Proper Etiquette for a New Diver Concerning Buddies on a Dive Charter

[Steve_C]

I am 5'7". I have done a number of AL80 dives but not my favorite. They tend to hit me in the butt a bit. My shorter HP100s fit me great and are much more comfortable. Note that not all HP100s are the same length. I bought mine and then discovered by good fortune that they were a few inches shosrter than some other HP100s. Tried AL120 but, to me, a big clumbsy tank.

 

[dallaskincaid]

Haven't read through all the responses, but you can modify your dive profile so you are vertically higher than your buddies. 10-15 feet vertically can at least give you a few more minutes of diving.

Pretty much everyone here has dove with an Insta-buddy on a boat. Sometimes they have more experience than you, sometimes they have less. I know people who have 100's of dives under their belt and they still have a high SAC rate. Everyone is built different and uses air at different rates. I'll dive with my girlfriend for an hour and come up with 500 psi and she will have 1500... it's just the way it is. We've all been where you are now and anyone who acts like a jerk about your inexperience isn't someone you want to dive with anyways.

Your false anxiety of ruining your buddies dive is probably making you blow through air even faster. My advice? Just relax. Enjoy your dives and when its time to come up, come up. The less you worry about it, the less air you will use.

 

[Streydog]

I read this thread to get advise, not give it but I will give some input. I too was very bad on air when I started. 240 lb big guy not in the best of shape, "big boned". I have a total of 74 dives now since my OW May 2014. Around 50 of the dives have been since last October with a dive op that uses steel 120 hp's. I still have a ways to go but I have improved quite a bit. My last trip I was grouped with an "advanced " group and taken to some more advanced sites. I think good bouyancy makes the biggest difference. I remember I used to get ahead of the group often because if I wasn't swimming I was sinking. Be honest about your air consumption. Don't worry about being the first one to run low on air, I really like the guy who runs low before me. It really gets better the more you dive.

 

[Professor Nemo]

First off, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this post. You all have provided me with a wealth of information and helped lessen my anxiety to a large degree; I truly appreciate this. A few things that I will clarify and which I should have mentioned in my first post are:

· I am diving HP Stl 100s, though on my next dive I will see if I can rent a larger tank to help average my consumption with my dive buddies.

· I think that I am a little over weighted in my BC. The next time I go diving I am planning on paying the dive shop to have a DM come with me as my buddy so that, at the end of the first dive when I have an empty tank, I can have him/her observe my buoyancy (or lack thereof) and help me determine if I am carrying too much weight. I seem to need to add/subtract a lot of air from my BC when I am diving. I cheat a little by filling my BC orally on the surface before beginning the dive so that I don’t have to use my tank’s supply other than to check the over inflation valves and inflator/deflator controls. I’m not willing to ask my dive buddies to help me with this. It is not their responsibility. I thought I had the weight load figured out but I have lost about 30 lbs and starting exercising since I figured out those loads so my weight count may very well be off. I will revisit this issue with the instructors at my dive shop soon.

· As to the flailing, I would say that I try to keep my hands in front of me and clasped around my waist strap/cummerbund as much as possible. I notice that my consumption does increase when I swim into currents to get around a wreck but so do my dive buddies; I simply have less air at that point or latter than they do due to my consumption rate.

· One final point that I would like to make clear. I never try to integrate myself into a preexisting buddy pair. By that I mean that I always get to the boat early so I get to see which divers come on as pairs or triples. I never ask those people to buddy up because I assume that they have a system in place that they are accustomed to. Rather, I look for other divers who come alone and see if they want to buddy up. I try to be as little of an inconvenience as possible.

 

[boulderjohn]

feel guilty about making my buddies break off from their dive that they are enjoying and which they have paid good money for because I am an air hog. I realize it inconveniences them. I am looking into purchasing a Pony bottle outfit so I will have a redundant air system because one day, in the long future (when I have many more dives under my belt), I would like to do some solo diving. However, even if I had such a system I know that it is only to be used in an emergency, not something that you factor into your dive plan so you can abuse your main tank’s air supply with the knowledge that this redundant system is available.

