Want to Dive...Can't Find Dive Buddy...Etiquette on Third Wheel-ing it?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Maybe ask your local shop if they have a 'buddy board'... If they don't, ask if you can grab a $10 Cork board to hang in a high visibility spot in the shop. A shop local to me did this, and in casually looking at it there are several people requesting local dive buddies...

**Edited... although it's a long drive, you could also head south, 12 hours to West Palm (Blue Heron Bridge), 13 Hours to Ft. Lauderdale, or 14 hours to Key Largo. Maybe combine a 3 day holiday weekend with a day or two of vacation time and enjoy a 4-5 day dive weekend...
 
My 50-50 number is not based on my personal experience. It is based on reported research and surveys. Don't let one jerk determine your outlook on life!

I don’t. That was just one example that comes to mind.

That survey...50% of people BELIEVE that they go with the flow. I wonder how many narcissistic sociopaths picked that option.:rofl3: No...not kidding on that.
 
I don’t. That was just one example that comes to mind.

That survey...50% of people BELIEVE that they go with the flow. I wonder how many narcissistic sociopaths picked that option.:rofl3: No...not kidding on that.
LOL. You may want to stay away from that kind of conversation and remark if you want to find a dive buddy.
 
I once was supposed to meet with a bunch of instructors for dives at a place that didn't allow solo. They didn't show and I was just lucky a couple of new divers did who appreciated my help showed up (Fort Pickens). Will do my best to not take that chance again.
Kent Island--on Chesapeake Bay? Maybe there is a place somewhere there. Even though that bay probably sucks as much as Delaware Bay. Or some out of the way lake/pond that is not a regular dive spot? You do what you can to just "get wet". We recently moved. Now instead of gearing up in the house and walking into the ocean, I must drive about 1/4 mile. Plan is to cover the driver seat with plastic, drive home, then change. Either that or go 6+ over winter months dry. Too cold to drive to a usual site and do 2 dives in a day.
I found my first (and only) regular buddy on a sign-up board at the LDS. The board has been gone now for years (maybe some liability issues?).
 
I once was supposed to meet with a bunch of instructors for dives at a place that didn't allow solo. They didn't show and I was just lucky a couple of new divers did who appreciated my help showed up (Fort Pickens). Will do my best to not take that chance again.
Kent Island--on Chesapeake Bay? Maybe there is a place somewhere there. Even though that bay probably sucks as much as Delaware Bay. Or some out of the way lake/pond that is not a regular dive spot? You do what you can to just "get wet". We recently moved. Now instead of gearing up in the house and walking into the ocean, I must drive about 1/4 mile. Plan is to cover the driver seat with plastic, drive home, then change. Either that or go 6+ months dry.

That's the place. The reviews I checked out around the internets sounded favorable. From looking around online...the artificial reefs in the area look like they would be cool to check out.

I met the operator (Brad) when I was in the area recently. Seems like a good guy and it sounds like he really enjoys taking groups out. The bonus is that he's flexible to work with new divers (he also does instruction).
 
I am taking my OW course/pool this weekend and going to Grand Cayman in December with the class to do the checkout dives. They also offer doing the 5 AOW dives immediately after doing the 4 checkout dives for OW and as of now I am kind of on the fence about it. I was planning on playing it by ear and seeing if I feel comfortable enough to do it at the time, and the instructor recommended that as well. I have dove 3x at this point and would consider myself an advanced snorkeler so I'm comfortable in the water.

After reading this thread, it's making me lean towards just doing the 5 extra dives due to the points that multiple people have made in this thread. I will still play it by ear while I'm there, but I'll also keep in mind what a few of you have said about the benefits of doing it right after your OW dives.

EDIT:

Also my dad lived right over Kent Island and I spent a lot of time right over Kent Island in Grasonville and we took his boat out of Kent Narrows all the time, and the visibility in the water there is very poor so if you are diving around there just keep your expectations in check. It's probably a foot or two of visibility around there.
 
I am taking my OW course/pool this weekend and going to Grand Cayman in December with the class to do the checkout dives. They also offer doing the 5 AOW dives immediately after doing the 4 checkout dives for OW and as of now I am kind of on the fence about it. I was planning on playing it by ear and seeing if I feel comfortable enough to do it at the time, and the instructor recommended that as well. I have dove 3x at this point and would consider myself an advanced snorkeler so I'm comfortable in the water.

After reading this thread, it's making me lean towards just doing the 5 extra dives due to the points that multiple people have made in this thread. I will still play it by ear while I'm there, but I'll also keep in mind what a few of you have said about the benefits of doing it right after your OW dives.

EDIT:

Also my dad lived right over Kent Island and I spent a lot of time right over Kent Island in Grasonville and we took his boat out of Kent Narrows all the time, and the visibility in the water there is very poor so if you are diving around there just keep your expectations in check. It's probably a foot or two of visibility around there
.

I'll keep that in mind. The impression I got though is that it's a bit of a transit to the dive sites. Hopefully, getting out into the bay opens up the visibility a bit.
 
It sounds like you've made the wise decision to do AOW sooner rather than later. Regarding this earlier post:

I'm not discounting the value of the AOW course. I would just prefer to complete a few fun dives outside of a training environment before I shell out another $400+ for a certification card...

To echo what some others have said, the AOW course IS basically nothing more than "a few fun dives" and is about as low-pressure and fun as "training" can be. It's little more than a chance to do five fun dives with an instructor. When you're done, you'll have five dives that have hopefully expanded your horizons, and you'll be in a better position to do boat dives next season. It will be much easier to buddy up with someone once you get into boat diving.
 
Have you tried looking around the internet for buddies?

I find buddies through Meetup.com and/or Facebook - there are several Monterey area scuba groups/webpages in both forums. Hopefully there are some local to you as well.

As both Meetup & Facebook are on folks' phones as apps, its pretty easy to post "Hey, anyone interested in diving X site?" and get immediate responses.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom