staying together??

[Dive Ranger]

Just finished my PADI AOW in a old rock quarry. This quarry has pretty bad viz,( 3-6ft avg,) (more if no one stirs stuff up ) but it is the best thing going with in hours of home. In my AOW cert class, one of the fellow students loved skimming the bottom and making the viz "ZERO" . Well it was only three of us and I've found that three is a crowd with the buddy system. very hard to keep track of two buddies. Any ways, during the dive, the bottom skimmer wanted to link together with a "carabiner"(sorry about spelling) and a rope. I've thought about staying together holding a rope, but didn't want to be like mountain climber with a difficult clip to disconnect if needed. This guys seems like a nice fellow, but a knuckle head diver and I just met him that weekend. Anyways, I have a 13yr old son that just got his OW cert this summer and he's a great kid with a good head on his sholders, but it scares me to death to have him more then a arm length or two away from me. He's new to diving, he's young and I've never dove with someone that ment as much to me as my son (no offence ment to any and all my dive buddies) Just wondering if anyone tethers together during dives, sorry the questions was so long winded

Thanks

 

[Madcows]

My 16 year old son and I got certified at the same time about a year ago in our local quarry. Tis summer we did our first ocean dive off the coast of gulf shores. It was just a shore dive and vis was about 5-8' so I just used my jon line to connect us together. My line is about 12' of 1" nylon webbing. It worked great for us and allowed me to dive without worrying about losing him. I don't think I would b willing to tether to an insta-buddy though.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Don't use a tether. It presents an entanglement hazard. It's an equipment solution to a skills issue.

Rather than spending money on a tether, save up your pennies to take a rescue class. Being rescue- and CPR-certified will serve you better when diving with a loved one. It will give you more confidence on your normal, uneventful dives...and will give you a fighting chance if some unexpected problem happens to arise.

Good buddy diving requires a commitment by all members of a buddy team to stay together. Environmental/vis conditions and the comfort level of all those involved will determine the appropriate buddy separation distance. FWIW, I have conducted some dives where I felt touch contact was necessary. Don't be ashamed to revert to holding hands/arms if that's what it takes.

The buddy system works great with a 3-person team. In fact, there are some compelling arguments that some would say make it safer (vs. a conventional 2-person team). In zero vis conditions, the threesome needs to dive shoulder to shoulder with both divers on the outside maintaining touch contact with the buddy in the middle.

 

[TSandM]

I did one of my certification dives while holding a light which was on a spiral, stretch lanyard clipped to my instructor. Viz was horrible, and having that connection gave me a great deal of comfort. Had we gotten entangled, I could have dropped the light, and if necessary, he could have unclipped his end.

In anything less than zero viz, though, it's possible to stay together without tying yourselves together. It takes discipline, good buoyancy and positional control, and a lot of awareness. Good, bright lights help a lot. I have done a dive with *dave* here on SB, where the two of us dove shoulder-to-shoulder (quite literally bumping one another regularly) as we searched downward for clear water (which we never found). It can get stressful, trying to keep three people together in viz like that, but nowadays, my view is that if I can't find better viz, it's time to go out to lunch.

 

[Dive Ranger]

good advice, I understand the need to get everyone on the same program and working as one. I guess that comes with time and practice- with the above case, Just met the fellow, most likely will never dive with him again. I've notice that with every issue I've encountered its an issue of planning and working out details etc.- Yes rescue diver is next on the list. planning on the EFR cource next month since for me, the diveing season is over for me til spring. I find no joy in freeze my butt off, , thats for the comments

Don't use a tether. It presents an entanglement hazard. It's an equipment solution to a skills issue.

Rather than spending money on a tether, save up your pennies to take a rescue class. Being rescue- and CPR-certified will serve you better when diving with a loved one. It will give you more confidence on your normal, uneventful dives...and will give you a fighting chance if some unexpected problem happens to arise.

Good buddy diving requires a commitment by all members of a buddy team to stay together. Environmental/vis conditions and the comfort level of all those involved will determine the appropriate buddy separation distance. FWIW, I have conducted some dives where I felt touch contact was necessary. Don't be ashamed to revert to holding hands/arms if that's what it takes.

