What kind of buddy do you want to be?

[BrianOrange]

Scenario 1 (Speed Demon)
I kind of had this scenario in my checkout dives over the weekend. I was sucking air and had to start to ascend. My girlfriend could have easily stayed down longer. Obviously on a check out dive we all surfaced. No issues.

My question -- if this was a regular dive, could the buddy maybe surface with their buddy to the water's surface and then descend back down once the buddy was on the way to the boat or even on the boat? If I'm paying 80 bucks for a dive and I am forced to get out of the water after just 20 minutes or so, not sure...Is this a suitable or safe compromise?

 

[TSandM]

The Follower: This happens to me a LOT when I dive with newer divers. I explain on land that I want them to stay where I can see them, and talk about reduced peripheral vision in a mask. I tell them what signal I will use if they are too far behind for me to see. I then USE that signal, and it gets more emphatic each time I have to use it. If the whole dive goes without any change in behavior, we'll debrief the dive and either the person will agree to change, or I don't dive with them any more. Looking for people makes me crazy.

 

[Sas]

Scenario #1 - The Speed Demon

If I was a new diver with only 10 dives, I would follow my buddy to the surface and finish my dive once he was low on air. The other divers + DM have not been explicitly buddied up with me so may not want to buddy up with me or they might just not be paying attention to someone new joining the group. Also problems happen on the surface and I think it is important to make sure one's buddy is ok even if they have been a massive pain to dive with. If there were more dives I'd find another buddy as I prefer a slow paced dive. If someone was responsible for doing buddy pairs, I'd speak to them and ask who would be more appropriate. If I had to organise my own buddy I'd speak directly to the bad buddy and say politely that their pace is not really like mine and that I didn't want to buddy with them again.

These days I'd ascend, make sure my buddy got back to the boat safe then I'd go back down and do a nice relaxing solo dive.

Scenario #2 - Trust me, I know what I'm doing

I've been in a similar situation when I was new. I followed the diver into the wreck as I felt it was safe (no chance of silting, wide space, big openings everywhere, and I was familiar with the layout). I would attempt to get them to leave the wreck and if they ignored me I'd follow them until I felt it was unsafe and then leave. If I felt it was unsafe to follow them in I'd wait on the outside until I got to my turn around air and then I'd head back to the surface and alert anyone at the surface about the situation.

Scenario #3 - Three's a crowd

If it was an easy shallow dive at a quarry I'd pair up with the random diver but if it was a boat dive or a complicated shore dive I would tell them that I would prefer not to dive with them because I prefer to see how people are in the water on easy dives before doing complicated dives with them. I would not enter any wreck, no matter how easy, with someone I had never dived with before (mainly because some people can get panicky, even in easy overhead environments) so I doubt I would have paired up with the guy I'd never dived with who was looking for a buddy if the plan was to enter a wreck...

Also I would have told everyone to ascend when people got low on air and started to look a bit panicky and done the surface swim, not continued swimming underwater as that brings up a whole raft of problems that can occur such as buddy seperation like in the story.

I think with your story if I had for some reason made all those screw ups to get the point of buddy seperation where both buddies are low on air, I would follow usual lost buddy procedures, which would have been discussed on the surface before the dive. Usually for me this is look around for three minutes then ascend. If my lost buddy did not appear soon I would start to look for them from the surface and would be calling upon people at shore telling them there is a missing diver who is low on air, as well as calling emergency services. Me and my regular buddies have an agreement to ascend after one-three minutes of looking (depending on which dive site), if buddy is not on the surface within five minutes of seperation to alert people on shore (if available) to help look from the surface, and if they had not been found within ten minutes from seperation it is time to call emergency services. If people on shore get them to call, if not the plan is to get out and do it ourselves.

Scenario 4: The Follower

Use hand signals to get them to stay by my side. Done this before a few times and it has always been understood. If it wasn't, I'd just put up with it and talk to them on the surface if I planned to dive with them again.

Scenerio 5: I'm Experienced!

