I also like the idea of making sure I take the initiative to ask who I can buddy up with. I don't feel I'm a big hinderance typically. I am quite comfortable to follow along and just enjoy the ride. I wouldn't consider myself a liability and I'm comfortable ascending when my air is out (although then MY buddy is left alone.) it also worries me if I find a willing buddy and then realize they're a big risk taker or something that's not a good idea for me.
New Diver Questions
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drrich2
Contributor
Misaligned buddy expectations are a recurrent theme on the forum, and as others have mentioned, even a 'pre-dive buddy orientation' isn't proof against this.
Personally, I stick close to the dive guide. That's the trained professional who's been taught in intercede & provide assistance, probably has experience doing it, probably has better gas consumption, more gas left and better peripheral awareness than most of the other divers, knows the dive site better, where the group is on the route and who will make it back on the boat. The guy the rest follow, who's done this dive many times.
So I stick to him. If a buddy wants to dive closely, fine, you can stick close to me if you wish.
After you got blown down deep by a current, and with buddy issue anxiety a problem, it seems you're looking for some fall-back measures to bolster a sense of comfort & security. I would suggest a tank banger or other underwater signaling device, so that if things go south, you can quickly make a loud noise and get people's attention. If a Spare Air gives you some piece of mind, and doesn't lead you to be incautious or unprepared otherwise, fine.
When you can get to it, a Rescue Diver course may give you a better handle on the psychological aspect of approaching diving & dealing with issues, and this may do a lot for you, too.
The more you dive & encounter & deal with issues, the more you will see that most are inconveniences that don't have to be fatal. This, too, provides some peace of mind.
Richard.
Personally, I stick close to the dive guide. That's the trained professional who's been taught in intercede & provide assistance, probably has experience doing it, probably has better gas consumption, more gas left and better peripheral awareness than most of the other divers, knows the dive site better, where the group is on the route and who will make it back on the boat. The guy the rest follow, who's done this dive many times.
So I stick to him. If a buddy wants to dive closely, fine, you can stick close to me if you wish.
After you got blown down deep by a current, and with buddy issue anxiety a problem, it seems you're looking for some fall-back measures to bolster a sense of comfort & security. I would suggest a tank banger or other underwater signaling device, so that if things go south, you can quickly make a loud noise and get people's attention. If a Spare Air gives you some piece of mind, and doesn't lead you to be incautious or unprepared otherwise, fine.
When you can get to it, a Rescue Diver course may give you a better handle on the psychological aspect of approaching diving & dealing with issues, and this may do a lot for you, too.
The more you dive & encounter & deal with issues, the more you will see that most are inconveniences that don't have to be fatal. This, too, provides some peace of mind.
Richard.
razorbackdiver
Contributor
Just a suggestion,before you invest in a spare air you should calculate your SAC rate to see just how much time that spare will give at the depths you plan on diving to. I carry at a minimum a 13 cubic ft pony bottle. With my sac rate this is enough to let me spend 1 min problem solving at 100 ft and still make a safe assent if I have stayed within my NDL.
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Mike
You raise several points. New dIvers are always awkward. Couple that with a bit of shyness and it can be a recipe for disaster. First a second air is NOT the fix for this, Most will back me up on this. There are many things that can not be taught in a class, and this is one aspect that can not. I have always been of the opinion that ow's should not be on ocean dives below 60 ft or current or any depth with no bottom. The bright side is that , all this will pass with TIME AND EXPERIENCE. You will need to work out the buddy issue, That means a lot of wet time with a buddy to learn , both, what you can expect from a buddy and how to be a buddy. Dispite what others may say the buddy thing is not an easy skill to master. About the time you get it down you realize you dont need a buddy to make the tides peak and ebb. I am not saying a buddy will have no purpose. On the contrary what you find is that the buddy is not needed for every breath you take. That is when you can say you are comfortable in the water. It sounds like the COZ currents caught you off guard. Perhaps you were not prepared for the aspects of what that kind of dive can present. The more dives you get in the book the more you learn. Each dive is a learning opportunity. You certainly know now what to expect on a drift dive in COZ. It was in COZ where i learned that split fins will not function for me if i had to fight the current to help a buddy and visa versa.
