Question about getting lost under water.
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That's wonderful that you feel a responsibility to your dive buddy, but I had to smile a little bit at the "who is nearing his 60s", since I'm 59, and I help TEACH diving.
It is true that a lot of accidents begin with buddy separation, which is why developing good buddy habits from the beginning is a good idea. You might take a look at THIS article on doing that. (There are several other good articles on that site, too.)
It is true that a lot of accidents begin with buddy separation, which is why developing good buddy habits from the beginning is a good idea. You might take a look at THIS article on doing that. (There are several other good articles on that site, too.)
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My 2 cents
1. Is it possible to be tied up with your buddy? maybe like a 3 -5 m lead. but for safety of each other.
We sometimes do this in black water river diving. Be sure to use elastic bungy. It must be elastic for obvious reasons. Use loops on the ends sized to easily pull off your arm. We use about 3m between divers.
2. Instead of total navigation, would it be possible to have a lead from shore/ship and just follow the same lead back to starting point?
Can be done but leads to way too many problems. Use a compass if not on a shipwreck. If in shallow water, pop to the top occasionally and take a bearing. If on a shipwreck with no viz, follow the edge and return the same way. If zero viz, do not wander in the wreckage (in the center of the wreck). If you get nervous while running a shipwreck edge, backtrack and find the up line. If diving a reef without a boat tracking you, always go up current and return with the current
1. Is it possible to be tied up with your buddy? maybe like a 3 -5 m lead. but for safety of each other.
We sometimes do this in black water river diving. Be sure to use elastic bungy. It must be elastic for obvious reasons. Use loops on the ends sized to easily pull off your arm. We use about 3m between divers.
2. Instead of total navigation, would it be possible to have a lead from shore/ship and just follow the same lead back to starting point?
Can be done but leads to way too many problems. Use a compass if not on a shipwreck. If in shallow water, pop to the top occasionally and take a bearing. If on a shipwreck with no viz, follow the edge and return the same way. If zero viz, do not wander in the wreckage (in the center of the wreck). If you get nervous while running a shipwreck edge, backtrack and find the up line. If diving a reef without a boat tracking you, always go up current and return with the current
The Finnish Divers federation still officially requires a lead between buddies if visibility is below something like 6m. It's not binding. The lead is about 2m, has a float secured at the middle and has big loose loops you use to make a loop around your wrist (easy to get off). You should hold the rope in your hand, but it's also around your wrist so you can't eaisily loose it.
We don't generally use them anymore, but it can be useful. I try to always keep one in my car because when you want one you really want it. It can help a green diver stay relaxed and focus on other skills when the vis is poor because he knows he can't eaisily loose his buddy (we may have nothing else but poor vis available for training) It can put the brakes on someone who thinks diving is a swim race; if SpeedyBoy won't slow down, just sit back and let the silly twit pull you around, it saves getting breathless and loosing the guy time and again. I also feel much better about a buddy rope if vis is poor and I'm paired with a green diver in the sea or over deep water. If something very bad should happen I've got no hope of finding anyone underwater in those conditions.
Many will be scandalized by the very idea of a buddy rope. The disadvantages and risks are obvious, PLEASE don't feel a need to tell me about them. I just mentioned it being in use and even officially recommended by some entity because I thought that would be new information.
Practising OOA situations with the help of a 3rd person can be a huge help in learning to maintain awareness and suitable proximity to your buddy. Have this third person occasionly give you/buddy an agreed "you are OOA"-signal. The signal means you must *immediately* (no extra breath) stop using (possibly even remove) your reg, find your buddy and start sharing air. The drill is worthwhile anyway but it will also teach you how far is too far and how seriously unpleasant "too far" can be.
Your original question was about getting lost underwater. You need to learn navigation by using a compass as well as other natural clues such as the terrain, the sun, the direction of the current. It's also a neat trick to occasionaly use the natural bottom to create a clue, such as stacking stones to know this is the very point where I turn and go up the wall to the boat. If conditions warrant it (black like the inside of a cow or vis below about 2m) I would tie off a reel or spool to the anchor line.
