When is it ok to leave a buddy?

[M DeM]

Times it is ok to leave your buddy:

1. When they are being eaten by a shark
2. When they tell you the mermaid / merman is at 180 ft
3. When they get fished in by a trawler
4. When they purposely cut themselves to bring in sharks
5. When thy they to guide you to shore… in Cuba… And you’re in Belize…
6. When they try to tie chum to the back of your BC
7. When they try to cut your regulator hose because they thought it was cool when it happened to Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt

 

[divinh]

I see you're a photographer... having to keep an eye on two folks *and* trying to take pictures? Isn't that a lot? And do you find that you're better off paired with another photographer?

In a situation such as this, the camera is re-clipped to my BC. It's a bummer for me, but safety first.

Yes, being paired off with another photographer is ideal.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

... there are techniques for being a photographer's dive buddy ... and for being a photographer with a dive buddy ...

The Photographer's Dive Buddy

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[kelemvor]

3. When they get fished in by a trawler

I got caught by a fisherman with a regular pole/line/hook setup once. He managed to reel me in. It sucked.

In a situation such as this, the camera is re-clipped to my BC. It's a bummer for me, but safety first.

I don't think it would work with big DSLR setups but I use one of those coiled camera keepers for my sealife camera+strobes. That way if something crazy happens I can just drop the camera. It doesn't end up quite as close to my body as I'd like but it ends up out of the way and not lost or damaged. Once whatever it was gets sorted out I just pick the camera back up.

 

[mallbritton]

This is a perfect example of what I mean! I *think* what I'd do is B.. but how long to wait? 10 min til decomp? The usual "look for your buddy for one minute then abort the dive?" Should I bang on my tank and make angry grunts? Because it would probably do neither one of us any good for me to penetrate a wreck never having done so before.

You should treat this as a lost buddy situation. If you can not get the attention of your "buddy" and get them to exit the wreck, you should wait no more than one minute then ascend and go back to the boat.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I didn't know that was an option! Really good to know!

Hiring a DM/guide is an expense you may not have budgeted for, but what price can one put on the peace of mind of having a proper buddy? If after the first day or two you make friends with another diver, you can always ditch the hired DM/guide and buddy up with your friend.

 

[SNS-Mike]

It seems to me, in a lot of these examples, that your buddy is the one who decided to leave.

 

[divinh]

I don't think it would work with big DSLR setups but I use one of those coiled camera keepers for my sealife camera+strobes. That way if something crazy happens I can just drop the camera. It doesn't end up quite as close to my body as I'd like but it ends up out of the way and not lost or damaged. Once whatever it was gets sorted out I just pick the camera back up.
View attachment 453561

I'm using the same system. If there are buddy issues, then I'll clip the camera so it's not hanging from the coil, though my camera housing is positively buoyant, so it would actually go up.

 

[cneal]

I got caught by a fisherman with a regular pole/line/hook setup once. He managed to reel me in. It sucked.


I don't think it would work with big DSLR setups but I use one of those coiled camera keepers for my sealife camera+strobes. That way if something crazy happens I can just drop the camera. It doesn't end up quite as close to my body as I'd like but it ends up out of the way and not lost or damaged. Once whatever it was gets sorted out I just pick the camera back up.
View attachment 453561

I use the same for my DSLR with dual strobes. Works fine.

 

[DogDiver]

The secret is to leave your buddy at the dock. Better off without one when you dive solo.