Other things you brought up. Your buddy is not there to provide you air when you see your air going low, He is there for when your air go's to zero. If you or your buddy goes low you have to learn to call the dive or at minimun move to a lower consumption depth. This is about managing your reasources , knowing your limits and formost planning ahead for this. As far as the boat goes the 2 girls can be buddies and the lone other diver will have to take you as a buddy or scrub the dive. You will be in the water. Whether he treats you as excess weight or not is no guarentee. When this happens, just fess up and the experienced diver will normally step up and things will be ok. Quite often any new diver can play the game of the new girlfriend and use the "your so big and strong with batting eyes" routine. In other words engage in conversation with him/her. Being new you will naturally have lots of questions. That makes them the "hero to the experience rescue". Dont forget human nature is in play and guys like to fix things. Whether that is your hose routing or what ever. Guys will put up with a lot of crap so long as we are being looked up to. Dont carry it too far as to point to your reg and say what is this? Not a lot of future in that. And being a guy you then have few recovery options at your disposal. Everyone should know to either bring a buddy or expext to get aquainted with the stranger you are going to be paired with. Find your prospective buddy and make the pair yourself before you take what the boat leaves you with. It is not uncommon to chat with other divers while waiting to be picked up for a dive trip. When I cruise and dive coz, this happens on the pier waiting for sand doller and crew to arrive. If you have gender issues and get stuck with a GIRL, you need to get over that. Experience is what you are buddying with not the package it comes in. HOWEVER.... a proper dive debriefing is not only a good idea but should always be done.
If the buddy is packing a master or AOW card then you have fewer worries. If they are just as new and dependant on others as you,,,, then you have to decide to look elsewhere or accept that possibly they will not stray from you and a air supply will always be near. Double edged sword.
No briefing before a santa rosa dive ........ uncalled for... dont use them again. They should have had a brief and tried to make buddy pairs in the process.
As you mentioned when you out of your element you are uncomfortable. This is a personal issue and in the developing new relationship arena. The positive side is that you grow out of this. Once again this is about finding a functional buddy not a soul mate. Its kind of like standing up in the front row of church and anouncing you are a virgin. ITS OK there,,,everyone will help you with your makeup till you are good enough to get it functionally right yourself. The beauty is that when you do this in COZ the details of your level of saturday night confidence does not get back to your home congregation.
When you are diving you are the sole one responsible for your return to the surface. Coming up dead and being some one elses fault has no consolation prise. So long as there is one surface for every dive the books ballance. Every dive, discussion, experience or posting adds to that end.
Buddies will always fail you. But you cant fail if you know a problem could be heading your way. Arm your self with awareness of your surroundings. Think of what could go wrong and prepare for it. When you are on a boat like you describe understand that there is probably another you there that thinks they are also the only new kid on the boat. Generally speeking 2 newbies buddying is better than no buddy and neither wants to look like a fool to the rest,, so they dont conciensly do stupid things.
Dont under estimate your abilities. You already have reservations about the what if..... practice those what ifs, when you are in a controlled environment. When you get it down ,,the less controlled waters will not be a big deal. Pracatice makes perfect and will always generate the what woud you do questions back on shore. For your issue of what if the tank fails..... dont dive deeper than you can handle a tank failure. Eventually you figure it out and it will be ok. IE ,,,what if an airliner crashed in the lake that you are diving in? UNLESS IT LANDS ON TOP OF YOU , THERE IS NO PROBLEM. IF IT DOES , ITS NO PROBLEM.
Being an air hog is most likely due to experience trim and technique. All fixable items. Remember as long as you have air you have no problem, just annoying issues. Air use will be better every dive. Track it, let it be a form of feedback to measure your progress. Work on your bouyancy and trim. Relax, dont make divng work. When you work you burn air.
A lot I have said with some degree of sarcasm, however the points are no less valid. Hope this helps some. Good luck.
You raise several points. New dIvers are always awkward. Couple that with a bit of shyness and it can be a recipe for disaster. First a second air is NOT the fix for this, Most will back me up on this. There are many things that can not be taught in a class, and this is one aspect that can not. I have always been of the opinion that ow's should not be on ocean dives below 60 ft or current or any depth with no bottom. The bright side is that , all this will pass with TIME AND EXPERIENCE. You will need to work out the buddy issue, That means a lot of wet time with a buddy to learn , both, what you can expect from a buddy and how to be a buddy. Dispite what others may say the buddy thing is not an easy skill to master. About the time you get it down you realize you dont need a buddy to make the tides peak and ebb. I am not saying a buddy will have no purpose. On the contrary what you find is that the buddy is not needed for every breath you take. That is when you can say you are comfortable in the water. It sounds like the COZ currents caught you off guard. Perhaps you were not prepared for the aspects of what that kind of dive can present. The more dives you get in the book the more you learn. Each dive is a learning opportunity. You certainly know now what to expect on a drift dive in COZ. It was in COZ where i learned that split fins will not function for me if i had to fight the current to help a buddy and visa versa.
