How to Be the Best Dive Buddy I Can Be

[ScubaWithTurk]

@NWGratefulDiver That is some very good information. Thank you all!!

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.

Thank you Dish. I have been wanting to do this my entire life and now that I have my "learner's permit" I want to learn the right way and be the best buddy I can be. The way I see it is, I want to dive with people I can trust to get me to the surface safely if need be and if that is what I want from a buddy then that is what I need to be as a buddy.

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.

The rig is a great bit of advice. I have a Knighthawk BC with Air2 and my "buddy" when on dives 3&4 of my OW class never even bothered to ask me about my set-up. I had to stop him prior to moving towards the gate (it was a boat dive) and told him we needed to a BWRAF. He seemed a bit clueless which was obvious by the snorkel being on the wrong side and his tank valve 90 degrees off from where it should be. He told me he preferred his tank twisted like that. But being on dives 3&4 of his OWC and only having done a Discover Scuba course before, how could he know what he prefers?

Had I been paired with him on a regular dive rather than a training dive, I would have not splashed or at least talked to another pair to see if we could dive as a group. However, it was a dive with an instructor so I showed him I did not have an octo and if it came to a LOA or OOA situation I would be giving him my second stage and would then use the Air2 for myself then I showed him my integrated weights and how to release them and off we went.

I think this experience was the eye opener I needed to make me question what I have to offer as a buddy..well other than the fact that I am just a fun person to be around. haha

I don't want anyone to be as afraid to dive with me as I was with that person.

 

[Birddog1911]

I'm still much a new diver, and I appreciate not only all of the advice given here, but ScubaTurk bringing up the subject.