Threesome instead of buddies?

[Thrillhouse]

Two friends and I are going diving this weekend and I'm wondering what advice I can get on diving with the three of us rather than in pairs. I've noticed quite a few posts here before saying it's possible (and it seems like small enough number to have a good time and be conscious of one another) but I'm sure it brings additional concerns.

Any suggestions?

 

[spectrum]

You will dive as a team. Someone needs to lead. A follower wants to be on each side so the leader can find each with a glance. You don't want to be more than 1/2 of a diver length behind the leader otherwise (s)he will go through hell keeping track of you.

If the visibility is poor, like less than 5 feet it becomes very difficult unless everyone sticks to the method. I called a dive one time after getting tired of playing "where's waldo".

Pete

 

[snepdiver]

I dive in a group of three a lot. The procedure that Spectrum describes is what we do. But like he said, You have to follow the procedure closely or it is a mess. Some divers are good at it and some are not. I was not at first and I got SCHOOLED on it myself. We are usually in 20 ft visibility or better so it is not too tough.

 

[PePaw]

My wife, daughter and myself dive as a threesome often. No problems, just be aware of each other at all times. It works out great for us because us males use air faster than the females. When it's time for me to ascend and do my safety stop, they buddy up and continue their dive.

 

[Doc]

3 really great answers so far.

For those who may not be understanding the issue, the OP is saying that it is easy to watch your buddy, but as we get distracted with the view, isn't #2 keeping an eye on #3 while I'm busy looking at this cute little fish?

An analogy: If it's eveyone's job to feed the :lilbunny: cat, she will mosty likely go hungry.

If the viz sucks that badly, I pull 20' of 3mm perlon line out of my pocket and hand each wingman a looped end around their wrist. I play intermediary in the middle of the line.

 

[Blackwood]

FWIW, so long as the team has appreciable team and environmental awareness, I prefer a team of three.

Having an additional member to share tasks, especially during an emergency, is nice. Much more than three becomes cumbersome.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

FWIW, I prefer a team of three to a team of two or four.

I do too, but as was noted above, it has to be the right team.

When I was first diving with my two sons we would head out as a threesome, and ultimately one would meander off left, the other meander to the right, and I was trying to herd cats figuring out which one to trail after first. It can be a nightmare, especially in low vis.

The trick is to impress upon all three divers the importance of each maintaining awareness of the other two.

That said, there are substantial real-world advantages of diving in threesomes. If one diver is stricken or has an issue, a second diver can remain with the first, while the third goes for help. For any sort of serious diving I much prefer a team of three to a buddy pair.

YMMV.

 

[TSandM]

Given where you are diving, the biggest piece of advice I have is to make sure all three of you have good, high intensity dive lights. Lights enormously facilitate communication among the members of a team, and make a diver who may have gotten a little bit away from the other two MUCH easier to spot.

Teams of three work well if all three divers are committed to keeping the team together. This involves frequent (every 15 to 20 seconds) visual checks on the other team members (which can be as simple as assuring yourself that you can see their lights). When you are diving a wall structure, it's not reasonable to stay wing-on-wing all the time, because the guy on the outside doesn't get to see much. Moving into a single file formation is fine, but you have to stay even closer, and keep the lights out in front of you.

It's very doable, and as Spectrum points out, increases the resources available to the team, but it requires some discipline.

 

[aubie85]

It seems that there are many great things that occur in 3's, lol. I think it is an excellant idea. Just be sure that the group moves no faster than the slowest swimmer just as you would with a buddy. Like 'Spectrum' said, have the leader swim in-beween the other divers.

 

[mislav]

... there are substantial real-world advantages of diving in threesomes. If one diver is stricken or has an issue, a second diver can remain with the first, while the third goes for help. For any sort of serious diving I much prefer a team of three to a buddy pair.

Completely agree, which is why I also prefer diving in threesomes. Getting the right team together is not an easy task though.