I would call the dive. And on the surface I would question them more closely about their "experience". If they had an attitude I would not dive with them again.

 

[Soakedlontra]

Scenario #2 - Trust me, I know what I'm doing

You've just gotten certified and joined a local dive club. This is your first outing with the club, and you're going to a local dive site a couple hours drive from home. Part of the dive plan involves pairing up less experienced divers with more experienced ones. You meet your new dive buddy, and he tells you there's a cool little wreck in reasonably shallow water ... about 75 feet deep ... and asks you if you'd like to go see it. Of course you would.

As you descend you realize that the recent sunny weather has created an algae bloom in the water ... it's murky, and getting darker as you descend. And you hadn't thought to bring a light. Being a more experienced diver, your buddy has one. He's being a good buddy and staying close, so you figure you'll be alright.

You find the wreck without any problem, and your dive buddy spends a few minutes using his light to find critters along it's deck and in the crannies under the hull. As you get to the back of the boat he indicates that he wants to go inside the cabin. You hesitate, then shake your head no. He signals OK, turns, and enters by himself.

What do you do, and why?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I have found this thread only now...(better late then never!). It's challenging and useful.

I have stopped reading other people's answers because is effecting my 'first impression' judgment.

My first gut reply to this scenario #2 would be to wait until my air allows me to do so then if the buddy doesn't show up I would surface by myself. I guess because I don't want to give up hope of surfacing together unless is absolutely necessary.

After reading the scenario for a third time and having my significant other buddy remarking in the background that he would surface alone without further ado, I am kind of changing my mind...Maybe I should initiate a controlled ascent without my buddy because he did not care about my point of view...(Jeezz..what if something bad happens to him? Too bad for him? Oh dear!)

The best thing to do would have been to make it clear to the buddy how I felt about the possibility of penetrating the wreck before the dive in the first place!

 

[sabbath999]

Scenario 6: Surprise Same Ocean, Same Day Buddy

You are on an afternoon ocean dive boat on a simple dive that you have done before, good vis and not very deep. There are seven total divers, including a DM who will be leading a tour and diving without a buddy, and three two-person buddy teams including you and an insta-buddy. This is scheduled as a one-tank dive day.

The DM informs the boat of the dive plan, which is basically to jump off the boat, descend to 60 feet and work your way along the reef until somebody reaches 1500psi... then the group will return to the mooring ball... those with more air can continue the dive near the boat as the heavy breathers ascend to do their safety stop.

Your insta-buddy tells you that he is experienced, and he looks the part... he knows how to put together his equipment and quickly suits up and is ready to go. You say the plan sounds good, and he says "Yeah, OK, I am good with it". He checks you over very well, and while he looks a little distracted as you check him over, nothing is said.

You jump in the water first, and descend along the mooring line with your buddy. The others in your group are waiting when you get to the reef. As the DM points to the direction he wants to lead the tour in, and the rest of the group starts to follow him, you see your buddy point at the rest of the group and swim off in the opposite direction, deeper down the slope of the reef.

What do you do?

 

[Soakedlontra]

Scenario #6

I have never done a boat dive with a DM leading a dive so my first reaction would be to get the DM's attention and signal him that my buddy has gone further down the reef because the DM would be more qualified than me to chase him down and have more authority to convince my instant buddy to stick with the group.

But then how are the responsibilities supposed to be shared in a dive like that?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Scenario 6: Surprise Same Ocean, Same Day Buddy

You are on an afternoon ocean dive boat on a simple dive that you have done before, good vis and not very deep. There are seven total divers, including a DM who will be leading a tour and diving without a buddy, and three two-person buddy teams including you and an insta-buddy. This is scheduled as a one-tank dive day.

The DM informs the boat of the dive plan, which is basically to jump off the boat, descend to 60 feet and work your way along the reef until somebody reaches 1500psi... then the group will return to the mooring ball... those with more air can continue the dive near the boat as the heavy breathers ascend to do their safety stop.

