Going Diving Friday with a group of people I don't know . . .

[gekigangerv]

I have two questions. This may be in the wrong part of the forums. If it is, mods, please feel free to move to the correct place.

I charted a dive solo in Jacksonville, FL for Friday. I've never been diving here, and the group of people that I usually dive with will not be with me. Anything I should be extra aware about? I called the charter service. There will be someone there to be my buddy. But seeing as I don't know who this person is; I obviously don't trust them. Suggestions?

Anything I should be on the look-out for in these waters? Anything cool to see?

 

[BrianV]

I have two questions. This may be in the wrong part of the forums. If it is, mods, please feel free to move to the correct place.

I charted a dive solo in Jacksonville, FL for Friday. I've never been diving here, and the group of people that I usually dive with will not be with me. Anything I should be extra aware about? I called the charter service. There will be someone there to be my buddy. But seeing as I don't know who this person is; I obviously don't trust them. Suggestions?

Anything I should be on the look-out for in these waters? Anything cool to see?

I've dove with insta-buddies before and some have been GREAT and some have been lousy. If the visibility is decent then I would recommend staying near people, if vis is bad then definitely make sure you and your buddy are on the same page before you get in the water. You should always be within site of each other. Use the 1 minute search then surface rule. If vis is good then just make a concerted effort to stay near your buddy (and your buddy should do the same). I never want to be more than 5-10 seconds away from my buddy (at the worst case). When I dive with familiar buddies I'm typically within 3 seconds of them at all times.

I'm sure you'll hear even better ideas from some of the more seasoned divers.

 

[gekigangerv]

Those of you that have been diving off the coast of Jacksonville, how's the water?

edit: Brian, thanks for the insight.

 

[Scottri]

Just remember that you are responsible for yourself and if you are not comfortable diving with somebody then you can call the dive. I have had some great buddies that were assigned on the boat and I have had some questionable ones. I try to spend some time talking to them before the dive and ask how long they have been diving, where they have been diving and what level of certification they have. I do it as a friendly conversation, not as an interview. After a while you get gut feelings about people. Trust your instincts. If someone seems like they won't make a good buddy then they probably won't. I also like to review basic hand signals with them to make sure you are on the same page underwater. Make sure you both agree on how to signal air pressue, depth and other critical communications. Agree on a max depth and bottom time BEFORE the dive and stick to it.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[JodiBB]

I recently did the same thing...I went on a dive with a boat full of people that I had never met. I hooked up with 2 great guys. We covered hand signals, equipment setups and diving limitations as well as our dive plan. It was a great experience. I felt comfortable with their skills as they felt comfortable with mine. Minus equipment malfunctions (which we couldn't have predicted like afreelowing octo and an uncontrollable flooding mask), we had some great dives.

Keep an eye out for yourself and be cognizant of your diving needs. Make sure you communicate to your buddies and they feel comfortable doing this with you. If at any point you don't feel comfortable, call the dive.

 

[Diveral]

Have dove with many insta-buddies. Most have been good divers. In general meet with your buddies and discuss your experience and diving skills. Ask them about their experience and if they have ever dove the site before. If my buddy is familiar with the dive site I usually let them lead.

Look over each others equipment set-up. Familarize yourself with their set-up and let them review yours. You generally want to know where their Octopus is, BC dump valve, how to ditch their weights, do they have a computer, air integrated, wireless? You may find that that dive with different gear or configure their gear differently than oyu. Don't be afraid to ask why. You or they may learn something. Then review the basic dive plan and UW signals. Agree on a lost buddy rendevous point or procedure. Also you need an agrees turn-around point.

AL

 

[H2Andy]

are you going out with Atlantic Pro Divers? nice outfit

water temps are in mid-70's to low 80's up top. usually vis is nice, around
40 or 50, but can get murky at times.

there are wrecks and ledges (limestone "reefs" with soft corals and gorgonians
and what not). very nice stuff.

look for tropical species (angelfish and damselfish) as well as large game fish
(snapper, grouper, flounder).

the dive sites usually are about 10 miles off shore, so you're looking at about 2
hours round trip minimum (plus dive time).

 

[gekigangerv]

Yeah, I'm diving with Atlantic Pro Divers. I meet the boat at 7:00 am. I'm pretty excited. Hopefully, I'll have a good dive buddy; if not, I'm confident with my skills so I'm not too worried.