How to be a good diver & buddy when you've just started

[angelfish1]

I was reading about what makes a good buddy and from what i read it sounds like i wouldn't be anyones first choice as a buddy. :11: However, i only have 8 dives in which includes my checkout dives and i wonder what suggestions everyone has for us beginners that want to be good divers & buddies but dont have all the experience that makes you good since so much of it comes with time. :15a:

 

[mossym]

if you can dive with more experienced divers, try and pick up as much from them as you can. take things easy, teh best divers i;ve seen always look like they are hardly moving. Always maintain bouyancy control.
Don't exceed your limits, i met a guy at my lds the other day that was trying to sign up for a tec class after 20 dives, i had one idiot in my rescue class that had 17 dives, couldn't stand with the gear on, and was expecting to start cave diving straight after the rescue class. Stay shallow until you have the basics down, then move deeper.

if something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Get out of it. thumb the dive, don't be worried about offending anyone. there is always another day to dive.

and don't be afriad to ask, i''ve never met a diver that didn't want to help out another diver.

I'm far from the most experienced diver here, only coming up on a hundred now, but they are the biggest things i've learnt.

 

[Diver0001]

I was reading about what makes a good buddy and from what i read it sounds like i wouldn't be anyones first choice as a buddy. :11: However, i only have 8 dives in which includes my checkout dives and i wonder what suggestions everyone has for us beginners that want to be good divers & buddies but dont have all the experience that makes you good since so much of it comes with time. :15a:

You just took the most important step by asking this question! I think when you're beginning it's important to find good buddies who you can emulate. Look for someone experienced who is committed to the buddy system and who you click with. Think of this person as a sort of mentor but don't dive with them all the time.

Aside from a mentor, I personally think it's important to find someone at about your own level and to work on being good buddies together. Always diving with a mentor will actually hinder you from becoming an independently confident diver. I think you need to balance this out and give yourself the chance to sort out your own problems as you go too.

And start slow and build up. It takes a couple of hundred dives before you're skills will be totally squared away.

R..

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Know where your buddy is. Help your buddy know where you are. Relax under water. It's not a race. Eliminate danglies.

Take a peak performance buoyancy class. Use what you learn.

Ask questions and listen to the answers. Try the suggestions and use what works for you.

Keep diving.

TwoBit

 

[ScubaSarus]

Maintain good communication with each other via OK signals etc at intervals in the dive. Also understand the hand signals. I dive with experienced divers who have no comprehension of the standard divers handsignals.

 

[triton94949]

I was reading about what makes a good buddy and from what i read it sounds like i wouldn't be anyones first choice as a buddy. :11: However, i only have 8 dives in which includes my checkout dives and i wonder what suggestions everyone has for us beginners that want to be good divers & buddies but dont have all the experience that makes you good since so much of it comes with time. :15a:

The fact that you asked the question, Shannon, suggests that you are already on your way to becoming a great buddy.

The main issue is to stay close by your buddy. Don't swim away.

It is also important to stay beside your buddy, so that he/she can see you in their peripheral vision.

Tell your buddy how much psi you have left in your tank every 10 minutes, and ask your buddy to tell you too. Let your buddy know when your air is half way used up, and make sure the two of you turn around and start to head back by then.

Let your buddy lead when it is your buddy's turn, and you lead when it is your turn.

It is also good if you don't waste your air supply by kicking a lot and darting around. Try to go with the flow and relax, so that your air lasts longer.

It is preferable if you and your buddy are about the same size, and if you both have the same sized tank. That way you can stay down longer together.

Watch your depth. Don't go deeper than 60 ft (for now); and don't go shallower than 15 ft until the dive is over. When you get to 15 ft, stop and do a 3 minute safety stop with your buddy before going shallower.

Know how to share air with your buddy, and how your buddy will be sharing air with you, if the need arises. There are about 3 different ways to do this, and so it is worth discussing and rehersing together before the dive.

If you make small mistakes, and you are with a good diver, he/she will point them out to you after the dive. Take the advice constructively.

You will do fine. In about a year, you will be a really good diver, and in the meantime you will probably be a great buddy.

 

[OE2X]

Buddy awareness - know where your buddy is at times. This isn't hard.

Communication: Let your buddy know that you want to stop and look at something or signal what direction you would like to go. Go over all the hand signals before the dive with your buddy so that you are clear.

Diving with new divers is fun for me as long those two rules are abided by.

Buoyancy control and a good frog kick so that the bottom doesn't get silted up are other good skills to have.

 

[sdstahl]

I was reading about what makes a good buddy and from what i read it sounds like i wouldn't be anyones first choice as a buddy. :11: However, i only have 8 dives in which includes my checkout dives and i wonder what suggestions everyone has for us beginners that want to be good divers & buddies but dont have all the experience that makes you good since so much of it comes with time. :15a:

I agree 100% with what everybody else said, however if you really want to be a great buddy pack a lunch,lenty of snacks and drinks.

 

[jonnythan]

Keep your eyes moving, pay attention to the road, be courteous to the other drivers. You'll be fine.

 

[Rondo]

When i just started I asked lots of dumb questions about gear,currents,depths, site conditions,needs,curiosities,and limitations I had. i found most seasoned divers loved to interact while on the boat and felt better about me as a buddy,I was always solo and my buddy was always a stranger.

I still end up solo and get whatever buddy I can on the boat,I encourage them to talk about or question the upcoming dive,their limitations,or whatever,the more I learn about them topside the better buddy I can be at depth.