 - 20 feet, but under these conditions we have found that occasionally it is ok for one diver to signal he/she wants to ascend and for the other to signal ok and bye bye rather than signal ok and ascend. If everyone is ok with this, the response is bye bye. If not ok, we'd ascend together.
More often than not, when either of us signals he/she wants to ascend, we still come up together even under those ideal circumstances described above.
Everyone does things differently, but here is what me & my regular dive buddies do before every dive: We go over a lot of hand signals and repeat our team's dive plan in a fairly detailed manner. Also, we talk about how anyone can end a dive at any time. We will surface together as a team whenever one of us is ready to (agreed upon air management rule, problem, or end of the dive and safety stops).
The only acceptable time for us to do something other than ascend together has been when all of these conditions are met: we are a team diving within a larger group of folks we know; we are hanging out in the "safety stop" zone; conditions are great with no current and great viz; there is a mooring line or something that goes to the surface that we will ascend along and the other team member can clearly see you all the way up; and there are others still hanging out below that can help the remaining buddy if need be. There is still some degree of risk in ascending alone, even these last 15 - 20 feet, but under these conditions we have found that occasionally it is ok for one diver to signal he/she wants to ascend and for the other to signal ok and bye bye rather than signal ok and ascend. If everyone is ok with this, the response is bye bye. If not ok, we'd ascend together.
More often than not, when either of us signals he/she wants to ascend, we still come up together even under those ideal circumstances described above.
skynscuba
Contributor
If I were intending to stay down, as the OP's buddy, I would have responded by pointing to him, thumbs up, pointing to me, point at reef. At least the OP would have known the buddy's intent.
When I was on a night boat dive with maybe 30 dives, I signaled to my insta-buddy that I was low on air and going up. He stayed down (making photos), which I found a bit surprising on a night dive from a boat miles offshore, with enough current that the boat had a current line out.
When I was on a night boat dive with maybe 30 dives, I signaled to my insta-buddy that I was low on air and going up. He stayed down (making photos), which I found a bit surprising on a night dive from a boat miles offshore, with enough current that the boat had a current line out.
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