Weird buddy experience

[Redshift]

If he wanted you closer he could have said so, instead he chose a weird and annoying behaviour.

 

[AGoodStart]

I also try to be ahead of the photog, especially if they are shooting a lot. That way they can just look up and see me watching them while they are futzing with the camera. It works best if you view your role as creating a shared experience, and not two separate ones. That can be a good thing though. I often look for the next subject and signal so the shooter doesn't have to look as much. That way we are both engaged in the same dive.

Oh, man... I want to dive with YOU!! Best photo buddy ever!

 

[dhowe628]

I never Dive with someone i don't know . My Buddies from our Dive Club or some one I know has the expertise to handle any emergency. I shoot a lot of underwater stills. When I go to a new area I always hire a Professional GUIDE . It may be just my age 71 and Diving since 1959 or maybe I am more in tune to the danger of diving with strangers.

 

[ccx2]

I never Dive with someone i don't know . My Buddies from our Dive Club or some one I know has the expertise to handle any emergency. I shoot a lot of underwater stills. When I go to a new area I always hire a Professional GUIDE . It may be just my age 71 and Diving since 1959 or maybe I am more in tune to the danger of diving with strangers.

Sounds like the way it should be done.

 

[ams511]

Am I correct in thinking that this guy was a weirdo, or is it better to stay closer to your buddy during a photo dive?

I am not sure this guy is weird because I have seen this kind of selfish behavior before. He is the photographer and can do what he wants and you are supposed to hover around and be a human pony bottle.

 

[drbill]

Totally agree on the pre-dive buddy briefing as to positioning. I prefer solo diving because the good buddies are seldom available and others may not be well-versed or skilled enough to buddy with while I'm shooting video. However, I would really dislike a buddy that stayed right on top of me for a number of reasons. Hard to see where they are. In the way if I have to start ascending. I prefer my buddies off to one side and a little behind me.

 

[dallaskincaid]

I have a difficult time remembering that "being a good buddy" means something different to everyone. Most everyone I dive with, EXCEPT my girlfriend, has the one-ocean we're kinda solo diving as a group mentality. My GF wants me close and unlike someone on a boat, she isn't afraid to tell me when I'm being a crappy buddy. I concur with everyone here, it's important to understand on the boat or shore what the expectations are so everyone enjoys their dives and doesn't feel nervous or unsafe.

 

[Histrix]

Thanks for all the responses - it's good to get some outside perspective on this. I completely agree about the need for more thorough pre-dive planning, communication, and checks. It's good to be assertive about that sort of thing, even if your instabuddy gets annoyed by it. It was a weird incident, but at least something was learned from it.

 

[John_B]

Also, we probably should have paired off as opposed to diving as a group of four. In which case, I wouldn't have been a good buddy for him anyway, as he was on a rebreather and I was using a low pressure 72.

How can an open circuit diver be a buddy for a rebreather diver (and vice versa)?

 

[Redshift]

How can an open circuit diver be a buddy for a rebreather diver (and vice versa)?

By having the gas the buddy would need in case of emergency and know the basic of the other diver's equipment. Similar to any buddy pair.