VTWarrenG
Guest
ScubaDubaDoo,
Looks like you were talking to a group of those Buddy Whores. <nudge nudge>
- Warren
Looks like you were talking to a group of those Buddy Whores. <nudge nudge>
- Warren
Finding a Buddy
- Thread starter Uncle Pug
- Start date
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Asiandivergal
Guest
woah that's a lot of Qs which require a mouthful 
I dont mind diving with strangers, but i prefer to be familiar with my dive buddy before stepping into the water. I've found that the more experienced i've become, the less picky i've become of dive buddies. In the beginning, i would only go diving with my dive buddy - my good friend of 9 years who took the course with me - but eventually she stopped diving when her workload became too heavy and she couldnt even afford to tear herself away from work for a weekend trip.
Since then, i've dived with many different people, we usually end up meeting as aquaintances, then drinking buddies, and then we decide to take a dive trip out together. Somehow I have always ended up with more "experienced" divers who know what they are doing, and are sensible people. I never rely or depend entirely on my dive buddies, and always make it a point to be self-reliant, just in case i end up with a "renegade" buddy who turns wacko underwater. I am rarely worried when i get underwater with a stranger, coz i make sure i know what the hell i am doing (i imagine myself on a solo dive, going thru the drills mentally).
My "longest" dive buddy was with a German friend who came to singapore for a 6 months work stint. To date, she is the only person who share that same passion for diving, and who can afford the time and money to just take a trip out with me every month. I missed her so much when she went home. It's harder to find a local regular dive buddy now, coz work schedules clash, and it's hard to agree on the same timing.
It's not difficult finding dive buddies - it's more difficult having the same regular dive buddy. I have a huge database of diving friends - some acquintances, some friends who are always keen to go diving - so even if my regular buddy A cannot make it, either B or C should be able to make this trip. I've also found online boards like this, Lonely Planet and the deja scuba newsgroup useful when "hunting" for dive buddies in fact, i just met up with Thresher here for a recent sunday dive excursion, though we havent had the chance to buddy - we must remedy that!
When diving with a buddy, the difficult part is in drawing the line in looking out for his/her safety and becoming over-zealous or over-vigilant. I wont freak out if my buddy separates from me for more than 5m as long as i can still keep an eye on him/her, but i will maintain a closer distance in stronger currents or conditions of poor viz. if i buddy a novice diver or a photographer, it's v. important to be patient. Photographers, especially macro lovers tend to go really really slow, and sometimes i prefer to whiz past in search of biggies. Some novice divers who have just been certified also test my patience from time to time, esp when it comes to buoyancy control. I just get so upset when i see them destroying the reefs, not intentionally of coz, but i calm myself down by thinking back to those days when i first started out. Also had to keep stopping myself from overdosing them with lectures and naggy comments
I dont mind diving with strangers, but i prefer to be familiar with my dive buddy before stepping into the water. I've found that the more experienced i've become, the less picky i've become of dive buddies. In the beginning, i would only go diving with my dive buddy - my good friend of 9 years who took the course with me - but eventually she stopped diving when her workload became too heavy and she couldnt even afford to tear herself away from work for a weekend trip.
Since then, i've dived with many different people, we usually end up meeting as aquaintances, then drinking buddies, and then we decide to take a dive trip out together. Somehow I have always ended up with more "experienced" divers who know what they are doing, and are sensible people. I never rely or depend entirely on my dive buddies, and always make it a point to be self-reliant, just in case i end up with a "renegade" buddy who turns wacko underwater. I am rarely worried when i get underwater with a stranger, coz i make sure i know what the hell i am doing (i imagine myself on a solo dive, going thru the drills mentally).
My "longest" dive buddy was with a German friend who came to singapore for a 6 months work stint. To date, she is the only person who share that same passion for diving, and who can afford the time and money to just take a trip out with me every month. I missed her so much when she went home. It's harder to find a local regular dive buddy now, coz work schedules clash, and it's hard to agree on the same timing.
