Ever been alone in a diving boat?

[greg454]

I mean "alone" as you didn't know anyone and were in a boat full of strangers.

Ideally I'd rather go diving with a dive buddy, but what do you do if your dive buddy isn't available or doesn't want to go diving every week?

Do you grin and bear it in an environment where everybody knows everybody? Do you hire a dive guide? Will there be other "single" divers?

 

[Aquanautchuck]

Well I travel usually by myself on trips. I have learned to make friends fast and get to know people as soon as you can. Talk to people and try to get some type of feeling of how a person is like and then ask them if they have a buddy. I have even buddied up at the airport on my way down. It seems to work pretty well. Being a solo traveler you learn to put yourself out quickly. And a side benefit is that you meet some great people instead of sitting back quietly in the background.

My favorite all time trip was to Roatan where I knew nobody and within a short while had met people I still talk and dive with today. This works well for local dive boats too. Have fun.

Charles

 

[H2Andy]

yeah, all the time.

i don't have a consistent ocean dive buddy (have plenty of great cave buddies),
so i am always "alone" on the boat.

also when on vacation, since my wife doesn't dive.

i basically (a) do not disclose i am a lawyer; (b) smile and act real nice; and (c) laugh
at everybody's jokes

and in no time at all, i fit in

i also try to avoid being paired with another diver like the plague. i'd rather
dive solo. most of the time, this works, but sometimes i get pegged for
buddy duty by the DM. in which case, i try to make the best of it.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

I mean "alone" as you didn't know anyone and were in a boat full of strangers.

Ideally I'd rather go diving with a dive buddy, but what do you do if your dive buddy isn't available or doesn't want to go diving every week?

Do you grin and bear it in an environment where everybody knows everybody? Do you hire a dive guide? Will there be other "single" divers?

...all the time.

I'll head out mid week & grab a charter with whomever. I'll hook up with whoever needs a buddy. Met lots of great people & have had great days on the water, sharing good times with people who share my interest.

Don't hold back, get out there, meet people & go diving. Life is too short to always wait for things to be "just right".

Best,
D.S.D.

 

[SwimJim]

Did a dive charter out of Myrtle Beach South Carolina a few years ago. I got paired up with some guy from New York state. Nice guy, new to diving. All new equipment right down to a dry suit. He only had eight dives in since getting certified. There was an easy six foot roll that day and he turned green and started chumming. I talked to the captain and he review my logs. I wound up doing two dives solo which suited me fine. The surface interval was a hoot. The captain was talking about getting whooped by his folks when he grew up. This guy was about seventy or so. I could identify with him as I grew up under simular discepline. I had a great time. My advice, as long as your squared away, go with the flow. You'll have a blast.

Jim

 

[BIGG_BUDD]

I was actually in Kauai with 3 buddies, and we chummed up with a solo diver. He was on vacation with his wife, and wanted to fit in some diving. After the three tanker we did with him, we convinced him to come back and do another 3 tanker the next day. We also shared quite a few adult beverages during the evening surface interval. I don't think his wife liked us too much

That being said...listen to SwimJim. You may make some friends (especially if I'm on the boat).

 

[jiveturkey]

I've noticed that after everyone gets back on a boat, you can't help but talk about the dive. On the way out, if people don't know each other, it's quiet but on the way back people are yapping away. The diving just makes people want to talk and then you're alone no more.

 

[JodiBB]

I did for the first time on the Mo2vation dive last Saturday. I "knew" people from this board, but I didn't "KNOW" anyone for the purpose of diving. I ended up talking to many people and hooked up with 2 great dive buddies. We went over our dive plan, hand signals and any tidbits we needed to know about one another to make our dives as successful as possible.

It ended up being a very positive experience.

 

[SmileMon]

I don't remember one boat I actually knew the people I'm diving with, I was a 3rd wheel on a number of trips and still had fun.

Its like I always say, I come to dive for the dive, not for the chatter on the boat, that's only a bonus..

 

[LiteHedded]

i have no friends who dive so I'm always alone
it's never been a problem though. there's always someone else on the boat who needs a buddy too