Instabuddy vs. Dive Safety

[nolatom]

Would “blind date” work? Kidding...
Long ago (and old post I made here) off Pensacola, insta (a neutral term for me) and I were the only singles and therefore buddies. Conditions and viz were perfect, but a deep-ish site, the old Chevron platform legs.
He had about 5 dives in some 45-foot lake in New Mexico after Cert, this would be his first ocean dive. I had about 80 dives then, and recent Rescue card. Like you, I wondered why the boat signed him up for this non- rookie dive. So we talked a lot on the trip out, he was calm, attentive, and asked practical questions.
So, okay, here we went, down to 90-100 feet to the top of this rig.
Well, he turned out great—relaxed, good situational awareness, good communicator, and didn’t burn air much faster than me.
So maybe temperament is as important as number of dives?
Maybe. But you know who I really wanted to thank?
His Instructor. They are the unsung heroes in the insta-buddy world.

 

[CosbySweater]

Lots of good advice and opinions on here.

I've been DM'ing on and off for the last few years and I also dive without my normal buddy (my gf) quite often - not solo but usually on group boat dives where I'm not familiar with my "buddy". There have been several times where I've questioned the ability of my "buddy" to provide assistance, especially when leading new divers as a DM. From the beginning of my diving career I've learned to be self reliant and not to rely on others for my safety. At the end of the day your safety is your responsibility and no one else's. How you chose to manage the risks of diving is up to you. I've chosen to train and practice self reliance and self rescue as both a alternative and addition to the buddy system. Others may prefer to rely just on the buddy system - which is proven effective if you and your buddy understand each others needs and limitations. Unfortunately, I've found it's not always possible to reach that understanding with an instabuddy hence the solo diver route made sense for me.

 

[TMHeimer]

Lots of good advice and opinions on here.

I've been DM'ing on and off for the last few years and I also dive without my normal buddy (my gf) quite often - not solo but usually on group boat dives where I'm not familiar with my "buddy". There have been several times where I've questioned the ability of my "buddy" to provide assistance, especially when leading new divers as a DM. From the beginning of my diving career I've learned to be self reliant and not to rely on others for my safety. At the end of the day your safety is your responsibility and no one else's. How you chose to manage the risks of diving is up to you. I've chosen to train and practice self reliance and self rescue as both a alternative and addition to the buddy system. Others may prefer to rely just on the buddy system - which is proven effective if you and your buddy understand each others needs and limitations. Unfortunately, I've found it's not always possible to reach that understanding with an instabuddy hence the solo diver route made sense for me.

Agree completely. There isn't anything you can do if you have something serious like a heart attack and are buddied with a loser. But you could have one of those solo diving or when by yourself at the cabin.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Just beautiful. She was loving the bubbles.
What I wouldn't give for an experience like that.

Yes that Whaleshark was around us for around 40 minutes so I got lots of video as those swimming at the surface.

I was minding my own business and this dark shape came from behind and above me. Certainly we also had really good visibility that dive as well. This was the first video I got. The people in my dive group were watching to see how I would react as this whale shark cruised right over me from behind.

I didn't notice at first as I was looking down. Sure was a fun experience.

 

[Blackcrusader]

That is spectacular! The visibility was sublime! Thank you so much for sharing. I almost felt that I was there with you.

Maybe one day we can be instabuddies. Who knows? This at the end of a dive. You can see the bubble trails from two other divers left side of video. I saw this turtle swim up for a breather so I just waited in one spot and it swam right back over the top of me.

 

[Mike1967]

Whaleshark was around us for around 40 minutes

Where was this?

 

[Blackcrusader]

Where was this?

Pescadore Island Maolboal Cebu Philippines Good diving there have done over 700 dives in that area.
Sometimes you get the whale sharks cruising the sardine run as well.

 

[hedonist222]

Fortunately I know a lot of the regulars at the dive center I go to.
So we usually pair up and it works.

When I travel, I'll try to "pick" a partner before the dive.
Check out their gear, have a little chat.
If we click, then I ask if we can go steady ....