It's not difficult finding dive buddies - it's more difficult having the same regular dive buddy. I have a huge database of diving friends - some acquintances, some friends who are always keen to go diving - so even if my regular buddy A cannot make it, either B or C should be able to make this trip. I've also found online boards like this, Lonely Planet and the deja scuba newsgroup useful when "hunting" for dive buddies
in fact, i just met up with Thresher here for a recent sunday dive excursion, though we havent had the chance to buddy - we must remedy that!When diving with a buddy, the difficult part is in drawing the line in looking out for his/her safety and becoming over-zealous or over-vigilant. I wont freak out if my buddy separates from me for more than 5m as long as i can still keep an eye on him/her, but i will maintain a closer distance in stronger currents or conditions of poor viz. if i buddy a novice diver or a photographer, it's v. important to be patient. Photographers, especially macro lovers tend to go really really slow, and sometimes i prefer to whiz past in search of biggies. Some novice divers who have just been certified also test my patience from time to time, esp when it comes to buoyancy control. I just get so upset when i see them destroying the reefs, not intentionally of coz, but i calm myself down by thinking back to those days when i first started out. Also had to keep stopping myself from overdosing them with lectures and naggy comments
ScubaJorgen
Contributor
One of my most enjoyable ways to get a buddy at Curacao was going to the nearest dive shop and see who turns up for a refill of the cylinder. Asking to join them always resulted in a positive answer.
This resulted in lots of interesting buddies:
- A couple of Housewifes
- A marine
- A few old men diving since they found a way to compress air in cylinders
- A divemaster singing underwater
- A girl simulating a buddy-line of only a few inches
Disadvantage is that I went to the shop once in vain.
In Holland I am member of a diving association Hydrofiel. Besides myself, I found a lot more weirdo's diving the whole year.
Bye
Jorgen
This resulted in lots of interesting buddies:
- A couple of Housewifes
- A marine
- A few old men diving since they found a way to compress air in cylinders
- A divemaster singing underwater
- A girl simulating a buddy-line of only a few inches
Disadvantage is that I went to the shop once in vain.
In Holland I am member of a diving association Hydrofiel. Besides myself, I found a lot more weirdo's diving the whole year.
Bye
Jorgen
1 yes and no, since I bought my own gear and started coming along with trips I would say no i have had no problems with that. before i did this i had some trouble finding buddies, since i wasnt looking for them, when i took my OW cert after some years of solodiving i had major problems with having a buddy to take care of, a chicken mother thats what i was, wich meant it spoiled my own diving only keeping track of my partner and thus basically telling them they are idiots and i dont trust them.
2 lack of/problem with comunication
3 yes with a group of main buddys who all love and care for eachother deeply.
4 I want to go diving right now, why dont anyone else ?;-0
5 to let go of them ! let them dive the way they want to dive, not the way I want them to dive.
Fx I have one buddy who wants to be less then armslength away from me,
another who wants to wear a buddyline but have no idea what i am doing or where aslong as the buddyline exists.
another who always swims very fast and uses up all air quikly
uttahere, another who uses his air as if it was free
so when he is down to 50 bar i still have 160-180 bar left just not enough to go two dives with him and still have the 50 bar security feature and it feels stupid to refill a tank for 120 bar.another who wants me to lead all thetime wich i truly hate since its hard to have the buddy under 100% control when leading the dive
another who always makes something break or looses something during the dive,
one who refuses to wear a knife, since we are not going to go anywhere dangerous togeather anyhow !!! so there is no need!
The hard part is to accept them for who they are and to accept their ways of diving, we are not all made in the same mold.
and to this I have to add something wich I think Pug will like
Dive with a stroke and you are a stroke,
most of my buddys are stroke, I care for them and love them all and dive with them so then I must be a stroke too.
since I am a stroke and most of my buddys dive with me they to must be stroke´s.
we scuba dive, we do stupid things, pull idiot stunts but we also have a gret deal of fun together. wich we believe is the main part of scuba diving.
Dive safe and have fun
OP
There, there Hobbs... don't cry....
Uncle Pug is going to go out in the shop and dig out some stroke gear and we are gonna go diving!!!
We'll do the ultimate stroke dive: S.W.B.