We don't generally use them anymore, but it can be useful. I try to always keep one in my car because when you want one you really want it. It can help a green diver stay relaxed and focus on other skills when the vis is poor because he knows he can't eaisily loose his buddy (we may have nothing else but poor vis available for training) It can put the brakes on someone who thinks diving is a swim race; if SpeedyBoy won't slow down, just sit back and let the silly twit pull you around, it saves getting breathless and loosing the guy time and again. I also feel much better about a buddy rope if vis is poor and I'm paired with a green diver in the sea or over deep water. If something very bad should happen I've got no hope of finding anyone underwater in those conditions.
Many will be scandalized by the very idea of a buddy rope. The disadvantages and risks are obvious, PLEASE don't feel a need to tell me about them. I just mentioned it being in use and even officially recommended by some entity because I thought that would be new information.
Practising OOA situations with the help of a 3rd person can be a huge help in learning to maintain awareness and suitable proximity to your buddy. Have this third person occasionly give you/buddy an agreed "you are OOA"-signal. The signal means you must *immediately* (no extra breath) stop using (possibly even remove) your reg, find your buddy and start sharing air. The drill is worthwhile anyway but it will also teach you how far is too far and how seriously unpleasant "too far" can be.
Your original question was about getting lost underwater. You need to learn navigation by using a compass as well as other natural clues such as the terrain, the sun, the direction of the current. It's also a neat trick to occasionaly use the natural bottom to create a clue, such as stacking stones to know this is the very point where I turn and go up the wall to the boat. If conditions warrant it (black like the inside of a cow or vis below about 2m) I would tie off a reel or spool to the anchor line.
This is why I'm a wreck diver...
There's a line in the water.
There's a boat tied to either end of the line.
If you get lost, follow the line in either direction.
If the boat at that end of the line is on the bottom, turn around and follow the line in the other direction.
Of course, if the boat on the OTHER end of the line is ALSO on the bottom... navigation is the least of your problems.
:d
There's a line in the water.
There's a boat tied to either end of the line.
If you get lost, follow the line in either direction.
If the boat at that end of the line is on the bottom, turn around and follow the line in the other direction.
Of course, if the boat on the OTHER end of the line is ALSO on the bottom... navigation is the least of your problems.
:d
Diving off NC your navigation job is to make it back to the anchor line. Compass is nice and I use it but some areas have scattered wreckage or other relief. The safest thing to do sometimes is to run a line. Running a line is something that you can practice in your local quarry or lake. Popping up to the surface from 80 plus ft with a surface current is a last resort, not something you do lightly. On the other hand popping up say 20 ft sometimes will give you a lot better viz.
Just remember when coming back along the line you should look up once in a while other wise you can run into the side of a 9 ft shark laying on the bottom. )-:
She did not mind but did take a minute for me to recover my sac rate.
Just remember when coming back along the line you should look up once in a while other wise you can run into the side of a 9 ft shark laying on the bottom. )-:
She did not mind but did take a minute for me to recover my sac rate.
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For "Not losing the boat" I recommend starting off slow, with easy dives where you can stay close to the boat and know where it is. For "finding the boat" when you're farther away than you can see, a navigation class would be helpful. Asking the boat crew can also be helpful. They know what the underwater topography looks like and can give you good hints on how to get find the boat when you come back. If you really can't find the boat, you can always surface and look for it, however this isn't really how you want to end every dive.
For "Not losing your buddy" I recommend working on your buddy skills, staying close and paying more attention to each other than to whatever stuff/critters you're seeing. If you do happen to lose your buddy, you should bot agree to follow the Lost Buddy procedure from your open water class. Remember "it takes two" to become separated. If either of you is paying attention, it can't happen. Since your buddy has your emergency gas, it's in your best interest to never be farther from your buddy than you can swim with no air in your lungs or tank.
flots.
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