Saving Myself from my Buddy

[JMdiver]

Well I'm not DIR and someone correct me if I'm wrong but don't they "encourage" 3 man buddy teams? So this guy that didn't want to dive with you and your husband as a third buddy definitely sounds fishy to me too.

As far as insta buddies are concerned I cringe at the thought of being paired up with one but sometimes I have no other choice. If I'm traveling alone and they have a "no solo" diving rule then I'm forced to be someones' insta buddy and they mine or not dive. I usually end up with someone who thinks they're in a race or something and never sees half the critters they swim over while sucking up most of their air. One guy missed a "huge" Nurse Shark right underneath him and looked annoyed when I pulled on his leg to point it out to him. I had to point at it 3 or 4 times till he finally saw it.

I never ask what their certification level is (I've seen too many accelerated course DMs) but rather "how many dives" they have and how they are on air. Then I usally ask them where they have been diving and by then I usually have a good feel for what kind of dive it"s going to be.

I was really fortunate this last time I had to be an insta buddy and got paired up with a guy from England who had about the same number of dives as I have and as I found out later was also a DM and Tech Certified. So he was a little (read alot) better diver than I am but more importantly our air consumptions matched. We were in the Keys doing a couple of the popular wreck dives which have some depth so we were able to maximise our bottom time. We dove together for 2 days and I have to say he was the best insta buddy I ever had.

So my advise is don't turn down a diver in need right away (hey, it might be me) until you feel them out. It's they who are joining you so if they're not agreeable to the dive plan just tell them thanks but no thanks.

Great advise Jim.

John

 

[diverdiver]

Thanks to everyone for your insight, observations and advice. To answer the one question that seems to keep popping up...I gave up my buddy because I got complacent. We normally travel with a group of very experienced divers and we all tend to take at least 2 to 3 dive trips per year. I got very used to diving with highly skilled individuals and I let that feeling of security spill over into a situation where I never should have allowed it to.

Believe me, when I told that story to my normal dive group they chewed my butt pretty good. I made this post for two reasons. One, I figured you all would do a pretty good job of pointing out my biggest mistakes and really drive the point home. Two, if anyone else can learn something from my stupid decision, then this post was well worth it.

Thanks again!

 

[Bubblehead Baby]

DD, I cringed when I read what this insta-buddy did to you! What a jerk! And so scary!!

I have always been encouraged by my husband to dive with "random" buddies so that I don't become too reliant on him, which is definitely a valid point, but stories like this reinforce my view that I'd much rather dive with my hubby! I'm about to do a solo diver course so then hopefully it's either hubby or myself I have to rely on!

Very glad to hear you came out of this in one piece, thank you for sharing!

 

[Riger]

Wow ....

This is most interesting reading. My best buddy (Wifey) and I only have 15 dives each, including those from the OW course. Thus far we have done all our dives together and we will probably do most of our future diving together, but I expect there will be an occasion or two where we are going to have to take on an insta-buddy or drop a dive opportunity.

I'd say that based on this reading, we might be better of doing the occasional dive with other buddies in order to become accustomed to the various differences one might experience. At least that way one is prepared for the "shockers".

It also seems that one should always be prepared to (given reasonable justification) thumb the dive and be prepared to do a solo ascent and exit if the envelope of comfort/safety is being pushed.

Thank you all or the excellent input in this thread. If nothing else, it is a serious eye opener for us Scuub Nuub's.

Best Regards
Richard (Riger)

 

[japan-diver]

Now maybe its different in the Carribian and US but at our shop and the numereous resorts I have worked at or for in Asia if a single/buddiless diver shows up he/she can dive with the DM as a buddy at no extra cost - no reason to go with an insta-buddy of unknown caliber. If you are traveling alone to dive contact the shop/resort you are going to dive with and you might find that this service is readily available for you. Although I realize that all DM's/Guides are not created equal most are better than the one described by the OP.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

However, being put in your position it would be hard to NOT rabbit punch him (sorry Ber) during the initial ascent.

LOL! No offense, rabbits retaliate when attacked That dude might have been nursing a broken nose on his way to the surface if he'd grabbed me like that.

To answer the one question that seems to keep popping up...I gave up my buddy because I got complacent. We normally travel with a group of very experienced divers and we all tend to take at least 2 to 3 dive trips per year. I got very used to diving with highly skilled individuals and I let that feeling of security spill over into a situation where I never should have allowed it to.

It's amazing how easy it is to become complacent when you're used to diving with familiar buddies, my husband and I were discussing that not long ago. He pointed out we've gotten a little lax on our pre-dive checks when we dive together because we ASSUME we know what each other will do in an emergency, etc. I can't remember the last time we did a complete simulated air share on the deck during a buddy check. I tend to be more cautious with divers I don't know but when I know it's an easy dive I can get a little lax; stuff can go wrong on those dives too though.

There's a new book out called "Scuba Diving Safety" by Dan Orr and Eric Douglas. That's what got hubby and I talking about what we do when we dive vs how buddy checks are enforced both on the surface and in the water with my OW students. Realizing we're becoming complacent is the first step to preventing accidents.
Ber :lilbunny: