JRScuba
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pilot fish:
You might try doing a review of your open water books.
Out of Air at 84 ft
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You might try doing a review of your open water books.
Great idea, I always carry my OW books with me on every dive and show them to my buddies at 80ft when they are not doing what the book says they are supposed to be doing.jriderski:You might try doing a review of your open water books.
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pilot fish
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jriderski:You might try doing a review of your open water books.
You might want to take another look at my statement, unless you are suggesting I review the book with them prior to the dive? Like, uh, give them a test?
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pilot fish
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Quarrior:
Don't da books get wet? Suppose da guy doesn't read Englushhhh
pilot fish:.....Like, uh, give them a test?
To all fairly new divers who often find themselves diving with strangers. There have been a couple of threads over the years that deal with how to evlauate the buddy you will be diving with. Questiosn to ask, behavioral observations to make etc, etc. It might take a while to find them since the board has grown quite a bit but there was some good info in them.
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pilot fish
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jbd:
That would be interesting to hear. Can you give me a quick overview of what things to look for? You have to realize, in the real dive world when you go on a dive boat alone, which is what I do every time I dive, you never know who on that boat is going to be your buddy, or even if you'll have one. Most times that is not covered till you are about to spalsh. Difficult to ask questions after you are geared up ready to jump in. A lot of divers resent your intrusive questions about their abilty and experience and get defensive. I'm sure you have encountered this?
pilot fish:
I tried doing a search but was somewhat unsucessful. I found some threads that dealt with the questions as the thread evolved.
Basically you want to know when the potential buddy was certified; how long have they been diving; how frequently do they dive; where do they dive mostly; what kind of course did they take? i.e. long or short so to speak.
Look for familiarity in handling, set up and use of gear and equipment. Do they look like they are comfortable with what they are about to do? Do they seem nervous and or uncertain? Do they listen to the dive briefings given by the boat crew?
I'm sure there's more but this is what I could glean and remember from the threads I looked at.
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pilot fish
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jbd:
That was helpful. Thanks. Let me ask you this, do you think some divers might find that line of questioning a bit intrusive? I've seen some divers get very defensive when asked any of that. Also, if the answer to any of that is negative,i.e., not been in the water for a few years, or on their 10th dive, what do you do? Do you simple say dive with the DM, which leaves you buddyless, or do you both dive with the DM? Keep in mind, it's either that diver or alone, in some cases. I have even been paired off with a couple, and we all know who gets the attention in that scenario
Not fun.Maybe a thread should be devoted to this topic specifically?
Pilot Fish,
I think some of those questions are pretty much standard questions all divers like to ask each other. Maybe not the one about "was your class a long one or a short one", but things like, how long have you been diving, where did you get certified, where do you normally dive. These seem like standard questions that could be asked on the boat ride out, without worry of offending. Another way to approach it is instead of coming up to a prospective buddy and start interviewing them, do the opposite....offer up the same info about yourself, then they would probably offer the same in return, just making conversation so to speak.
Something like...
"I've never did a dive on this wreck before, have you?", or "I was out here last week end and the vis was great, have you ever dived here before?" or "I've never done a dive with the charter outfit, I usually dive with (insert favorite dive operator here), have you ever been out with these guys before?".
I think any of those approaches would pretty much open up a conversation that would allow you to ask everything you want to know without them knowing you were even "interviewing" them.
Jason
I think some of those questions are pretty much standard questions all divers like to ask each other. Maybe not the one about "was your class a long one or a short one", but things like, how long have you been diving, where did you get certified, where do you normally dive. These seem like standard questions that could be asked on the boat ride out, without worry of offending. Another way to approach it is instead of coming up to a prospective buddy and start interviewing them, do the opposite....offer up the same info about yourself, then they would probably offer the same in return, just making conversation so to speak.
Something like...
"I've never did a dive on this wreck before, have you?", or "I was out here last week end and the vis was great, have you ever dived here before?" or "I've never done a dive with the charter outfit, I usually dive with (insert favorite dive operator here), have you ever been out with these guys before?".
I think any of those approaches would pretty much open up a conversation that would allow you to ask everything you want to know without them knowing you were even "interviewing" them.
Jason
pilot fish:
Indeed one must use great care when inquiring about another persons dive history and skills. None of us likes to think that we are not good enough at something we have chosen to do. One example of that is all the threads here about which agency to train with. The key is to be conversational about it. Offer information about yourself first and make sure it doesn't sound like bragging or chest thumping. Be courteous and appropriate about the questions and the information.
If you recieve some bit of info that you feel is negative you need to decide if ist enough for you to ask for other arrangements or if you can deal with it.
For someone who hasn't been in the water for a few years, you need to guage their prior dive history and closely observe their behavior in handling and setting up their gear. If they had done a lot of diving then laid off for whatever reason then there might not be anything to be concerned about. Expect them to be a little rusty but there shouldn't be any big issues. I would dive with them.
Someone with 10 dives total and recent certified--you need to learn more about their training. Do they know how much weight they need? Does it seem like a reasonable amount? Do they make any comments about buoyancy control? Gear handling and setup are things to look for again. Do they seem relaxed and comfortable or scared to death. What is their response to a comment about mask clearing? If it was a terror producing event that they did not or will not practice then maybe other arrangements need to be made.
Keep in mind that a well trained recently certified diver can be pretty on top of their game and would benefit from diving with someone willing to provide some mentoring.
A lot depends also on how strong you are as a diver and what training you have. A good rescue diver course will help you see much of what we are talking about and will help you know what to do to prevent problems as well as deal with problems.
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