Diving with strangers

[Diver Dennis]

Well I have to say that is the opposite of what I've found. People who start with the group are supposed to end up with it. The few times that divers have gone off on their own were told not to during the SI. Do the DMs ask what their dive plan is or set a time limit for them?
I started diving last April after a 5 year hiatus and have been diving all these sites in the last year, over 400 dives. I did read your profile which is why I responded by the way.

 

[Damselfish]

Well I have to say that is the opposite of what I've found. People who start with the group are supposed to end up with it. The few times that divers have gone off on their own were told not to during the SI. Do the DMs ask what their dive plan is or set a time limit for them?
I started diving last April after a 5 year hiatus and have been diving all these sites in the last year, over 400 dives. I did read your profile which is why I responded by the way.

Time limits are pretty common, some ops make them a little too short but most are reasonable. Some get hung up on them and some not so much, I think it depends how hungry they are.

Don't recall ever being asked what our plan is. Often we mention they might see us nearby for part of the dive but will probably go off so there's no confusion, hasn't been a problem. My husband/buddy is a photographer, so there is a trade between getting a pic of something cool someone found we might not have, vs. the advantages of photography without a bunch of other people around.

 

[Cacia]

I'd say the majority of my boat dives, they ask who wants to tag along with the DM and who is doing their own thing, just so they know how many/who they are keeping track of.

I have found this... now I have usually been a DM/ Instructor combo...

I am sometimes aware that they treated us differently...they thought we did not need as much supervision? we acted like we did not want to be herded?

I have to say also, that if I show up and get an operator that had, lets say, a pretty "formal program" we would, and have slithered off to the next guy up the road.

I have had people come find me for time limit of going over an hour. I guess if someone has to wait ten more minutes, I don't consider that so rude....I am willing to wait for other people doing classes, etc.

No one has ever asked me my plan. Now sometimes they look at me like they are WAITING to hear what it is! Seriously, we always listen to the briefing carefully so as not to cause logistical issues.

Ditto, BUDDY Checks. This is as much for you, as for your buddy. enforces that you give everything a check over.

 

[kimmymore]

I may not be that experienced in diving, but I always make it a point to question the DM DURING the dive briefing if I feel that not enough information has been given. I have, on a number of dives in Australia, insisted that the DM went in with me and my buddy when I am not so sure about the dive site. I have also, on other dives, insisted that DM went in with me and my buddy when I am not comfy with my buddy's diving style.
I know I have a lot to learn still, and am always happy when I talk to other divers and learn from them. I have no problems with my buddy leading if I feel that he/she is reliable. How can I tell? From buddy checks (which I always insist) to looking out for each other underwater. Usually one can tell from the first two dives with a buddy whether you can depend on him/her in emergencies. I don't admit to having been an inexperienced buddy once to some other divers (when I first started diving), but I have had my taste of bad buddies who followed fast fish and went missing round every corner to know what not to do when buddy diving.
I've since learnt to be alert in working with stranger buddies. Talk to my buddy before the first dive about the dive plans and hand signals etc, and before every subsequent dives. I have frequently dove with strangers, and am now very attuned to tiny actions and reactions that tells me alot about their diving style. If I am not comfortable, I made sure a DM teams up with us. Tough job for the DM, but safety is everything to me when diving.

 

[ChrisA]

Even when you pay attention to the gear of other divers, it's still easy to get confused in a group, especially at night. (And imagine a bunch of DIR divers running into one another . . . everybody in black, BP/W, long hose, black fins . . . )

I finaly got out my yellow "paint pen" and wrote my name in large letters across both my fins. I have the same black turtle fins as everyone else
I was thinking of also spray painting the fins green and purple striped too but settled on simply adding some green vinyl electrical tape. I frequently dive with a group too in low viz at night We are carfull to always be in groups of either two or three, not more. but when group converge you just have to remember who has what equpment.

When I was into white water kayaks it was common for padders to print their name on themselves in big letters that could be read from 50 feet away. I wish this would catch on with divers.

 

[Knight]

Just the thread name it self "diving with strangers" scares me! I know alot of you sport divers do this group dive and I don't do much sport diving since the commercial field basically takes it out of you, but if and when I did sport dive you could say the people I do it with are like family we knew each other inside and out and I would never ever dive with a stranger who wasn't a expert diver and didn't know our hand signs, etc, try and stick to diving with people you know and feel comfort with.

Always descending,
c.h.