How to Be the Best Dive Buddy I Can Be

[KeithG]

be realistic about your abilities and desires when making the dive plan and voice any concerns no matter how small. it is very easy to change the dive plan before you splash. most dive sites can handle large variations in dive plans.

you likely will use more air especially if the dive may be deeper than you are used to. doing simple things like crusing the wall at 55 feet instead of 85 feet and coming back to the vicinity of the boat after 30 minutes instead of 45 minutes are easy to accommodate.

 

[TMHeimer]

[QUOTE="boulderjohn, post: 78
It is just selfishness to put your own interests and desires ahead of your buddy and anyone else on the dive.[/QUOTE]

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Absolutely. Wanting to do your own thing when you want is one of the main benefits of diving solo. If you are with a buddy you should act like one. A whole different ballgame.

 

[Steve_C]

For a less experienced instabuddy on a wreck or reef in say 80 ft of water.
-Be up front about your experience and your expectations.
-Agree to let me lead.
-Agree to communicate under water if there is something you want to see.
-Stay close. (depends on viz)
-Keep track of your air. I usually check a time or two early on to calibrate your use, but let me know your air when asked (we will agree on the boat how to do this)
-Indicate to me when you reach go up pressure. This will have been agreed on.
-If you see something cool point it out to me.
-Have an agreed to plan before the dive.
-Pay attention when we talk over things ahead of time. I have a couple of special signals like for the next couple of minutes I am taking a picture and not watching you. It is your job to watch me and not wander off.
-relax we will just putz around looking at cool stuff.
-For things like swim throughs I will check with you before the dive as to what you are comfortable with. Be honest.
-Do not worry if you see a large shark approaching and I am not worried. If you see me getting worried then you should probably get worried also.

 

[TMHeimer]

+1 for that last one Steve--but as you may know I'd be worried either way...

 

[Steve_C]

+1 for that last one Steve--but as you may know I'd be worried either way...

We are talking mostly NC diving. We are disappointed if we do not see some sand tigers or sand bars. This is a sand bar on the Markham.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Ok fellow divers, as a newly certified diver who spends hours on here reading posts and trying to gain as much knowledge as possible that I can then put to use, I have come up with a question after looking for a thread that may be similar in nature.

After reading many of you post about "insta-buddies" and terrible dive buddies, I thought I would start this thread to see what advice you had to offer.

So my question is really two fold:

1. What do you look for in a dive buddy (not to include number of dives)
2. What would say a new diver would need to work or focus on in order to be the best dive buddy they can be?

I know many experienced divers don't like diving with new divers due to them being a bad buddy. So please share your knowledge and thoughts. I look forward to seeing what you agree on and what each person feels they need in a buddy that is unique to them.

What do I look for in a dive buddy? Let's start with a smile ... we're doing this for fun, after all ... let's act like it. I like a dive buddy who's going to look at the dive as a shared experience ... one who can think of it as "our" dive rather than "my" dive. I like a dive buddy who's going to engage in a conversation about the dive ahead of time ... set some expectations, let me know what they want to do, listen to what I want to do. Dives are more fun when we each have an idea what to expect from the other ... the whole concept of dive buddy is, after all, built around the concept of predictable behavior. Let's go over communication protocols ... hand signals, light signals if we're using them, descent/ascent techniques and preferences. We won't be able to talk about that stuff once we're underwater ... so let's get some idea of how we each do those things, so we can avoid surprises. The more we learn about how each other likes to dive, the less chance there will be for surprises while the dive is underway ... and the more we can relax and enjoy the experience.

What would I say a new diver would need to work or focus on in order to be the best dive buddy they can be? Let's start with awareness ... you really limit your vision when you put a mask on your face. So turn your head and look around every so often. Make eye contact with your buddy. Position yourself so they can see you easily ... and you them. The dive's way more fun if you don't have to spend it constantly putting effort into seeing where each other are. Now let's talk about attitude. Don't push yourself into a situation you're not comfortable with out of concern for "ruining your buddy's dive" ... the best way to ruin my dive is to put us both into some situation where I need to intervene for your safety or mine. Everything else is negotiable, but safety isn't. You know way better than me where your comfort zone is ... stay in it. And let me know if anything that goes on during the dive is taking you out of it. Keep an eye on your air, and let me know if it hits a certain agreed-upon point and we haven't yet turned the dive. There's only one true emergency in diving, and that's running out of air. Everything else is just an inconvenience that needs to be dealt with. Sure, I'd like to see you work on your core skills ... particularly those that affect your buoyancy control, trim, and air consumption rate. But that'll come with time and practice. For now I just want you to relax, enjoy the dive, and maintain a reasonable level of attention on what we're doing. We'll both have more fun that way.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Dish]

Very well put, Bob. Should be pinned.

BTW, @ScubaTurk , the fact that you are a new diver asking this question tells me that you're well on your way to being a good dive buddy.

 

[Neilwood]

Very well put, Bob. Should be pinned.

BTW, @ScubaTurk , the fact that you are a new diver asking this question tells me that you're well on your way to being a good dive buddy.

Agreed - if you are thinking about it enough to ask the question, you are on the right lines.

 

[DiverDownD3]

Good topic. All good advice. I'm not going to repeat all the stuff that's been said. But I think a good dive buddy should show interest in my rig and we can discuss how we will do air sharing. I dive a long hose, so the OOA procedures will likely be different from what you learned in OW. I always look at the other person rig for just this purpose.

Also, as a new diver myself, a piece of advice I have is don't let C-cards fool you into thinking that person is going to be a good diver. I got instabuddied with another new diver and a DM once. She had a few issues when we got down there, which I helped her resolve. When I was done helping her, Mr DM was nowhere to be found. We had to go find him. Just goes to show you that the card doesn't make the diver.

 

[Neilwood]

Good topic. All good advice. I'm not going to repeat all the stuff that's been said. But I think a good dive buddy should show interest in my rig and we can discuss how we will do air sharing. I dive a long hose, so the OOA procedures will likely be different from what you learned in OW. I always look at the other person rig for just this purpose.

Also, as a new diver myself, a piece of advice I have is don't let C-cards fool you into thinking that person is going to be a good diver. I got instabuddied with another new diver and a DM once. She had a few issues when we got down there, which I helped her resolve. When I was done helping her, Mr DM was nowhere to be found. We had to go find him. Just goes to show you that the card doesn't make the diver.

To me attitude makes the diver - the right or wrong one can make all the difference.