mccabejc
Contributor
A week ago I dove with about 6 folks. We all went down together, and hung together throughout the dive. Well, almost. One of the guys wandered off and got lost. Anyway, my biggest lesson learned was that everyone in the group didn't grab someone and say "You're my buddy for this dive, not the group". I found that when you're with a group, and rely on everybody, you're relying on nobody.
For example, if someone is getting low on air, and the rest of the group is still fine, who goes up with the low guy? And who keeps track that everyone is still with the group? And who keeps close to you in case you're in trouble? Too much confusion. Apparently at some point in the dive one of the divers (he was having troubles from the start getting his gear put on correctly) misread the leader's direction signals and went off in a different direction, and nobody noticed. When we finally surfaced and took a head count, we were down one. A few minutes later his head popped up about 150 feet away.
Anyway, for the new folks, let me strongly suggest: NEVER dive without a specific buddy who knows that you are buddies for the ENTIRE dive. Agree to a plan with him, no matter what the group decides. The only thing that makes you part of the group is that you may know everyone, and be diving in proximity, but otherwise it is just you and your buddy. Especially after coming from an OW class where you always rely on an instructor, the tendency may be to continue that when in a group.
For example, if someone is getting low on air, and the rest of the group is still fine, who goes up with the low guy? And who keeps track that everyone is still with the group? And who keeps close to you in case you're in trouble? Too much confusion. Apparently at some point in the dive one of the divers (he was having troubles from the start getting his gear put on correctly) misread the leader's direction signals and went off in a different direction, and nobody noticed. When we finally surfaced and took a head count, we were down one. A few minutes later his head popped up about 150 feet away.
Anyway, for the new folks, let me strongly suggest: NEVER dive without a specific buddy who knows that you are buddies for the ENTIRE dive. Agree to a plan with him, no matter what the group decides. The only thing that makes you part of the group is that you may know everyone, and be diving in proximity, but otherwise it is just you and your buddy. Especially after coming from an OW class where you always rely on an instructor, the tendency may be to continue that when in a group.
