Who is in control of your buddy team?

[Diver0001]

I'm curious how people organise their buddy teams. The way I see it, there are a few ways you can do it:

- Sergeant Major model. One diver leads the dive and calls the shots.

- Primus inter pares. One diver is first among equals. Everyone is involved in decision making. Any diver in the team should be able to fulfil the roll but the roll is specifically assigned on each dive. I see this often assigned to the diver who navigates.

- Polder Model. Consensus as opposed to democracy. All decisions are based on all members of the team agreeing on every decision.

There are other possibilities too but I hope nobody uses them:

- Anarchy. No plan, no goals, no leadership.
- Mutiny. Team members abandon the plan (and occasionally their buddy) as soon as their hair gets wet.
- Shepherd. Classic trust-me formation.

I'm sure people will think of other forms too. So, how do you do it?

R..

 

[OE2X]

Depends on who I'm diving with.

If it is a less experienced diver then I'll go on point.

If it's an equaly experienced then we follow each other around. I know that sounds a bit odd, but the way I dive with my buddies and the way our communication skills are - it works for a recreational dive.

Diving with three - we put the leader in the center and each other member flies wing.

 

[Willie]

- Primus inter pares. One diver is first among equals. Everyone is involved in decision making. Any diver in the team should be able to fulfil the roll but the roll is specifically assigned on each dive. I see this often assigned to the diver who navigates.

This is the way I would say most of my dives have been. We agree on the plan ahead of time (usually written down on at least one slate), but also who is the leader. This has worked really well IMO.

Diving with three - we put the leader in the center and each other member flies wing.

This is the way we have done the three member dives I have made -- after the first that is when we didnt know any better and tried to do a single file, follow the leader dive in less than good vis. Not very effective. I was the middle person and got to the point where I couldnt see both buddies at one time, had to decide between sticking with the leader or sticking with the end of the line.

Willie

 

[Soggy]

- Primus inter pares. One diver is first among equals. Everyone is involved in decision making. Any diver in the team should be able to fulfil the roll but the roll is specifically assigned on each dive. I see this often assigned to the diver who navigates.

This is the model my team functions in. Above water, we plan the dive as best as we are able. Underwater, one diver indicates deco and leads navigation, but no one is a follower.

 

[Doc]

An esoteric discussion.

I prefer to observe and see what usually happens to most dive groups.

In this day of PC and handholding, the SgtMajor method is looked upon with distrust. The dives seem to be planeed in some sort of mumbling style and off they go.

If they are lucky- they learn one very big lesson. Was communication tough in the surface planning phase? Just wait until you try calling for a debate and vote while your pie hole has a rubber plug in it.

I have been selected as a SgtMajor on many, many night dives. This is done by one person coming to me and asking me to be the guide. What they are really asking is if I would mind taking them and six of their closest friends out for a thrash.

In that I don't accept money for professional services, I ask that they each make a donation to an island charity. I get a lot less divers that way. We have our little pre dive meeting, I begin by asking them what they want out of the dive. Here's what we might be able to find... let me tailor the dive to your desires. Any photographers? (That really complicates any night dive).

Most of these have been successful ventures. I lead, they follow. Do I watch/care/know where they are going? If it's more than 1 or 2... no, not really. I don't offer or accept that responsibility. I make that clear.

Do they follow along? Most always.

One insane, memorable exception... Three experienced divers want to see Yellow Cup Coral. I advise them that it's a bit of a swim, that they should follow and not dawdle. The have maybe 100 night dives in the Caribbean. 4 minutes into the dive- my hand to God- I watched them spend 22 minutes on a Caribbean Octopus- likethey had never seen one before. They may have been there longer, I don't know. I switched off my main light and swam past them and went ashore with 2000 psi left in my tank.

If all else fails, anarchy will prevail.

Consider this famous quote:
Ahhh- there goes the unruly mob! I must leave now- for to go and lead them!" -Alexandre Ladru-Rollin.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

This is the model my team functions in. Above water, we plan the dive as best as we are able. Underwater, one diver indicates deco and leads navigation, but no one is a follower.

Makes for easy switch off when the defacto leader calls it quits, thinking failed navigation in a training environment or other minimal stress where your buddy shrugs to say "ok you try," but I suppose it would also apply to the can't find the upline combat fatigue level stress too. You as a buddy have to be ready to stop someone who narcs/panics/gets lost and get the situation back under control, or otherwise be prepared for a shift in roles on the fly.

 

[moneysavr]

We dive most time s groups of 3, and we go over air use,site layout,dive plan, any one can call the dive and how to deal with it bottom or top side,and flight plan on the bottom as most times it can turn into same lake dives on anything less than 60'fsw.
one main thing with newer divers is I find they like to tag behind and hard for me to see,I like to get them on the side of me arms reach or one fin kick or two ahead of me.

On deep dives if we are doing video its mostly just 2 divers one guy task loading on video or photo's and the other just back up and dive saftey leader and this guy calls the dive shots,BT,and makes sure dive plan is used !

 

[superstar]

I like to dive off cattle boats and anarchy is usually followed by mutiny.

 

[300bar]

When i dive with students or other(to the site) new divers I`m sergant major

when I dive with my divemasters we dive anargy and/or muteny
see u at the surface i love solodiving

 

[Dive-aholic]

My wife is my usual buddy.

Need I say more...