Responsibility to insta-buddy

[irishsquid]

...Crazy american divers think they can dawdle all they want.

Kinda like you wanting to dive the way you want to dive? Diving doesn't have to be a race. Dive Plan?

...I don't want to fall behind babysitting a photographer, then having to surface without a signalling device and risk getting hit by another boat...What you are talking about is fine when there is no current. The situation is different when there is boat traffic, rapid current, and only one mandated dive group.

Big reason TO HAVE one.

... You DID have an SMB ready to deploy, didn't you?

I thought that was fairly relevant myself. (Above)

It was in the boat
All right. You are all correct. If I had my d**m SMB, I would have been more likely to be a better buddy.

Good that you realize this.

..How many people are trained in deploying an SMB at depth? I would dare say none,...

NOT!

Not sure why all the photog bashing, some of my best dive buddies are avid photographers - it is not hard to keep track of each other, even when taking pics - provided you have adequate dive skills and situational awareness. I agree it you are not paying attention, you can get yourself into trouble, but this can happen with or without a camera...

So true!

...If the OP had that attitude, then he could comfortably have stayed with his photographer buddy, and the two of them could have discovered and enjoyed many cryptic critters one simply doesn't see by rushing past them (splendid toadfish, for example!)

Personally, I love diving with photographers, because they're happy to move slowly, which is the way I prefer to dive.

Couldn't agree more. Nice slow dive and most of the photogs I've been around tend to be experienced and find all the cool and neat things to see that I haven't got the eyes for yet.

...And yet we all stayed together and stuck to our dive plan. Why? ... because we decided to. How? ... by discussing the dive plan in advance of the dive and deciding to stick to it.

There are good buddies and bad buddies ... and which you will be is pretty much determined by your attitude. Nobody can be a decent dive buddy if all they care about is their own dive.

In order for ANY buddy pair to work, BOTH divers have to decide they want it to. Sounds to me like you decided before the dive even began that you didn't want to be this person's dive buddy ... in which case you should have said so. There are always other options. The worst option of all is to agree to do something you've already decided you don't want to do ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Very wise words.

I'm going to take this back to the original question for a moment.

Your responsibility to your dive buddy ... whether they are an instabuddy, a photographer, or not ... includes the following:

- Discuss and agree to a dive plan.
- Stick to the plan
- Begin and end the dive together
- Maintain contact and communication with each other during the dive
- Dive within the limits of your training and experience
- Provide assistance, if needed, during the dive

The responsibilities above should only be disregarded under the following circumstances:

- Your buddy decides, without your consent, to disregard the dive plan
- Your buddy is diving in a manner that is irresponsible or beyond your ability and/or training
- Your buddy does something that could place you in an unsafe situation (i.e. ascending too quickly)

If any of the above take place, you should attempt to communicate your concerns to your dive buddy, remedy the situation, and failing that, abort the dive.

The above responsibility and limitations should have nothing to do with either your prior experience with this dive buddy or their preferred style of diving. ...The most prudent decision is usually to either find another dive buddy or not do the dive.

Your safety and comfort level are not the responsibility of someone else ... you own them, and only you can decide what to do with them...

Never ... NEVER ... get in the water with someone you're uncomfortable diving with. Doing so is not their mistake ... it's yours.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

And there it is.

duude. why all the hate? first photographers now americans. who shoved the snorkel up your rear?

umm, can you try to focus on the message, and not flutter your feathers you crazy american male peacock stud, you. Stop picking a fight, will ya.
You are making the rest of us americans look bad and really whacko (not just crazy). sheez.

Huh? I though we were.

 

[irishsquid]

After reading my post, I just realized I'm an agreeable sort of fellow.

 

[RJP]

At least you got a body back. My situation like that we never saw the diver again. Ever.

For clarification, we were fortunate to be able to revive the woman. She was airlifted to U-Penn and is now fine. (I just never actually saw her again.)

 

[TSandM]

I've read too many stories that end that way.

Descents and ascents are the most unstable and potentially problematic parts of the dive. Never would I send someone up alone, even in clear water when I can see the boat. I have, once, sent two others up and remained in the water myself, awaiting the last buddy pair -- but in that case, I made a decision for MYSELF.

 

[diversteve]

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[scubadada]

I often travel and dive by myself. I dive solo whenever possible. Occasionally I find myself in circumstances where a buddy is required. I do my best proactively to line up a buddy with complementary experience and equipment (nitrox for instance). Using this strategy, I've dived with many perfectly good insta-buddies and made new friends. Occasionally, due to logistics, I've ended up with a new buddy on a more advanced dive who is quite inexperienced and otherwise mismatched. There have been many discussions on ScubaBoard concerning the AOW diver with 9 dives, none without an instructor.

