Team ethos and recreational diving

[Tollie]

We dive here in water that regularly provides visibility in the 100-foot plus range. Before I take tours into the water I caution our guests against being seduced by the visibility. Just because you can see your buddy does not mean that he or she can see you or is even looking in your direction. Unless the team maintains an awareness of one another an OOA or any other kind of problem can turn a great day into a difficult one.

Just try this little experiment. Two divers in a one lead, one follow position… give yourself 25 feet of distance. Have the following buddy try to catch up to the leading buddy who continues to swim. Guess what… its not going to happen any time soon. OOA your looking at a CESA. Tank strap slip… your struggling with loose tank. Burst o-ring… a scary few seconds trying to sort out what happened followed by a CESA. How about struggling until your buddy realizes you are not around with fin that was kicked off due to a strap break.

Peter Guy… if you are TS&M’s husband and her buddy you need to drop back and learn from her. Diving is great as long as everything is going 100% When it doesn’t you need your buddy. Heck lets say you two want to go see underwater attraction X… how will you do it? Both navigate… or share the responsibilities with one using the compass and one monitoring depth and natural signs.

DIR concepts of team are absolutely useful in a recreational environment. The difference is that in a recreational environment we have access to the surface via the CESA when our Tech brethren absolutely positively must sort out the problem underwater.

We are all free to dive the way we want but frankly I would not want to dive with a guy who is solely into “enjoy the feelings, sights and sounds of the environment of the rest of the planet” with out regard for the person they were diving with.

Here is a hint… I think TS&M has let you know your not much fun for her to dive with.

 

[mart1]

And yes, this is to some extent a husband and wife issue, but what are you going to do when your default dive buddy is your spouse?

I know....................:05:
But seriously, this is why many instructors will separate couples during courses.
On the other hand, I have been diving with my spouse for 20 years. Tomorrow I will leave for my first "single" cave diving trip after more than 10 together and I am not sure I like it. I am very sure she does not like it!

ciao, mart

 

[Halthron]

In the dives we just finished, I can't think of any time when either of us were more than 15 seconds swim time away from at least one other person in the group

Would that be 15 seconds from where the closest person is, or 15 seconds from where the closest person would be if you had to swim to them, assuming they took off in the other direction to chase soemthing interesting? Murphy multitasks very well, it's entirely possible for someone to go out of air at the same moment their inattentive buddy goes chasing something interesting.

 

[piikki]

So that didn’t sound like a fun dive: One wanted a team, one barely wanted to buddy up :/ Sounds like you splashed from the same platform but barely shared a dive plan : )

I would not expand a team/buddy concept to the DM/other people in your group. The general guideline how the dive was to be conducted, and ‘buddies possibly swapped’ sounds nothing short of scary to me – did you even know the rest of the group? Did you agree to go hunt for air from anybody if need be? (Peter’s clause number 4). Certainly not a good environment to convert any reluctant souls looking into team diving concepts IMHO!

People have already thrown a few good ideas into the pot – I think a few words popped up from your original post. The main ones seemed to hover around security/blissful enjoyment (as if!) and how to balance those for both of you when you obviously have different views about some issues. Also contact vs lack of it vs trying maybe desperately (?) maximize contact (I really don’t know, just trying to see it from Peter’s point of view too). I know that I would totally freak out if my bud was gone for 15 sec, let alone a minute – and I know I have been torn when following an instructor and seeing buddy pulling another way (authority/security issues, I guess).

Communication and refusal thereof would be the thing, I’d worry most about. If you can’t agree a plan, so that both of you can dive without feeling overwhelmed by own/other’s needs (eg to stay close and safe, to feel free) maybe you just weren’t meant to be a team at this point. Like mentioned, sometimes partners aren’t the best buddies and especially not the best teachers for each others (nothing wrong offering great opportunities but pushing… I dunno). I don’t know how long Peter’s been diving - maybe he’s used to you being very unclingy, and can’t take it that you want more proximity in diving ; ) Or maybe you are dirring so excessively at the moment, he cannot risk taking a point from you knowing the wheels start turning…
:O

 

[lamont]

So, I was thinking about this a bit more today, and I think that what Team diving offers recreational diving is:

- You can still see at least just as much
- You stay together
- You have a second set of eyes so that you'll often see more (particularly with Bob)
- You always have a second air supply, for OOAs
- You have a set of eyes on you in case anything else other than an OOA happens

I guarantee you that if you do a dive with Bob and just pay attention to him the entire dive and entirely take your cues from him that you'll see way more. If you just step that down to the point where you can be looking around yourself, but you're aware of what Bob is looking at, and able to respond if he signals you to check something out, then you've got both your own eyes *and* a spotter on your team. And if you can instantly respond when Bob signals "come over here and check out this warbonnet" you can also repond if Bob signals OOA or other distress.

 

[JimC]

It was a long and hard road for me. My wife wanted nothing to do with much other than poking around under water. I wanted the "perfect DIR Teammate".

We almost ended up never diving together at one point. Most of the giving came from me letting stuff slide, but after a few hundred dives together I can honestly say she is a great diver with good awarness. It was a long road, but were finaly on the same page.

You have 2 options I see:
1) Find some common ground and in time, perhaps you'll both have what you want.
2) Stop diving together.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Lynne ...Peter ...

Thursday ???

Cove 2 ???

We can talk about it and work on it ... but only if you agree to relax and have fun in the process ... :browsmile

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[vladimir]

Peter, you lost this argument as soon as you agreed to let the ScubaBoard arbitrate. Don't let Lynne pick the marriage counselor.

 

[TSandM]

Don't let Lynne pick the marriage counselor.

Notice I put this in the DIR forum, where everybody would agree with ME

Lamont, Bob is largely responsible for this whole problem, by setting such an example of what an excellent dive buddy can be like!

Bob, Peter and I were going to dive there Thursday anyway . . . we'll probably go early and get one dive in before you get there. We promise to try to have fun.

 

[jeckyll]

Good luck TSandM & Peter, hope you find a happy middle ground.

Bjorn