sarita75
Guest
To me, a good divebuddy is someone that I know will have the necessary skills and knowledge to help me in case of an emergency. This means that my buddy is close enough to know that I am in need of assistance/that an emergency exists - depending upon the conditions (viz, depth, etc), but never faraway. When I was a new diver (ha! I still am) ..... Okay, before I hit 20 dives, I wouldn't have dreamt of going out alone with another new diver. We simply were too unaware of our gear, our course-headings, etc. to really know what or how to handle an emergency.
For this reason - while my DB and I were both on the same skill level, we went to fundives with the local scuba stores. That way we were with a group of people that knew of our level/experience, knew to watch out for us, and could act as "secondary DBs" in the event of an emergency. In this way, my DB and I were new, gaining experience and able to grow as DBs in a safe(r) situation.
So yes, if you feel comfortable with your newbie DB - to me that is fine. BUT BE SMART. Don't go out to an unfamiliar site with him/her and try to dive it. Go to a familiar site and work on your diving together. Or, go with a group like your LDS.
I still remember our first "solo" (non-group outting) dive together. It was a relatively short dive in which we worked on skills - buoyancy, communication, and navigation. When we got back on the surface, we were both beaming.
For this reason - while my DB and I were both on the same skill level, we went to fundives with the local scuba stores. That way we were with a group of people that knew of our level/experience, knew to watch out for us, and could act as "secondary DBs" in the event of an emergency. In this way, my DB and I were new, gaining experience and able to grow as DBs in a safe(r) situation.
So yes, if you feel comfortable with your newbie DB - to me that is fine. BUT BE SMART. Don't go out to an unfamiliar site with him/her and try to dive it. Go to a familiar site and work on your diving together. Or, go with a group like your LDS.
I still remember our first "solo" (non-group outting) dive together. It was a relatively short dive in which we worked on skills - buoyancy, communication, and navigation. When we got back on the surface, we were both beaming.