One thing that you can do now is to simply carry more gas by getting a bigger tank. Another option - if you can't rent bigger tanks - is a stage bottle. You mentioned a pony bottle and noted that it is only to be used for emergencies, which is correct. A pony bottle is for redundancy, it shouldn't be used for gas planning. But a stage bottle is basically a pony bottle that you are including in your gas planning.

Doctor Mike (and someone else later) mentioned that instead of taking a pony bottle (used only for emergencies), you could take a stage bottle (used to extend your dive). He is correct, but you actually have another option that allows you to have both a stage bottle and a pony bottle.

1. Take an AL 40 with you and tell it to be a stage bottle. It will obey. Start off the dive breathing from it. Take it down to about 1500 PSI and then switch to your back gas. You will just have added the equivalent amount of air as you would by diving a 100 cubic foot tank instead of an 80 cubic foot tank.

2. While you are diving, wave your hand over the stage bottle and say something like "Abracadabra! Transform into a pony bottle!" When you do, it will magically convert into a pony bottle that you can use as a redundant air source for use in an emergency, and it will have about the same amount of gas as the 19 cubic foot bottles commonly used for this purpose.

 

[Landlocked123]

I have roughly 20 dives off of charter boats so not a veteran by any means. That said I have done wreck dives in SC, MX and a few other places. Here is what i have learned/observed .. Much of this was hit on already but starting from the beginning when you get to the site.. Also taking your question as an overall one - not just air consumption as in my opinion all the below affects buddies on the dive.


**if, like me, you suffer from sea sickness get the meds, bracelets,,whatever well in advance (day before) and do your best not to become a liability to your self and others on the boat - sometimes this does not work for me but make a concerted effort to take care of it to the extent you can** So far I only fed the fish once ..it's not pleasant for others while they chow down a sandwich on the SI. **

1. Get there early - do not be that guy that arrives late / last minute and the boat has to wait while you run across the parking lot - seen someone have to do it and let's just say they did not make friends that day. Most boat captains will leave anyway but again if you are last minute but not late they will wait, but it's just a rush that is not necessary. Kinda like that guy/gal running through Ohare airport to get to the gate. If you can avoid this ..do so .. your dive will end up being more relaxed and enjoyable.

2. Ask the captain for permission to bring your equipment on board. My first charter I did not do so and was reminded it was proper etiquette. have not forgotten since.

3. Have your equipment well thought out the night / day before. Boat charter is not the place to make drastic changes to equipment to the extent that they have a serious impact on buoyancy. Example I dive HP100's and and hp133 for deep quarry dives in 100+water. I know my weight based on my BP/W and current setup with a 7mm suit. If I go on a boat dive and decide to dive AL80's with a shorty then I need to know what the weight swing is and plan accordingly. You do not want to backroll and find out you can't get under. Reason I bring it up is folks are suggesting (and I agree 100%) to perhaps switch to an HP100. Bottom line have your rig set, dialed in, know your

4. If you don't do #3 above and come prepared you may have the boat captain do it for you. On my 2nd boat dive (by then I had already 30+quarry dives on HP100's) I decided to go with an AL80. I had not done step 3 above on the tank swap yet I know the weight swing was somewhere in the 6-8 lb range. Because I did not come across as "prepared" the captain proceeded to tell me i need to dive with 20 lbs of weight. now I weighed 220 at the time but I have been lifting for years and at the time( sadly no longer) was way more muscle than fat). I could have used 15 lbs and done great as I was overweighted with 20. On the 2nd dive there was an instructor whom I had voiced my concern to and she went to the captain and vouched that she had seen me overweighted. I dove with 16 lbs on the 2nd tank dive and was perfect. Being prepared will make the crew and divemaster see that you have done your home work. If they think you are a risk they will make decisions for you. you may or may not agree/like them.

