What should I have done?

[TSandM]

As I said, on a "real dive" we would not have operated this way.

We did assign buddy teams at the beginning of the dive, but due to a lot of things, the lines got blurred. Lessons learned.

 

[SparticleBrane]

(a long story having to do with kicking myself out of BOTH drysuit boots and effectively rendering myself finless)

How did you manage to kick out of your drysuit boots?

 

[Rick Inman]

Why do you guys think I'm going to say anything amusing here?

Hope springs eternal.

In a real dive, you have teammates, and they're YOUR teammates, and nobody else is on your radar screen. The dive leader would have signalled OOA to his teammate (Peter) and not to mine. My teammate would have come up to make sure I was okay. Problem solved. It was the artificiality of the drill situation that even raised the question of what should have been done.

Actually (unless you dive with only 100% dir trained divers - and I know you don't), this scenario could be very real life. You turn and see your buddy suddenly dealing with someone else (who came from, where-ever). The buddy of the person your buddy is dealing with has a problem (real or perceived). Do you stay with your own buddy, or help the other diver?

Valid question.

In Peter's case, if I were him, I would verify that my buddy and the other diver are all good, and then see after the lone dive in (potential) distress.

 

[TSandM]

You're absolutely right, Rick. If it happened that my teammate got tied up in an air-share with somebody else (and who's going to refuse to donate, when somebody else is in need?) and that person's buddy went ballistic, I'd signal my teammate, let him know I was going up after the other diver, and do it. Maybe that's what Peter should have done.

I just remember my Fundies experience, with one teammate corking and the other swimming h***-bent-for-leather in the opposite direction, and sitting there as team leader knowing that no matter WHAT I did at that point, it was going to be wrong . . . and I was right. But those situations make you think through what you'd do if it were real, so they do have value.

 

[do it easy]

As I said, on a "real dive" we would not have operated this way.

I think the distinction between a real dive and a training dive is artificial. You could still die on a training dive.

Did Peter's buddy realize that you had a problem? Did he do the OOA intentionally because your buddy lost track of you? Was Peter the only one who noticed that you were missing? Did the other two divers perform the OOA drill to the exclusion of the rest of the team?

I had a buddy kick out of her boots once- she had a new suit and the legs were 4" too long. Her fins were still on the boots, so it looked like she had dislocated both ankles. I "helped" her out by putting her on the bottom, draining her wing, and inflating her suit so that I could move the material. Then I sat on her and replaced her boots.

 

[KMD]

In the debrief it is clear TBQ's buddy never saw her leave -- I didn't have a chance to talk with my buddy what he wanted me to do (if anything).

So, great ScubaBoard BORG, what SHOULD I have done in this situation? Should I have done what I did (stay with my buddy) OR should I have followed TBQ up to the surface and abandoned my buddy? (BTW, she left BEFORE the OOA drill.)

Well one option would be to get both of their attention, indicate to them that they are now buddies, and then indicate to them that you are leaving them to head up.

You illustrate one of the issues of diving with a larger teams. For me personally I like breaking down 4 or 5 person teams into primary teams of two or three. Then in the event of team separation each has a primary buddy. You discuss on the surface before the dive what do do in the event of secondary team separation.

 

[jeckyll]

...
I had a buddy kick out of her boots once- she had a new suit and the legs were 4" too long. Her fins were still on the boots, so it looked like she had dislocated both ankles. I "helped" her out by putting her on the bottom, draining her wing, and inflating her suit so that I could move the material. Then I sat on her and replaced her boots.

Thanks for the laugh, that was priceless

Now, as for the original situation: Peter, she's your _wife_ for crying out loud. You stay with the men already :mooner:

Seriously, on any dive (or serious sportbike ride) my first rule (not GI3's, mine!) is: You don't leave your wing man. Ascents, descents, whatever. In this situation I would stay with my wingman if he was helping another diver. My first responsibility is to him (or her). If he was OOA and didn't signal me but I saw the whole thing (odd situation) then I'd probably interrupt, shove a long hose in the general direction of his mouth and one he got the clue point the other diver in the direction of _their_ buddy.

Now, with a normal couple shakehead ) I'd suggest you guys just buddy up and be done with it ... but then we aren't talking about just any couple, are we? :no

 

[SparticleBrane]

You don't leave your wing man.

Are you sure that's your rule? Sounds like Maverick's to me.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Well one option would be to get both of their attention, indicate to them that they are now buddies, and then indicate to them that you are leaving them to head up.

This is what I would have done if I were in Peter's position.

I've been in situations where someone who was not my buddy swam up to me for air, in which case I got my own buddy's attention and signaled to them that they were to buddy up with the other person's buddy, and that we were all going up ... now.

Unfortunately, it IS real life on occasion ... the two times it's happened to me it was completely unplanned. In one of those cases, I didn't even know the other two divers involved. In the other case, we all knew each other but were on a boat dive and were not diving together ... the LOA diver just had an easier time getting my attention than he did his buddy's (because I was closer).

Getting back to Peter and Lynne's dive ... without knowing who the other two divers were, I can (probably safely) suppose that if the Tech 1 diver realized that Lynne's buddy wasn't paying attention, then the OOA was intentional to see how y'all would respond. Hope it got thoroughly debriefed ... and knowing Lynne I can't imagine otherwise.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[rjack321]

First off, Tech1? That does not sound like T1 attention to me. A cross team OOA with a missing buddy??? Not good.

Other than that, I agree with everything Bob said and have one thing to add.

If you can't control your bouyancy cause your fins are loose... I think that illustrates how much you are relying on kicking/sculling of the fins for bouyancy. Try to keep those feet STILL.