Lost Buddy on a DPV

[tstormdiver]

Last weekend, I was on a scooter dive with a buddy in our quarry. We kept it shallow (to about 25ft) because it is warmer there, right now & I am still working on getting familiar with my scooter . The vis was fantastic (about 50ft or more). There were no other divers around in our area, so we decided to work on sharp turns & other such maneuvering. Next thing I know, my buddy cuts back over top of me & by the time I get turned around, he is gone. I can see no signs of bubbles or anything (later found out he went inside a sunken yacht right next to me). Now, I'm not going to get into the solo diving thing right now. For the 2 of us diving by one's self is not an issue, per se, as we both have some technical training. So, I was not freaked out in any way, just wondered where my buddy had gone to. After doing a couple of loops around the area to try to spot him, I shut down my scooter & listened,.... I could hear his scooter getting louder, so I knew he was nearby getting closer. In a few moments he was back & we continued on. After the dive, we discussed what had happened to us & how to best re- locate one's buddy after separation. That's when I found out that he had gone inside the yacht, so it obscured him & his bubbles from me. When we planned the dive, we really didn't have a set plan as to where we would go, just stay shallow & go wherever we felt, until air started to run low or we got tired (after about 75 min. we got tired). Overall it was a very enjoyable dive. So,... now to the question, when on a scooter with a buddy, what do you do to locate them, if separated (which can happen very quickly)?

 

[danvolker]

Last weekend, I was on a scooter dive with a buddy in our quarry. We kept it shallow (to about 25ft) because it is warmer there, right now & I am still working on getting familiar with my scooter . The vis was fantastic (about 50ft or more). There were no other divers around in our area, so we decided to work on sharp turns & other such maneuvering. Next thing I know, my buddy cuts back over top of me & by the time I get turned around, he is gone. I can see no signs of bubbles or anything (later found out he went inside a sunken yacht right next to me). Now, I'm not going to get into the solo diving thing right now. For the 2 of us diving by one's self is not an issue, per se, as we both have some technical training. So, I was not freaked out in any way, just wondered where my buddy had gone to. After doing a couple of loops around the area to try to spot him, I shut down my scooter & listened,.... I could hear his scooter getting louder, so I knew he was nearby getting closer. In a few moments he was back & we continued on. After the dive, we discussed what had happened to us & how to best re- locate one's buddy after separation. That's when I found out that he had gone inside the yacht, so it obscured him & his bubbles from me. When we planned the dive, we really didn't have a set plan as to where we would go, just stay shallow & go wherever we felt, until air started to run low or we got tired (after about 75 min. we got tired). Overall it was a very enjoyable dive. So,... now to the question, when on a scooter with a buddy, what do you do to locate them, if separated (which can happen very quickly)?

The only solution is that neither buddy EVER leaves the other one. Each always needs to know where the other is ( peripherol awareness). Your buddy SHOULD NOT have entered the shipwreck without you knowing he was going in, and with you following. Lights are used to gain immediate attention of your buddy, to create a sudden change in plan or direction, or whatever. Side by side when possible, will be better than one in front leading, as this makes the lead diver rely on seeing your light if you suddenly need their attention ( before he scanned backward). For typical open water cruising, side by side should be easy for buddy connection to be maintained at all times. Again, when conditions force one to be in front, you have powerful lights for signalling,and you use them. The front diver needs to feel responsible for always knowing what is going on behind with his buddy, the following diver needs to help by making this easy....if the water is a little dark, the lead diver can always see the following divers light beam...the movement of the beam communicates by itself


Errol K is teaching GUE classes in South Florida, that will certainly include scooter use by buddies...and some awesome scooter dives that would knock your socks off.
Regards,
DanV

 

[Scott L]

Errol K is teaching GUE classes in South Florida, that will certainly include scooter use by buddies...and some awesome scooter dives that would knock your socks off.
Regards,
DanV

Who? I have never heard of that person...

GUE Instructors | Global Underwater Explorers

 

[danvolker]

Who? I have never heard of that person...

GUE Instructors | Global Underwater Explorers

Errol Kalayci [EKalayci@keithandschnars.com] ... A dive buddy of JJ, of George, Bill Mee and of mine. Very smart guy with huge RB experience as well, and some very impressive accomplishments. He is doing a class in Pompano starting Friday ( a Fundies class), and will have many more coming up soon. Some will be dove in Palm Beach, some in Pompano, depending on the class and the objective.

REgards,
DanV

 

[Scott L]

Errol Kalayci [EKalayci@keithandschnars.com] ... A dive buddy of JJ, of George, Bill Mee and of mine. Very smart guy with huge RB experience as well, and some very impressive accomplishments. He is doing a class in Pompano starting Friday ( a Fundies class), and will have many more coming up soon. Some will be dove in Palm Beach, some in Pompano, depending on the class and the objective.

REgards,
DanV

Gotcha. Great! We must link-up at first opportunity.

 

[ucfdiver]

Errol Kalayci [EKalayci@keithandschnars.com] ... A dive buddy of JJ, of George, Bill Mee and of mine. Very smart guy with huge RB experience as well, and some very impressive accomplishments. He is doing a class in Pompano starting Friday ( a Fundies class), and will have many more coming up soon. Some will be dove in Palm Beach, some in Pompano, depending on the class and the objective.

REgards,
DanV

Might want to let him know he's not on the instructors page.

 

[TSandM]

We dive scooters in very low viz, and it's a real issue for us, because as you observed, with the speed scooters can make, it takes no time at all to get beyond visual range of your buddy in 15 feet of viz.

We dive wing on wing and match speeds carefully. If one person stops, the other person has to be aware enough to stop IMMEDIATELY. If you do get out of visual range, you should know roughly where the other person is likely to be, and use your light in a broad sweep. Although dim, HID lights can be seen for a long distance. The person who stopped knows the other guy is in front of her, and the person in front should know the other diver is behind, so they can cautiously move toward one another to regroup.

The bottom line is that it shouldn't happen (and if a buddy of mine went inside of something without signaling me and telling me he was going to do it, that would be covered in the debrief for sure) but it can, and really good SA will prevent the separation from getting too great, and help the two divers get back together quickly.

 

[tstormdiver]

Yes, I can agree. Side by side might be much better. I see what you're getting at. However, stopping at the same time may be an issue, as my buddy's scooter shuts down immediately when the trigger is released, mine will continue to run for 1- 2 sec. after releasing the trigger. It is not a problem with the scooter, it was built to do that & is part of how the scooter runs. I was able to match his speed, in general pretty decently; he was on an Oceanic Mako & I am on a Hollis H-160. We were just practicing some turns & maneuvers in an open space & he just made a sharp cut back turn over top of me & I wasn't ready for it (plus I have a very short neck which tends to limit how far I can crane my head around). I thought about signaling lights, but it was a bright, sunny day, the water was very clear & we were only in 18- 25 ft of water, so to a degree the lights were a bit useless unless shined directly at the person. Should my buddy have not gone into the wreck? I dunno. He knew I was not yet comfortable with my skills to go through some of the sunken stuff & I was OK with waiting outside until he came out. I don't think he realized he lost me until he got into the wreck, by then I was already looking for him. I would say we were separated no more than 2; at very most 3 min. Good thoughts though.