Threesomes - yea or nay? And why?

[TSandM]

When I first learned to dive, I did a few dives as a threesome (I won't call it a "team" of three) and I HATED them. We were diving in typical Seattle summer visibility, which is about ten feet, and what that meant was that, if ALL three divers weren't frequently checking on the whereabouts of the rest, it was very easy to get separated enough not to be able to see one another. I would see one diver start to swim off -- without signaling anybody, and without looking around -- and I would try to follow that person (without signaling, but with frantic looking around) and get anxious because I was leaving diver #3 behind . . . we lost people in the murk, and I spent my whole dives with my head on a swivel, trying to keep track of everybody. I eventually said, "No more threesomes."

Contrast that with today, where I probably do more than half my dives as a TEAM of three. What's different? First off, all three divers have keeping the team together as one of their highest priorities. That means frequent checking on one another's whereabouts, but it also means that if someone is going to move off, they'll signal and make sure all three divers are aware of the intent. That also comes from electing a team leader, so that there is ONE person making the navigational decisions (although they can always be negotiated). You know which of the other two is the MOST important to watch, because he's the one who is setting the pace. In addition, we all use strong, focused lights for communication. This means not just active signaling, but passive communication -- if I can see my buddies' lights moving curiously around, I know they are near me and they are well. (I use photographer's strobes the same way -- if Peter is flashing, he's happy AND he's staying put!)

So, the same dive organization can come out very differently, depending on the pre-dive communication, the prioritization, the equipment, and the divers' skills. I would always rather be in a team of three, because the reserve gas (and redundancy in general) is greater. You also have three sets of eyes looking for cool stuff! But it does take a little planning and execution to make it work comfortably.

 

[DaleC]

I can relate to Lynne's initial experiences. To me, the key to larger groups working is everyone being on the same page. It is very easy for two divers to feel they are maintaining contact while a third slips away. It's easy for each to think "I see someone" without either realizing neither sees the third. With a two man team you know "I don't see someone".

That being said, I like the idea of three person teams when diving with a dedicated photographer. That way, the two non shooters can maintain contact with each other and the shooter while the shooter ignores them (just sayin). Better than a shooter ignoring a lone diver.

Of course, no one here would ever ignore their buddy - I'm talking about those other guys

 

[James R]

My preferred threesome: me, my gf, and my camera

 

[Tom Winters]

I was part of a quattuordectet once - 13 Japanese intro divers and me. I briefed 'em, practiced em', tied 'em all to a waterski rope so I wouldn't lose anyone, and then I dragged them all down one of the reef in Kaneohe Bay and back again. I listened to the line to make sure everyone was ok. The only problem is that doing large groups of Japanese intro divers brought up the problem of anti-kicking. It's not that they didn't kick - it was that they all kicked in different offsetting directions. So it was dragging a ton of mass through the water column. The turn was really tough.
I only did that once. The most I would ever dive with was eight since I could arrange them all over my body for the tour - two on each bicep, two on my forearms, and holding hands with two - usually guys since they were so unathletic. I could have the best two swim underneath me so I could watch them. They had to be relatively competent because I couldn't move too much or speed up to catch a sprinter. A lot of western guys couldn't do the Japanese or Chinese divers because they couldn't hold hands with guys. I guess they had some ah, underlying is-si-yews.
Ok, I ruined yet another responsible discussion... but I don't like diving with three people. Then again, I went for years just diving solo and absolutely loathing the moron I was diving with.

 

[Steve_C]

i do a lot of diving with instabuddies not part of any dive club and not on guided dives. Threesomes are ok. Rule is that at any given time there is a designated lead and we have agreed on goals. Often I am lead. Then I tell the other two they are a buddy pair. We have some special hand signals. One is the guide (or another diver) is shifting from guide/follower to photographer, poker around. That means we are to stay as a group in a fixed location (fixed depending on viz) while somebody takes a couple minutes to do something. Then we regroup and continue on.

Exceptions to this are when I am say doing a 100 ft dive off the coast of NC and the instabuddy has an AL80 of air while I have an HP 100 of 30%. These I don't do unless the diver is either an experienced female diver or somebody else with a great SAC rate AND they are diving an oceanic or similar aggressive computer.

For NC dives in good conditions with experienced divers, divers will sometimes make arrangements ahead that if one wants to go up a bit earlier they can do some by themselves if they are comfortable with it and the ascent is not being made for health or other problem reasons. These are all folks comfortable with solo diving and in a solo configuration. Not something you do with less experienced divers. Not recommending it but it is done some when conditions are benign.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I have done many threesomes. Some good (my 2 sons), some really bad ( boat assignments).

Its mostly communications. The more people involved, the more it breaks down unless you have you **** together. Plain and simple you need a plan and a leader on a group dive. A buddy team benefits from the same, but it is not as critical. One strong diver can make up for a yahoo on a buddy team.

 

[boulderjohn]

Since those protocols and procedures weren't covered in my training (PADI OW & AOW), where can I find info on them? Except for the designation of center diver/navigator, what's different from a two-person team?

PADI is making a lot of revisions to the OW course starting in 2014. Three person buddy teams will be taught.

 

[Colliam7]

WHY would you willingly accept a third diver with a much, much smaller tank on a deep dive and be surprised when he runs low? Wouldn't you discuss this before splashing and tell him he is going up alone.. or tell your son that you are both probably going up early?

In that case, inexperience on my part, or at least a failure to anticipate contingencies. The cylinders being used by other divers on the boat varied, and this individual was not the only one using AL80s. We already anticipated that he would be ready to ascend before us, and the plan was that he would go up alone. He just blew through his gas very quickly. When I said we had plenty of gas at the point he hit 500, we still had almost 3000. The agreed upon turn pressure was 1000 - at that point he would signal us, and make his way to the ascent line (pretty easy, when the wreck is so small), and would go up ahead of us. So, the situation was one where he had failed to note (and alert us) that he had hit 1000, he had gone through ~60 cf in a time when we had gone through ~20. While I had originally had no problem with him ascending ahead of us, I made a call on the spot to go up with him. Because his gas usage was so rapid I didn't know what to expect on his ascent. The plan was for my son and I to ascend together, which is why he didn't stay down.

 

[Ste Wart]

Nay.

If you are persons 1 or 3 in the team you're job is easy, watch the guy in front or behind. If you are Number two, then you have to link 1 and 3 which is a PITA. Preference is for a two-person dive team. Although frequently I don't have this option.

 

[Storker]

If you are persons 1 or 3 in the team you're job is easy, watch the guy in front or behind. If you are Number two, then you have to link 1 and 3 which is a PITA.

Since I never do penetration dives, I normally look neither in front of me nor behind me for my buddy/ies. I look to my sides, 'cause we're swimming more or less side by side. Makes buddy contact a mite easier. And if my buddy/ies excercise proper buddy contact, it's the guys on the side who bear the bulk of the responsibility for keeping contact, for the obvious reason you've just pointed out.