Diving Buddys

[Rich Keller]

Thanks, I will give that a try. Maybe if more of us did that we would not be in limbo.

I do it all the time when I am on vacation. Of the people I usually travel with I am the only diver in the group so I am always getting fixed up with someone else on a dive charter. When I am home I do not let the lack of a buddy stop me from diving so I just dive alone.

 

[chrpai]

Is this "lone wolf" style off diving culture specific to the USA? Buy your own gear, find an agreeable buddy else stay at home...

In the SEA I just land on the door step of a dive shop and expect to be buddied by a DM if no other customers around on a day. Unless we want to dive at a specific spot too far ashore and it requires a minimum pax to be cost effective. I usually find other tourists like me in the boat. What are the dive shops for in the US? Please enlighten me, thanks.

I'd rather solo dive then play instabuddy roulette.

 

[uncfnp]

Wvrick. Don't know specifics where you plan to vacation dive but in my experience you won't have any trouble finding a dive "buddy" on the drift dives out of WPB, Florida or areas nearby. The boats I go out on often have single divers that pair up or just drift along with the DM. Kind of depends on your skills and comfort level. The boats also often have "regulars" on board that don't mind helping out a fellow diver.

In Bonaire, there are so many divers that there too I couldn't imagine it being a problem. There are several threads on SB discussing travel to Bonaire as a single diver and ways to find buddies including bulletin boards at the resorts. I recall one flight to Bonaire where a diver announced he was looking for a buddy. When we saw him later on the island, he had already found one and together rented a truck and completed several dives.

We will be in WPB in one week looking for lobsters if interested...

 

[WVRICK]

Wvrick. Don't know specifics where you plan to vacation dive but in my experience you won't have any trouble finding a dive "buddy" on the drift dives out of WPB, Florida or areas nearby. The boats I go out on often have single divers that pair up or just drift along with the DM. Kind of depends on your skills and comfort level. The boats also often have "regulars" on board that don't mind helping out a fellow diver.

In Bonaire, there are so many divers that there too I couldn't imagine it being a problem. There are several threads on SB discussing travel to Bonaire as a single diver and ways to find buddies including bulletin boards at the resorts. I recall one flight to Bonaire where a diver announced he was looking for a buddy. When we saw him later on the island, he had already found one and together rented a truck and completed several dives.

We will be in WPB in one week looking for lobsters if interested...

Thanks for the offer but I have to save funds for the longer vacation. I am going to just go for it when the time comes and see what happens. I figure once I have finished the refresher course and dives I will be back to my old comfort level and if worse comes to worse I'll go it alone. I am one of those odd people who do not panic at anything. Once looked in the rear view mirror of the cargo van and saw a copper head snake in the wire behind my head. I thought, well that's not good, stopped the van at the next safe spot and evicted the hitchhiker. My old instructor told me that although I was a new diver he would rather be with me in a bad situation than many more experienced divers he knew because I took time to assess the situation then plan a strategy before reacting.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

I got my cert. in 2002 and went to Bonaire with a group of older divers and had a great time. Then I dived locally with a friend who later quit diving because of ear problems. Then I found myself without a dive buddy and gave up diving. This summer I decided to dive again and bought new equipment and played in the pool but once again I am in the no body to dive with cycle. Is there a place to get a diving buddy who will not be to upset over my having to learn again? I plan on taking a refresher course when I go on my first dive vacation.

Why not "refresh" locally? Drop into to your LDS & sign on for some review; perhaps the shop is affiliated with a Dive Club, or knows of one where you can find diving companionship. In any regard - good diving!

Regards,
DSD

 

[WVRICK]

Why not "refresh" locally? Drop into to your LDS & sign on for some review; perhaps the shop is affiliated with a Dive Club, or knows of one where you can find diving companionship. In any regard - good diving!

Regards,
DSD

I was hoping to do that at the local community college this coming weekend but I don't think they have enough students signed on. The LDS who was teaching is about an hour 45 minutes from here but I am giving them a call to see about refresher with them.

 

[Twoblues]

Try a site called [divebuddy.com],I think I saw some members from W.Va.-Mike

 

[Keith.M]

I have had way more success here in the regional forum than on that dive buddy site. It's more of a wanna be.

 

[tlehman]

I went to the Bahamas a couple of years ago, and being a newer diver, was a bit nervous about the pair-me-with-a-buddy approach. For one thing, I didn't want to be the inexperienced diver ruining an experienced diver's trip if I ran into complications. I asked here about the planned dive and dive operator, along with questions about the buddy situation. Turned out there was someone who had worked as a DM for the operator and was able to answer my questions. He then offered to come and dive with me as my buddy. It was a great experience and one of these days I'm going to get back down there.

There is a website geared towards single divers called SingleDivers.com. I've never been on one of their trips, and they are upfront that this is not about dating and partying. It's just for people who are single (or married to a non-diver) who want to dive. Before I pop for one of their trips, I want to make sure that I won't be the only old guy along. Perhaps people here know of the group and can offer input on them.

 

[73diver]

I prefer sharing a dive with a buddy, but I have had problems finding a buddy at times. I used to travel for business. When I knew I would be in a diving location and my travel schedule would allow, I would take some minimal equipment and then rent the rest and hire a 'guide' from the LDS. The guides were often OWI or DM's but occasionally just a local diver with some spare time. Sometimes the 'guide' would pick me up at the hotel with the gear. Now that I am retired, I still hire a 'guide' once in a while to introduce me to an unfamiliar site.

My local quarry allows solo diving with the appropriate certification. I solo dive during the week to practice fundamentals that would probably bore others. It is not as enjoyable as a having a buddy or group.

I am almost always the 'extra guy' on a boat. Sometimes, the captain or mate will form people into teams or more frequently I will just ask who needs a buddy (implying that I need one). Or, I'll see a pair suiting up at about my pace and ask, if I can follow them on 'their dive' (implying that I'll try not to be a bother to them, and understanding that I am an unknown).