Other things you brought up. Your buddy is not there to provide you air when you see your air going low, He is there for when your air go's to zero. If you or your buddy goes low you have to learn to call the dive or at minimun move to a lower consumption depth. This is about managing your reasources , knowing your limits and formost planning ahead for this. As far as the boat goes the 2 girls can be buddies and the lone other diver will have to take you as a buddy or scrub the dive. You will be in the water. Whether he treats you as excess weight or not is no guarentee. When this happens, just fess up and the experienced diver will normally step up and things will be ok. Quite often any new diver can play the game of the new girlfriend and use the "your so big and strong with batting eyes" routine. In other words engage in conversation with him/her. Being new you will naturally have lots of questions. That makes them the "hero to the experience rescue". Dont forget human nature is in play and guys like to fix things. Whether that is your hose routing or what ever. Guys will put up with a lot of crap so long as we are being looked up to. Dont carry it too far as to point to your reg and say what is this? Not a lot of future in that. And being a guy you then have few recovery options at your disposal. Everyone should know to either bring a buddy or expext to get aquainted with the stranger you are going to be paired with. Find your prospective buddy and make the pair yourself before you take what the boat leaves you with. It is not uncommon to chat with other divers while waiting to be picked up for a dive trip. When I cruise and dive coz, this happens on the pier waiting for sand doller and crew to arrive. If you have gender issues and get stuck with a GIRL, you need to get over that. Experience is what you are buddying with not the package it comes in. HOWEVER.... a proper dive debriefing is not only a good idea but should always be done.
If the buddy is packing a master or AOW card then you have fewer worries. If they are just as new and dependant on others as you,,,, then you have to decide to look elsewhere or accept that possibly they will not stray from you and a air supply will always be near. Double edged sword.
No briefing before a santa rosa dive ........ uncalled for... dont use them again. They should have had a brief and tried to make buddy pairs in the process.
As you mentioned when you out of your element you are uncomfortable. This is a personal issue and in the developing new relationship arena. The positive side is that you grow out of this. Once again this is about finding a functional buddy not a soul mate. Its kind of like standing up in the front row of church and anouncing you are a virgin. ITS OK there,,,everyone will help you with your makeup till you are good enough to get it functionally right yourself. The beauty is that when you do this in COZ the details of your level of saturday night confidence does not get back to your home congregation.
When you are diving you are the sole one responsible for your return to the surface. Coming up dead and being some one elses fault has no consolation prise. So long as there is one surface for every dive the books ballance. Every dive, discussion, experience or posting adds to that end.
Buddies will always fail you. But you cant fail if you know a problem could be heading your way. Arm your self with awareness of your surroundings. Think of what could go wrong and prepare for it. When you are on a boat like you describe understand that there is probably another you there that thinks they are also the only new kid on the boat. Generally speeking 2 newbies buddying is better than no buddy and neither wants to look like a fool to the rest,, so they dont conciensly do stupid things.
Dont under estimate your abilities. You already have reservations about the what if..... practice those what ifs, when you are in a controlled environment. When you get it down ,,the less controlled waters will not be a big deal. Pracatice makes perfect and will always generate the what woud you do questions back on shore. For your issue of what if the tank fails..... dont dive deeper than you can handle a tank failure. Eventually you figure it out and it will be ok. IE ,,,what if an airliner crashed in the lake that you are diving in? UNLESS IT LANDS ON TOP OF YOU , THERE IS NO PROBLEM. IF IT DOES , ITS NO PROBLEM.
Being an air hog is most likely due to experience trim and technique. All fixable items. Remember as long as you have air you have no problem, just annoying issues. Air use will be better every dive. Track it, let it be a form of feedback to measure your progress. Work on your bouyancy and trim. Relax, dont make divng work. When you work you burn air.
A lot I have said with some degree of sarcasm, however the points are no less valid. Hope this helps some. Good luck.
It makes me so sad to see posts like this one. This story encapsulates so MANY thing that are wrong with what we are doing as a dive industry . . .
It sounds as though the OP made a very definite effort to let the dive op know he was new, unsure, and wanted to dive within his limits. Nonetheless, he got taken to a place where he could end up at 143 feet. He wanted a buddy, and nobody helped him connect with one. And, going even further back, he went, as so many new divers do, to a place I don't think is a good trip for new divers at all -- simply because the normal procedure there is that the first dive of the day is NOT suitable for a novice.
