But for any of the above to be realistically effective, your buddy would have to be directly in front of you for constant monitoring, or a few feet off either shoulder for effective response if he gets into trouble. How often do divers really dive in that configuration?
I teach divers to maintain their buddy within their field of vision. You don't need someone directly in front of you - just in the corner of your eye. Establish a routine of regular positive observation... every few seconds, scan your blind-spots. It's not that hard and it swiftly becomes an ingrained and sub-conscious process. You just have to focus on maintaining it at first, but like any good skill - practice makes perfect.
I dive as a leader every day, often in low viz (1-10m), dark water and on wrecks (sharp turns, level changes etc). I don't have a problem monitoring my customer divers, so it's obviously not a physical impossibility. After a dive, I will often volunteer feedback for divers, to help them tune and refine their diving. They're normally shocked at how much I observed "whilst up front finning along".
Obviously, it does get easier with experience, but the main factor is probably that I feel that I have a formal responsibility for their welfare - and consequently monitoring/assisting is high on my priority list. If someone
is having difficulties with monitoring their buddy, then I'd suggest that they look at their prioritisation in the first instance.
How often do divers really dive in that configuration?
I'd say that's entirely dependant on their commitment to safe buddy diving, personal responsibility and their training.
The majority of divers
may not dive in a manner that ensures good monitoring and preserves the ability of offer timely assistance. That is a failing. Failings should not be used to justify further failings. A bad buddy diver should not become a solo diver.
However, it always takes two to tango. Even if only one member of a buddy team
is observant and pro-active, then incidents can be avoided.
Actually it is more about dedication to the team than a buddy. It has little to do with the individual receiving help and as opposed to assisting teammates.
It's late here, so I may be a little dense - but what's the difference in practice?
A BUD/S trainee doesn't get in the water without his swim-mate, even for punishments. At least within the training environment, it is a safety measure. Operationally, that same practice becomes more mission orientated - but nonetheless, they look after eachother lest bad things happen.
The contingent liability is pretty simple. If your buddy panics on you unexpectedly, you are in a greater danger than if he doesnt. If you buddy needs assistance, you have an obligation to assist in addition to everything that could put you in distress during a normal dive. Im not debating that there are potential reciprocal benefits when tables are turned, but the risks are not exactly the same.
Ok, I'll accept that. I still think that it bows to a pessimism that the diver concerned cannot pro-actively safe-guard their own welfare and is consequently 'at the whim' of their buddies' capabilities.
I earlier mentioned 'diving within comfort zones'... also being pro-active and observant. In 20 years of diving I have had only 2 cases of a 'buddy' panicking on me. One was my first, unsupervised, dive as an OW graduate with a fellow OW diver. They got 'tunnel vision' when dealing with something and lost control of buoyancy. I ascended slightly, grabbed them, got their attention and helped them regain control and focus. The second was as a newly certified instructor - conducting a 'scuba review' with a ~50 dive AOW diver. She panicked on the mask clearance and bolted. I hadn't expected that, but I stopped her anyway and escorted her slowly to the surface.
Nowadays there is no 'unexpected' panic. I monitor effectively and assist pro-actively... and it doesn't happen. I don't feel that fellow divers are a risk to me... but they are a resource that I can access, or direct, if needs be.
A solo diver has zero risk of their buddy trying to climb on their head like a life buoy, suck their bottles down like a steam engine, or make any implied demands on you. Obviously, solo diving also has risk factors that are much higher compared to good buddy team. The objective of my reply was that everyone is better served with a full understanding of risks with both methods.
It's a fair point... and I'd even say that it was substantiated by the number of 'double fatality' scuba incidents recorded. That said, it wasn't having a buddy the killed anyone... it was having a lack of buddy/dive skills.
Dive skills is what matters... and that is equal whether diving in a team, a pair or alone.
Thats true for buddies who are professionals with rescue training and 2500-5000 dives. What about the two people who are on their first dive after Scuba 101?
Again.. it's a skills issue, not a buddy/team/solo issue.
I do take exception to what is in my view teaching excessive dependence on a buddy without also teaching the skills required to actually be a competent rescuer in a crisis
I'd go further - I take exception to teaching dependence on a buddy, without teaching how to be a buddy. There's nothing formalised in the PADI OW course that develops the buddy system. I don't count 'air-sharing' as learning to buddy dive. It's reactive, not proactive.
This is not directed at any individual instructor as opposed to the agencies their curriculum. It isnt about great instructors who are generous with their time; its about the average and poor instructors with very little training time to compensate for their limitations.
Agreed. In reference to my last point - with nothing formalised in the system to develop buddy skills, nothing will be taught by 'average or poor instructors'. For that reason, it doesn't surprise me that the general (greater) level of buddy skills is so atrocious amongst recreational divers.
A competent solo diver does not need such extensive rescue skills. They also dont need to be attentive to another diver, remember hand signals, be competent at gas sharing, or most first-aid skills. Their self-reliance skills need to be much stronger.
Personally, I think it's harder to look after another, than to look after oneself. Doing it properly develops a level of competence, a robust skill-set, a pro-active mind-set and a degree of self-reliance that does actually prepare one for the demands of solo diving.
If you can keep yourself
and your lesser skilled buddy​ safe... then you can certainly keep yourself safe when alone.
