Two's company - three's a crowd

[neilstewart]

Guys,

Thanks for the input since the last message, but "burden of a 3rd diver" ??? this is completely the point, if you think it a burden don't bloody do it. INST and DM, lets call them SFUMOAICCMOT (translations available privately) were unable to communicate with anybody.

Both were of the opinion the no diver shall travel and dive unless accompanied by there own buddy. Of course us single divers are jealous of you partners in water partners in life type people but and I phrase from the original letter " Sinlge travellers should get a life and not trouble us well adjusted folk with your shortfalls"

See the reaction?? I like to think I bring something to the party with whoever I dive with when travelling, yes I agree with all previous mail, good comunication between a 3 is essential, just as a good planning between a 2 new to each other is required whilst on vacation. The trouble with this letter is both could not see past their own innsular pleasure, so innsular that they could not communicate anything to anybody, is there not great satisfaction in helping/developing a less experienced diver, I think so.

Is there anyone on the board who would not under any circumstances be trebbled and would just sit there and say nothing, I don't think so.

The thing that provoked the most reaction is that "Diver magazine" made this their letter of the week and actually sent the guy a prize.

P.S. I'm prepared to fish the article out and post word for word so you actually get to compare with my, lets face it, pretty biased view.

Neil

 

[Jonathan]

I thought there might have been more to it. I just wonder if they were the couple on my first diving holiday - a husband and wife AI and DM who thought they were the dogs! Whilst on the holiday the husband (the AI) invited us all for drinks to celebrate his 100th dive - scary stuff.

One of the things that got me into diving in the first place was that most holidays catered for single travellers - i.e. no single supplements. The holidays I have been on the guides have sorted out buddy teams and on occaision 3 but if anyone objected always took the "odd man".

It's a bizarre world out there....

Jonathan

 

[jmsdiver]

Threesomes.....? Intriguing thought

The only time that I DIVE in a group bigger than 2 is when the diving styles and experiences are all very similar. For example, in Cozzy, we had a group of many, like two Rescue certs, three DMs, 2 Instructors, and all had been diving together for several years. No problem in a large group then. I also dive with my family as a group versus a buddy team. But to be buddied in a group bigger than a pair with divers I don't know: Forget it!!! That's a recipe for disaster.

Cheers

 

[Moondiver]

There are six possible configurations for the placement of three people and only one for a pair. The third person just creates too many possibilities for bad things to happen. I've dived with three only once and based on that experience will never do it again.
Dive safe and often.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Was reviewing my NAUI Standards and Policies manual just to double check the numbers for OW checkout dives. The OW section states that one instructor can have 8 students per group without any active status assistants. One active status assistant takes the number to 10 students per group and 2 assistants takes the number to 12 per group (basically one buddy pair per assistant with the instructor keeping tabs on 4 (FOUR!) buddy pairs). Naturally these numbers "apply to ideal conditions and shall be decreased whenever water conditions" etc. dictate.

We never take more than 4 divers with a solo instructor during our OW check-outs and many times we keep the number at 1 buddy pair for each assistant or instructor. Of course diving in Ohio means our students get to see zero visibility at some point during their check-outs so only having to keep track of one buddy pair each makes our lives easier. Even when we do check-outs at Ginnie Springs and Crystal River we don't put more than 3 buddy pairs with an instructor/AI team. Too many people to keep track of, especially if something goes wrong.

Texas Mike is right on the money with his assessment of what is needed to work as a threesome. I only dive a threesome for pleasure with divers I know and a 3 actually came in handy when my weight belt came off one dive. I flared and grabbed the buddy on my left, dragging him to the surface by his regulator (OOPS!) while buddy #2 saw what happened and retrieved my weight belt from the muck of the shallow lake before following us to the surface.

Ber