Team ethos and recreational diving

[scubak]

I think you guys just gotta get on the same page...either you are doing a recreational dive, in which Peter gets to just dive or you, Lynne, go do a dive with your DIR buddies and control the whole dive...
Diving is a thing to enjoy and we all have our own level of enjoyment and commitment.
I like to do the "stringent" stuff but sometimes, like Peter, I just like to be a part of it all...the nuetral buoyancy, the quiet....
Evry dive is different....Bob, are you bringing a ref?
Kirsten

 

[Adobo]

It comes down to what the definition of "sticking with your buddy" and "communication" is -- my husband believes that, if the visibility is excellent, being within 20 feet or so is close enough, and if you lose sight of one another for 30 seconds or a minute, it's no big deal. So, just as lamont describes, I spend MY dive spinning around, looking for someone who has just decided to swim off after that big ray in exactly the opposite direction from the guide and the rest of the group . . .

From what I recall in the essentials class...
- the amount of accetable distance between you and your team mate (buddy) will depend on a lot of factors including the environmental conditions and the experience/comfort level of team members. Obviously, this is not the same as a team mate who behaves in an unpredictable fashion (swimming off without clearly communicating intent prior)

- initially, situational awareness will eat up quite of your brain power. As you and your team mates become more experienced both as individuals and as a team, less brain power will be required to maintain or even exceed the same level of situational awareness.

To me, taking the essentials class (or DIR fundamentals for that matter) to me is like ordering what a lot of people say is a really good meal at the restaurant. You pay for it, yes. Do you have to eat everthing on the plate? No. You can pick and choose what you want to consume. It would seem a shame for your hubby to shy away from instruction that could bring his diving to another level simply because the meal comes with a side of steamed broccoli (team mate monitoring) instead of his preferred fresh broccoli (buddy awareness).

(Note: I am not implying any relationship between 5thd-x's essentials class and DIR)

 

[TSandM]

Well, that sounds the death knell for Peter taking Essentials.

He hates broccoli in all manifestations

 

[Azza]

When my wife first started diving I had to curb my diving to a limited extent until we could both "read" each other underwater.
It takes a little time but is worth it in the end. My wife is my favourite dive partner now and I don't enjoy my dives as much when diving with others due to the fact that Katie and I work truly as a team, even without signals.

Just be patient with each other and it will all fall into place eventually.

 

[kidspot]

Getting back to question on clear water communication - Has anyone tried an underwater laser pointer? I don't know if that would show up more clearly than an HID midwater or not...

Tim

 

[TSandM]

Anybody MAKE an underwater laser pointer?

We do much better in our home waters, because I have shown Peter how well a bright light works to communicate, and we stay in much better touch that way. But in the Australian sunlight, it would have had be a laser to have been seen, I think.

 

[Halthron]

Anybody MAKE an underwater laser pointer?

Here's one (not a recommendation)
Naturally, LEDs and red lasers and red LEDs especially should be avoided.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

When my wife first started diving I had to curb my diving to a limited extent until we could both "read" each other underwater.
It takes a little time but is worth it in the end. My wife is my favourite dive partner now and I don't enjoy my dives as much when diving with others due to the fact that Katie and I work truly as a team, even without signals.

Just be patient with each other and it will all fall into place eventually.

Well said ... patience is the key to it all.

One doesn't have to be DIR to develop good communication skills ... but a buddy team does have to spend time working at it together.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[markfm]

I wonder how well the DIV635 actually works, to any distance -- that's the red diode...

Also "The switch may be turned on by the water pressure at 50 feet and deeper."

 

[Damselfish]

I had an UW laser pointer once (red but not the one linked.) It didn't show up well (in clear water) and stopped working in short order. Not to say they're all junk, but investigate before wasting money.