So......I travel 1000 miles to Key Largo to dive on the Spiegel Grove and the Duane. It's one of those occasions when I'm paired with the only other single diver on the boat, a diver with little experience, few or no previous dives on the wreck, and diving air rather than nitrox. The dive plan discussed in great detail prior to the dive is that we will descend together, I will lead the dive and actively monitor air consumption and NDL, and if we end up with dramatically different gas or NDLs, I will lead my buddy back to the anchor line and watch him or her begin their ascent with more than sufficient gas for both the ascent and safety stop before finishing the dive myself. I make sure the plan is understood and accepted prior to the dive. I've successfully implemented this plan on numerous dives.

I fully realize I'm opening myself up to extensive criticism from many ScubaBoaders but also think many will relate to my compromise method to deal with the insta-buddy situation. I look forward to the discussion, maybe.

Happy New Year and good diving, Craig

I used to think this was a great approach, but had my eyes opened last year.

As a crew member on a local boat I meet lots of divers. Last year I met a woman who was "perfectly fine" when she was put on the anchor line by her buddy and sent up on her own. The way I met her was the interesting part.

The captain introduced us...when he yelled "HOLY S--T! RAY GET YOUR FINS ON! GET IN THE WATER! GET IN THE WATER!" as he was frantically pointing to something 25ft or so off the bow.

Took a moment to realize it was a diver on the surface, face down, drifting away in a decent current.

When I reached her I had to really struggle to get her righted, and found that she was completely unresponsive, blue as blueberry, regulator in place but not breathing, and foaming from her mouth. (As I write this - more than a year later - it still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and my heart race when I recall that image.)

Last time I ever saw this woman she was being hoisted off our deck in a basket lowered from a Coast Guard helicopter...



Seems her buddy laid out the same plan you describe above. Just like you, her buddy made "sure the plan was understood and accepted prior to the dive." You can imagine the confusion the "buddy with the plan" had when she climbed the ladder to find the buddy she sent up the line 10 minutes earlier...laying unconscious on the deck, cut out of her suit, receiving CPR.

Mike Tyson was once asked what he thought about the fact that his opponent in an upcoming bout claimed to have a plan to defeat him. Tyson's response was a classic quote that transcends boxing...applying to everything in life:

"Everyone has a plan... until they get punched in the face."

At least you got a body back. My situation like that we never saw the diver again. Ever.

For clarification, we were fortunate to be able to revive the woman. She was airlifted to U-Penn and is now fine. (I just never actually saw her again.)

I've read too many stories that end that way.

Descents and ascents are the most unstable and potentially problematic parts of the dive. Never would I send someone up alone, even in clear water when I can see the boat. I have, once, sent two others up and remained in the water myself, awaiting the last buddy pair -- but in that case, I made a decision for MYSELF.

My first choice is to dive with a buddy or buddies from among my family of 4 divers. When I travel alone, I prefer to dive alone. When required to dive with a new buddy, the match up often works out well. When the situation does not work well, I am loathe to give up half my bottom time to babysit an inexperienced diver. I believe my compromise plan is not unreasonable and consistent with individual responsibility for diving. The chastisement was not unexpected but came from divers in very different circumstances than the one I outlined. It's very easy to criticize from afar.

Good diving, Craig

 

[RJP]

My first choice is to dive with a buddy or buddies from among my family of 4 divers. When I travel alone, I prefer to dive alone. When required to dive with a new buddy, the match up often works out well. When the situation does not work well, I am loathe to give up half my bottom time to babysit an inexperienced diver. I believe my compromise plan is not unreasonable and consistent with individual responsibility for diving. The chastisement was not unexpected but came from divers in very different circumstances than the one I outlined. It's very easy to criticize from afar.

Good diving, Craig

Wasn't chastising or criticizing. Just pointing out why I came to revise my thinking on the "catch and release" approach to the buddy system. I'm with you, I'd prefer to be my own buddy in those situations.

 

[scubadada]

RJP,

As usual, your comments and experience are most appreciated. I did forget to mention that several of these less experienced divers have thanked me for assisting on the descent, guiding them on a fun and safe dive, and returning them to the ascent line for an uneventful end to an educational experience. I would like to hope most of these divers were better off for the experience and became more independent divers.

Good diving, Craig

 

[doctormike]

OK, plenty has been said here, and I don't want to rehash it. But as a fat American photographer, here's a tip for those of you who might get stuck with one of us someday:

The most important thing to note before agreeing to dive with one of us is the FOCAL LENGTH OF THE LENS..!

If it's a wide angle, then buddy up, you will get a bunch of cool photos of yourself diving. Everyone loves those, right? Gotta have divers in the shot, otherwise you can't see how big the whale shark was...

If it's a macro lens, just clip him or her to the anchor at the beginning of the dive, go do your sprint around the reef, and then unclip your buddy when you get back and it's time to go home. We probably won't even notice that you were gone...



Mike

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Oh Mike ... thank you so much for putting this whole discussion into its proper perspective.

I truly needed that ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)