When diving do you...

[Scottri]

When I dive with a stranger I ask a lot of questions and consider the very real possibility that they are going to be the less than perfect buddy. If I get a bad feeling I bag it and don't dive with them. I don't claim to be the perfect buddy nor do have any perfect buddies. We are all human and sh*t happens. I just make sure if I'm likely to get seperated me and my buddy are prepared as much as possible.


Scott

 

[Fishkiller]

Originally posted by Uncle Pug

No Fishy... how in the world did you twist that out of what I said.... never mind I don't want to know....

Here let me translate for you:
Some buddies are less perfect than others....
And mowing lawn isn't diving ;-0

why else answer? I was waiting for a translation or to be translated :mean:

now how many have addmited to being there for their buddy? This is not intented to classify buddies but to show how the system works.

Uncle now you love to dive, I know you have dove many times with many different people, here is a straight forward question.

what makes you and your buddy perfect??

 

[Ron Brandt]

Any instructor will agree, when you teach you dive alone.

I help a friend from time to time do "lite"commercial work in black water. He is there . I am there.We both do our job.We do not see each other.


Ron

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by Fishkiller
here is a straight forward question.

what makes you and your buddy perfect??

Commitment to each other
Equipment optimized for buddy diving
Training in buddy diving
Teamwork approach

 

[ElectricZombie]

It's really hard to find a good buddy. Out of all the people I've ever dove with, only about 2 were good buddies. There arn't many of these buddies that I would trust to react properly in the event of an emergency. So, I'll either dive with someone who is at least decent or just dive solo. I can only think of four or five people that I would feel confident in diving with. I have done a fair amount of low to zero vis diving, and know how easy it is for people to get separated. Even in these conditions, a good buddy will be right beside you at all times. Good buddy skills are something that very few people possess. Once you find someone who fits your diving style, stick with them.

 

[Fishkiller]

"Choosing a diving buddy is perhaps one of the most crucial decisions that a scuba diver will ever make!"

When I learned to dive, a choice of my buddy was a luxury that did not exist. I was told to step up to the side of the pool, nervous as can be, and was buddied up with whoever was brave enough to join me on this new adventure.

At this time, in my early "Scuba life", a buddy in the pool was pretty much ignored (sorry Bwana, but that's the way it was). I concentrated so hard to perfect what my instructor, wanted me to. He was very patient and worked with the group with the ease of the professional that he is. Safety was the first and foremost thing on his mind. Not drowning was the first and foremost thing on my mine. My buddy? He was the last thing on my mind.

It was only until time passed, when I became more comfortable with my new underwater world, that the importance of my dive buddy was perhaps first realized. I began observing other divers on the various dive trips looking for someone who shares my experiences, fears and joys, and most importantly is there should an emergency arise. I realized that choosing a dive buddy is the most important preliminary step to the complete dive plan.

My original choice was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. The past few years, our relationship has improved to the point of being unbelievable. Our dive trips are planed thoroughly, well in advance. We take responsibility for each other. Once on the site and before the dive, observations, often silent, are made of each other's equipment, covering all the important aspects. We sit next to each other on the way to the reef and discussions are often far removed from scuba diving.

Dropping into the water and submerging, I never have to look for my buddy - over the past few years he has assumed his faithful position, slightly above, behind and to my right. He always swims right there - a glance over my right shoulder confirms.

We have developed underwater sign language well beyond what any textbook has to offer - and our communication that exists is quite complicated, but well understood by each of us.

We both lead very busy, very stressful lives, and the time to dive becomes a rare, special treat that we both value beyond most other things in life.

So, when choosing your buddy, think carefully; at worst your life may depend on him or her; at best, the relationship may develop far beyond just diving.

 

[socaldiver]

With my regular dive buddy we manage to stay within 10 ft of each other most of the time. I am concentrating on taking pics and she is looking around for other objects to shoot. I think most of us that take pics are in the same boat, with an understanding buddy.

On a few occasions, diving with unfamiliar buddies I try to stay as close as possible and always in eye sight .

 

[Paul168341]

I'm an instructor.
I dive alone.
When I have students, I do have a greater responsibility.
I sometimes even solo dive, but only in those sites I know like the back of my hand.

 

[Arduous]

Originally posted by Fishkiller
What things do you require from a stranger before you consider them competent?


Choosing a good dive buddy from a stranger is not an easy thing. Some people may be able to talk a good game, but when they get into the water it’s an entirely different story. On the other hand there are some very competent divers, who make great buddies do not articulate themselves well. Of course there are some general warning signs that you may pick up on, like the way they gear up or their indifference to dive planning. For me the only sure way I can tell what kind of buddy someone will be, is to dive with them. One simple ( mostly harmless test ) I do is to just stop somewhere under water and see how long before my buddy notices I’m not moving. If they just continue to swim off into the murk, this is a bad sign for me. In Massachusetts visibility isn’t much past 20 feet on a good day, so it wouldn’t take long for my buddy to get out of sight. Of course I can’t allow him to get out of sight or I would be abandoning him. In the end I have dove with brand new certified divers who were excellent buddies and I have dove with divers who have been diving for years, who I would choose to never dive with again. All I require from a new buddy that I’m diving with for the first time, is to have a little pre-dive talk. Take an interest in each others equipment to note what type of weighting system is being used, where inlet & exhaust valves are ect. A short dive plane discussion (SHORT) this isn’t a search & recovery mission. Diving is supposed to be fun, lets keep it that way. A short talk on where we are going , how deep we are going, how long we are going to stay there and a few what to do if some ( what if’s) pop up. This doesn’t have to be an arduous process << sorry I had to put that in there>> It only takes a few minutes to get on the same page with one another and can even be done while kiting up. Being a good buddy is not rocket science, just be there for your buddy and hopefully your buddy will be there for you.

……….Arduous……..