When to Ditch your Buddy

[Uncle Pug]

and he is working hard at not being grumpy

Originally posted by Ontario Diver
I don't "bolt" from a dive buddy, but I don't chase them to 200' when I'm at 500 psi in my AL80 either. Now, I know that I'll risk DCI/AGE/hypothermia etc to save a life, but I'm not about to waste my life on a rescue that I can't affect.

Ontario....
I like you....
I want you to live long and prosper....
Don't ever let Uncle hear you say "200 with 500"....
A good buddy makes the rescue well before this!!!
At the planning stage.... for pete sake!
At the buddy selection stage.... for your sake!

That is the problem I have with these senarios that folks use....
They are so far beyond the point of good common sense!!!
You don't do 200 unless you have:

The Training...
The Equipment...
The Plan...
The Gas...
The Team...
The Experience...
The Bailout...
The Support...

At least I wouldn't...
And you, my friend, shouldn't do a dive that has the possibility of become a 200 foot dive with only 500 psi

 

[Lost Yooper]

Originally posted by Bob
Well,
We've gone from when to ditch a buddy, to the superior attitude of not diving with a person who doesn't embrace the same idealogy as you do. I assume that's what/who a stroke is? That's a disturbing thought isn't it? I take ever opportunity to help a less experienced diver. After all, we were all newbies at one point, were we not? :tree:Bob

I just wanted to say that I will dive with just about any fairly safe diver for any recreational dive. In fact, I enjoy taking out newer divers just to see their reaction to their first good shipwreck or something. However, I will only dive with my familiar dive buddy or a buddy of like ideolgy for technical dives. There is no dinkin' around for those type of dives and familiarity is paramount.

I agree with UP's suggestion that a good buddy will "rescue" before a rescue is actually needed (except under the most dire of circumstances). IMO, buddy skills are arguably the most neglected skills of the typical recreation diving agencies.

Mike

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by Bob
Well,
We've gone from when to ditch a buddy, to the superior attitude of not diving with a person who doesn't embrace the same idealogy as you do. I assume that's what/who a stroke is? That's a disturbing thought isn't it? I take ever opportunity to help a less experienced diver. After all, we were all newbies at one point, were we not? :tree:Bob

Right on Bob!
Ditch before the dive or after the dive but not during the dive!


The attitude/ideology of a potential dive buddy goes to the front when deciding:
Whether to dive...
What kind of dive to do...
Whether to dive again with them...

I agree with you that we were all newbies (I am still a newbie in some circles) and that we need to encourage the less experienced divers and be willing to dive with them...

And do so without a superior attitude!!!

 

[Ontario Diver]

UP & LY;

You are both right.

UP; the 200 @ 500 scenario doesn't make sense but it was the first one that came to mind because it was used by one of my instructors to make a point. (the same one that you and I are trying to make..)

I think that the we are in violent agreement on this issue.

(Oh and in all of my dives, I've exited once with less than 500 - and that was still above 400)

I am right now looking for the instructor and the training to do it correctly - that will open up tech oriented buddies for me.

Thanks again....

 

[Uncle Pug]

Ontario....
Come on out to the PNW and I will take you for a boat dive on Uncle Pug...

Shoot...
Any of you lurking on this thread long enough to see this....

Msg me and I'll take YOU for a boat dive on Uncle Pug...

 

[Hobbs]

Originally posted by Uncle Pug
Ontario....


Msg me and I'll take YOU for a boat dive on Uncle Pug...

I might just take you up on that ;-) next time I am in the states
;-)

 

[Rick Murchison]

Originally posted by Blargh


Rick, I hope you're just playing devil's advocate here. Cramps and all that invisible fishing line can easily prevent the second diver in a buddy pair from "letting [you] know". Your p.o.v. sounds as if the pair leader has an excuse not to actively monitor their buddy....

Devil's advocate - my point is that the buddy that stops without letting his buddy know he's stopping is just as guilty of the breakdown in the buddy team as the buddy who doesn't check on his buddy's whereabouts often enough to keep from swimming away from the stopped buddy. These guys aren't a buddy team, they're just two guys diving in each other's general vicinity. A team *plans* the dive. A team *knows* where the other team members are. A team is alert.
The teamwork part of the brief only takes a few seconds in the dive plan, even with a "new" buddy - on a recreational dive it might be as simple as "Vis should be about 50 ft; you have the lead; I'll stay on the sea side of the wall; initial turn into the current; max depth is 100 ft; come up to 80 or less after 10 minutes; at 1700psi turn the dive and come on up the reef to 40' or less for the trip back to the boat; if we reach 700 psi and we're not on the anchor line we'll do our 15ft stop in open water and surface away from the boat - and accept the swim of shame. If you want me to lead for awhile, or if I want to lead we'll do a positive lead change with acknowledgement [demo hand signals here] If you need air from me for any reason just take the reg that's in my mouth - that's what I expect. If we lose each other somehow, look for no more than one minute by your watch and then ascend at 30fpm to the surface - we should both be there within seconds of one another. Any questions?" If he has no questions and no modifications, make sure you know what he expects should you need to get air from him. That is *not* a full plan for a dive, but it covers how the team is going to relate to each other and how they're going to stay together.
The more time and effort and detail you put into your plan the more relaxed you'll be underwater, the more you'll be able to see, the more fun you'll have and the safer you'll be.
Rick

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by Hobbs


I might just take you up on that ;-) next time I am in the states
;-)

Love to have you Hobbs!

 

[vmf]

I believe the time to ditch your buddy is well before you hit the water so you have enough time to both find a new one before your dive.

Regards,

vmf

 

[ckharlan66]

The only time I can think of that I would ditch my buddy is if they did the Warhammer Manuver. Then I'm gone.

Sorry couldn't resist.

Chad