5. Pick a spot for your stuff and keep it organized. If you have to rent stuff do so but I suggest always brining your own, Primary reg and 2nd, fins, etc etc..and in my case a 19 inch or 30 in ch pony depending on the dive. The more stuff is yours the more you will be familiar with it. As a side note I always dive a pony bottle and will never dive without one. I suggest you invest in one. Being left alone on the anchor line is not cool. Nor is ascending or diving by yourself in general. Had many an insta buddy disappear on me with little to no regard for where I was. Guess what I had a pony with me with enough air to make a safe ascent and safety stop so bye bye buddy. That is also why I am enrolled in a solo class and I encourage you to do the same as you expressed interest in it. On all if not most of my boat dives I realized i was in essence diving alone. Whether they pair you with the guy show is spearing fish and totally forgets you are there, the newer diver who would not be able to help you anyway probably, or the more experienced diver. Others will disagree but I think its on you to be able to get your self topside safely in the event of an accident/malfunction. It's your life at stake do you want to trust a stranger with it?

6. Just be friendly as most divers are. I usually bring extra fresh cold fruit in a cooler and share in between dives. Made many dive buddies at boat dives just by saying hi, sharing dive experiences and getting to know people. Not saying you need to feed the charter just saying a friendly handshake goes a long way. As you talk the people and introduce yourself they will do the same and you will quickly see whom you have chemistry with. On almost all my boat dives I had found an insta buddy before the captain asked who was diving with whom. Although an insta buddy by the time I got in the water i already had discussed specifics of the dive. who would lead, follow, OOA sharing options, etc.. This will make you feel more comfortable when you start your first dive.

The rest has all been said...

 

[Landlocked123]

BoulderJohn I think has a great suggestion... I am in fact leaning that way ..AL40 will also make a great deco bottle one day if you go down that route. Use it as a stage as part of your gas plan and leave said PSI or what you would need to get to top depending on depth as a "pony" redundant air.

 

[Storker]

I do feel that it is inconsiderate to arrive on a charter without a buddy, ask a random buddy pair if you can dive with them, and then expect them to limit their dives for you. Even if they are gracious and agree to "pay it forward", it's an imposition, and they may feel obliged to let you join them.

On the other hand, I've had quite a few dives with fellow club members who have "limited" my dive as their gas consumption has been worse than mine. I can thoroughly live with that, particularly since I was on the other side of that table a few years ago, and my buddies were - or at least seemed - very relaxed about that. Like youth, inexperience is an affliction we've all suffered from, and having passed that stage myself I'm rather liberal when it comes to accepting that problem in other divers. For me, a successful dive is a dive where everyone surfaces safely.

I have to admit that my attitude might have been slightly different if it were a vacation dive where I'd paid a noticeable amount of money to dive and had been paired up with a hopeless n00b, getting my dive ruined because of that...

 

[doctormike]

One final point that I would like to make clear. I never try to integrate myself into a preexisting buddy pair. By that I mean that I always get to the boat early so I get to see which divers come on as pairs or triples. I never ask those people to buddy up because I assume that they have a system in place that they are accustomed to. Rather, I look for other divers who come alone and see if they want to buddy up. I try to be as little of an inconvenience as possible.

OK, that's different. If there are other buddyless divers, and they aren't planning a solo dive, then it's fine to ask them to dive with you and explain your situation up front so that a reasonable dive plan can be developed.

In your original post, you said this:

I did a few dives this summer with diving charters and for each dive I paired up with two other divers on the boat.

I misread that as you asking to join a buddy team. You mean that you made a three person team with two other single divers...?

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

First off, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this post. You all have provided me with a wealth of information and helped lessen my anxiety to a large degree; I truly appreciate this. The next time I go diving I am planning on paying the dive shop to have a DM come with me as my buddy so that, at the end of the first dive when I have an empty tank, I can have him/her observe my buoyancy (or lack thereof) and help me determine if I am carrying too much weight..

good subject, thanks ! Another thing is to give him a go pro and have him/her perhaps video you so you can see what you are doing.