The buddy system works great with a 3-person team. In fact, there are some compelling arguments that some would say make it safer (vs. a conventional 2-person team). In zero vis conditions, the threesome needs to dive shoulder to shoulder with both divers on the outside maintaining touch contact with the buddy in the middle.

 

[aquaregia]

If you're worried about it, just hold hands. Or a hand on a shoulder.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

good advice, I understand the need to get everyone on the same program and working as one. I guess that comes with time and practice- with the above case, Just met the fellow, most likely will never dive with him again. I've notice that with every issue I've encountered its an issue of planning and working out details etc.- Yes rescue diver is next on the list. planning on the EFR cource next month since for me, the diveing season is over for me til spring. I find no joy in freeze my butt off, , thats for the comments

Bingo. Most problems can be avoided even before the buddy team hits the water. With dives involving insta-buddies, success of the dive is predicated on pre-dive planning.

When I first got certified, my pre-dive conversation with a new-to-me buddy was very short -- essentially consisting of just personal introductions, a vague description of the dive site, and a quick-and-dirty buddy check. As I've become more experienced, the pre-dive conversation has become more comprehensive. I also like to have the luxury of keeping an eye on the insta-buddy as he/she assembles his/her gear. You'd be surprised how many people skip over critical elements of the pre-dive check. From experience, I've found that carelessness before the dive correlates well with carelessness during the dive.

Something else to keep in mind is that, when you dive with your son, you are setting an example. Whether you realize it or not, you are modeling how a conscientious dive buddy should conduct himself. You should also be giving him practice diving as an independently-minded, assertive dive buddy. He'll be taking all of these "lessons" with him when he goes diving without you.

If you aren't already CPR-certified, there's no reason to put that off over the winter months. Make sure you take a class that teaches both chest compressions and rescue-breathing. Hands-only CPR is good and quite popular nowadays, but it isn't the preferred CPR method in scuba settings.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

But back to the original question. I prefer a buddy team of 2, but sometimes a threesome is dictated by the numbers. In low visibility, we will use a buddy cord. If you use one, it's a simple lime of rope, about 3 feet long with a knot tied in each end. I suggest you hold it, not clip it on. (the ultimate easy release- letting go) If there are three in the group, a 6 foot long cord, knotted at each end with a knot in the middle is what I use, each diver holding the rope. When vis is so low that a cord is appropriate, no one is likely to be taking pictures or needing two free hands until the ascent. If there are two divers in low vis, hand holding is a good idea. My wife and I held hand through her first 40 or so dives, in all visibility conditions, including 100 feet plus. As she got more comfortable, and as we got more comfortable diving with each other, we developed a "fingertip reach habit which we follow on every dive,unless I forget when taking a video of a moving object. Even then , Debbie is great at staying close.
If I have to find a dive buddy, I am a nut about talking, learning what we can about eadch other's experience, last dive, experience in the conditions we are in, and purpose of the dive. I stress buddy proximity. I have good response. I do not command or direct them pre-dive, but I do guide the conversation, and close it with emphasis on following the planned profile, staying close, and communicating often. The DM in me emerges even when not officially "working" and I will check on them- location, air , etc. and invite them to do the same toward me. It works out almost all the time.
DivemasterDennis

 

[BabyDuck]

nice discussion, and i'm glad it's got you thinking, op, especially since your buddy right now is someone you love a bunch.

*but* - the easiest thing would have been to stay off the bottom, use non-silting propulsion, and tell mr rototiller to clean up his act or find another buddy.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

While I tend to advocate developing buddy skills that don't require a buddy line, for the new diver such a line can be a useful tool ... if it's used properly. If you are going to use one, here are some things to consider.

- Use bungee ... it tends to be more "buoyancy compensating" than rope, and because it stretches it gives you a small degree of freedom.
- Put loops in both ends, and hold the loop in the palm of your hand ... where you can let go if an entanglement occurs.
- Limit the length to no more than about six feet.
- When swimming with it, keep a slight tension on the line.

I would avoid 3-person teams in low visibility. Don't clip anything to your body or equipment ... you need to have the ability to disengage quickly and easily in case of entanglement.

Swim slowly ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)