It is SO unfortunate that pick-up buddies can't be relied upon . . . because diving with a good buddy does nothing but improve the safety AND the fun of the dive. People have already alluded to some ways to try to avoid the problems, like insisting on having one assigned BUDDY, rather than a nebulous cloud of divers, and spending the time to have a good pre-dive discussion with that buddy, to set expectations and make sure everyone is on the same page as far as communication and planning go.
But it can be quite daunting to be insistent on things nobody else seems to care about . . . I know I am known to be a major PITA by insisting that, even for very simple dives, we do a quick review of the dive plan and a head-to-toe equipment check. But at least, eight years into this and with a lot of dives under my weight belt, I don't have the unsureness of being new and being a nuisance as well.
And boat dives in destination resorts can be more difficult than shore diving or local diving, in that the people who have paid good money for the charter boat may not WANT to do a dive that is suitable for a beginner, or may not want a buddy whose gas consumption is higher and will shorten their dive. I don't have an answer for that, except to recommend that brand new divers book trips to places where there is readily available shore diving, or that they budget for the day's hire of a personal dive buddy.
I don't know what I would do if I traveled a lot by myself and wanted to dive. I think I'd just continue being a pain in the butt, and hope it worked out well.
It sounds as though the OP made a very definite effort to let the dive op know he was new, unsure, and wanted to dive within his limits. Nonetheless, he got taken to a place where he could end up at 143 feet. He wanted a buddy, and nobody helped him connect with one. And, going even further back, he went, as so many new divers do, to a place I don't think is a good trip for new divers at all -- simply because the normal procedure there is that the first dive of the day is NOT suitable for a novice.
It is SO unfortunate that pick-up buddies can't be relied upon . . . because diving with a good buddy does nothing but improve the safety AND the fun of the dive. People have already alluded to some ways to try to avoid the problems, like insisting on having one assigned BUDDY, rather than a nebulous cloud of divers, and spending the time to have a good pre-dive discussion with that buddy, to set expectations and make sure everyone is on the same page as far as communication and planning go.
But it can be quite daunting to be insistent on things nobody else seems to care about . . . I know I am known to be a major PITA by insisting that, even for very simple dives, we do a quick review of the dive plan and a head-to-toe equipment check. But at least, eight years into this and with a lot of dives under my weight belt, I don't have the unsureness of being new and being a nuisance as well.
And boat dives in destination resorts can be more difficult than shore diving or local diving, in that the people who have paid good money for the charter boat may not WANT to do a dive that is suitable for a beginner, or may not want a buddy whose gas consumption is higher and will shorten their dive. I don't have an answer for that, except to recommend that brand new divers book trips to places where there is readily available shore diving, or that they budget for the day's hire of a personal dive buddy.
I don't know what I would do if I traveled a lot by myself and wanted to dive. I think I'd just continue being a pain in the butt, and hope it worked out well.
I offer my blog here in Scubaboard- find the one titled"Diving with instabuddy."
dumpsterDiver
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I would get a pony bottle. try to find someone who looks decent on the boat and if not, just stick close to the divemaster. I also recommend a good bit of practice with the pony bottle.
Mike -
I think you have your head screwed on straight ... that's an excellent trait for a new diver! It bodes well for you future.
I know Cozumel is pretty handy from the the US and Canada, but you might consider getting in some dives in destinations that are a little more benign. I'm not saying currents are unheard of, but they are less likely, and unlikely to be ripping. I suggest you have a look at Belize, Roatan, or Bonaire for your next trip. Lots of dive ops and lots of good sites. Bonaire is shore-accessible, so you'e not going to get dumped into a washing machine. On the other hand, Belize and Roatan offer many smaller dive ops who are less likely to rush noob divers through a quick, short dive than Cozumel. Think about it!
I think you have your head screwed on straight ... that's an excellent trait for a new diver! It bodes well for you future.
I know Cozumel is pretty handy from the the US and Canada, but you might consider getting in some dives in destinations that are a little more benign. I'm not saying currents are unheard of, but they are less likely, and unlikely to be ripping. I suggest you have a look at Belize, Roatan, or Bonaire for your next trip. Lots of dive ops and lots of good sites. Bonaire is shore-accessible, so you'e not going to get dumped into a washing machine. On the other hand, Belize and Roatan offer many smaller dive ops who are less likely to rush noob divers through a quick, short dive than Cozumel. Think about it!
All good places. I point friends who want to try diving to Cancun. The diving is easy, with little or no current, hard bottom at 60' or less, TONS of sealife, and a great nightlife. And if Cozumel is easy to get to, Cancun will be too, in most cases. From Colorado, it's easier, and tends to be cheaper.
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