Your insta-buddy tells you that he is experienced, and he looks the part... he knows how to put together his equipment and quickly suits up and is ready to go. You say the plan sounds good, and he says "Yeah, OK, I am good with it". He checks you over very well, and while he looks a little distracted as you check him over, nothing is said.

You jump in the water first, and descend along the mooring line with your buddy. The others in your group are waiting when you get to the reef. As the DM points to the direction he wants to lead the tour in, and the rest of the group starts to follow him, you see your buddy point at the rest of the group and swim off in the opposite direction, deeper down the slope of the reef.

What do you do?

I had a German fellow do that exact thing to me on a boat dive in Bonaire (Klein Bonaire, more exactly). I followed him down to about 20 fsw deeper than we had planned, signaled him to come up a bit, he looked at me and proceeded deeper still. At that point I got his attention, waved bye-bye, and proceeded back up to join the rest of the divers. About 10 minutes later he decided to join us.

Back on the boat I spoke quietly to the DM, informing her what happened and requested a different arrangement for the second dive. When the German fellow acted like we were "buddying" again on that dive I told him I'd prefer to dive with someone else.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Jerzi]

Scenario #1 - The Speed Demon

Ascend with my buddy. Speak to them on the surface about the next dive and the pace you want to set. If the buddy is not comfortable with this I would speak to the DM about being paired up with someone else.
Just because I was annoyed is no reason to risk someone elses safety for my own enjoyment.

Scenario #2 - Trust me, I know what I'm doing

Wait for him to exit the wreck. If there are other divers around let them know your buddy is down there so they will possibly come back over to see if everything is ok before the end of their dive. If he doesn't
and you are at your limit, see if anyones around and get their attention to let them know your buddy is down there. Tie off at the wreck and send up my dsmb.
Do my ascent and immediatelly notify at the surface of the situation.


Scenario #3 - Three's a crowd

Have more situational awareness not to let my buddy get to -400 psi of the planned 1k psi turn. Be aware that the other two will probably breathe more air being in a new enviroment based on their usual air consumption.
Make sure you have a dive plan that specifies your ascent procedures and not alter this plan as it can lead to confusion on what to do. Have a secondary ascent plan and who to stay with in case of this.
If your buddy bolts and you can't follow without endangering yourself or the other buddy you're with there is not much you can do at this point.


Scenario 4: The Follower

Keep an overyly cautious eye of where they are at, sure it might be annoying, but I figure sometimes that's going to be the scenario. I doubt anyone expects a perfect dive with a new or unexperienced buddy.
I would see if I could pair up with someone else on the next dive.

Scenerio #5: I'm Experienced!

Get my buddy to look at me, get him as comfortable as possible, then give the ascent sign. I don't want to ascend with him in a close to panic state.

Scenario #6 Same day buddy

Blow my whistle/Bang on my tank and get the groups attention along with the DM and let him know what is going on. If people get mad, so be it. If someone deviates from the dive plan I'm not going to risk
my life or let someone else do it. I'm responsible for my buddy as he is responsible for mine and shooting off in the other direction is just irresponsible.

 

[rstofer]

The Follower

You and your new buddy discuss a dive plan, decide that you will be leading, and perform a predive check. But you forgot to dicuss where you'll be both be positioned in relation to one another. During the dive, you're frustrated to find that your buddy insists upon following you rather that diving beside you, forcing you to turn around or look through your legs to check on him. At one point, when you turn to check you don't even see him initially, because now he is not only behind you but above you by a few feet.

What do you do ... and why?

I grab her by the arm and pull her alongside. Then I continue to hold her in position as we swim until it finally sinks in: I want to be able to see her with just a casual twist of my head. I want to be able to reach out and touch her. No closer and no further away. Pefect formation...

Richard

 

[rstofer]

Scenario #3: NEVER, EVER, allow a stranger to join your group! Three's a crowd even when they all know each other.

I have a long and scary story about allowing a stranger to dive with us to 90' at the buoy off the Casino at Catalina. It will NEVER happen again!

Short version: his wife was going to hang on the buoy while the 3 of us did the short dive. When we surfaced, she was gone.

Richard