Tell me when you're all geared up and we'll head out...
socaldiver
Contributor
Usually my dive buddy is my g/f but on occasions I have done some dives with buddies I picked up from the LDS or on a dive boat.
I found some new buddies I feel with my short visit to Fla but intend on going back for more there.
Scubadubadoo, what part of socal are you? I will try to go diving with you. And, I never ask for sex, especially on the first dive
I found some new buddies I feel with my short visit to Fla but intend on going back for more there.
Scubadubadoo, what part of socal are you? I will try to go diving with you. And, I never ask for sex, especially on the first dive
SpyderTek
Guest
Ok...Well, I suspect I am labeling myself as one by asking if I am guessing corectly....but what is "a Stroke"? and"Stroke Diving?"
Since the first I saw it was from a poster in Sweden I assumed it was bascially a derogatory slang term...
But then the Pacific NW used it too so now Im not so sure.
Thanks for the heads up and I'll wear my dunce cap if required
Spyder
Since the first I saw it was from a poster in Sweden I assumed it was bascially a derogatory slang term...
But then the Pacific NW used it too so now Im not so sure.
Thanks for the heads up and I'll wear my dunce cap if required
Spyder
"Stroke" is the deragotory term used by DIR divers to describe NON-DIR divers. Their infamous first law of diving is "Don't dive with Strokes". Fortunately, most of the DIR crowd on this board do NOT ascribe all other DIR divers as such, and they get sort of cross when we describe ourselves as such. There are those of us (including myself) who wear it as a badge of honor. So it can be inflammatory both ways, but judicious use of smilies and a sense of humor can alleviate the stench of such terms.
SpyderTek
Guest
Thanks ND!
Yeah, the word had the tell tail stench of derogatoryism (hehehe Love making up my own words)!
Just glad it didnt mean you were calling each other Vicking Long Boat Rowers! Now that would have just been intollerable! LOL
ST
Yeah, the word had the tell tail stench of derogatoryism (hehehe Love making up my own words)!
Just glad it didnt mean you were calling each other Vicking Long Boat Rowers! Now that would have just been intollerable! LOL
ST
Originally posted by Uncle Pug
What are some of the ways you have found dive buddies???
Joined a dive club.
Have you had difficulty finding dive buddies???
No.
What difficulties have you encountered with new dive buddies???
The inflatable ones sometimes leak. (Just kidding!) I would say that being mis-matched with interest and skill level is the most difficult. This has only happened to me on a charters with strangers and I didn't bring a buddy with me, which really isn't very often.
Have you been able to establish a relationship with a main dive buddy???
Yes. My best buddy is now truly my best buddy.
What do you consider the most difficult aspect of keeping a dive buddy???
Their other than diving life is way different, e.g. it's hard to go diving on a regular basis with someone who is self-employed, works 80-90 hours a week, has a family, as opposed to me, 40 hour week, no weekends, single.
What do you consider the most difficult aspect of diving with a buddy???
As a photographer, I would have to say trying to keep an eye on them while concentrating on photo ops. Even when I don't have my camera, sometimes I'll get mesmerized by some sort of marine life and buddy is doing the same somewhere else.
What are some of the ways you have found dive buddies???
Joined a dive club.
Have you had difficulty finding dive buddies???
No.
What difficulties have you encountered with new dive buddies???
The inflatable ones sometimes leak. (Just kidding!) I would say that being mis-matched with interest and skill level is the most difficult. This has only happened to me on a charters with strangers and I didn't bring a buddy with me, which really isn't very often.
Have you been able to establish a relationship with a main dive buddy???
Yes. My best buddy is now truly my best buddy.
What do you consider the most difficult aspect of keeping a dive buddy???
Their other than diving life is way different, e.g. it's hard to go diving on a regular basis with someone who is self-employed, works 80-90 hours a week, has a family, as opposed to me, 40 hour week, no weekends, single.
What do you consider the most difficult aspect of diving with a buddy???
As a photographer, I would have to say trying to keep an eye on them while concentrating on photo ops. Even when I don't have my camera, sometimes I'll get mesmerized by some sort of marine life and buddy is doing the same somewhere else.
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