Buddy line/buddy's joined together

[opie]

When my daughter and I dive,i carry one. I carry a 6 ft line with a caribeaner on each end. So there is no chance of me or her dropping the line. Cause the wife would be pissed if i came back without her

 

[on_two_wheels]

It shouldn't be needed in any situation.

#1 If it is a result of poor buddy skills, this will be a crutch that will not help develop good buddy skills.

#2 There is the safety aspect of this catching on something and causing problems, not to mention the entanglement hazard.

#3 There is the environmental aspect. How often will the slack in the line catch, drag, snag, or kill hard or soft coral.

#4 If using in low visiblity, just multiple the snag hazard. What if one buddy drops their end of the 10 feet long line in low visibility? Now they are really seperated.

#1 If a couple divers are new and KNOW they aren't the best this can add an element of safety until their skills improve. If anything, the constant reminder someone else is there could actually help them get better and checking on buddies. I agree, it can also become a crutch. I'll call this one a wash.

#2 If it gets caught on something, at least BOTH are there to get it untangled rather than one diver getting entangled and the buddy be MIA for a minute and surface thinking that's what you'll do.

#3 If it's that long or you're hugging while swimming, you don't need the line. It would be up to them to be careful but again, I agree this is a valid issue, albeit minimal.

#4 Why would someone that feels the need to use such a line drop it? Furthermore, why would they not simply clip it?

I see the pros and cons. The cons are well represented. The pros I think are allowing new divers without the habit of constantly checking on buddy to still dive without the risk of separation. Not a bad thing in my opinion. I've never used one but have often thought about it when looking for my buddy in the kelp forrest. It literally takes one fin kick and a turn to lose your buddy. Even the BEST buddies can get separated in that stuff.

 

[Teamcasa]

When my daughter and I dive,i carry one. I carry a 6 ft line with a caribeaner on each end. So there is no chance of me or her dropping the line. Cause the wife would be pissed if i came back without her

Funny!

I see the pros and cons. The cons are well represented. The pros I think are allowing new divers without the habit of constantly checking on buddy to still dive without the risk of separation. Not a bad thing in my opinion. I've never used one but have often thought about it when looking for my buddy in the kelp forrest. It literally takes one fin kick and a turn to lose your buddy. Even the BEST buddies can get separated in that stuff.

That's where my wife and I use it the most. It can help in keeping single file while dodging the kelp on day where the surge keeps you on your toes. Besides, my neck gets sore turning and looking for her all the time.

 

[highdesert]

Never carried one, but have always thought about the "what if" if we got blown off a dive site, away from the boat, in strong current, especially at night. I would much rather find that when we surface, we are together. I would not want to dive tethered to my wife/buddy, so it would come down to being able to "clip in" quickly if a bona fide emergency situation arose. Yes, we carry SMB's and strobes, but why make searching for surfaced divers more difficult than necessary?

 

[Walter]

Buddy lines are an excellent tool. They shouldn't be used as a crutch to negate the development of skills, but they have their uses. Equipment should never be used to compensate for poor skills. Unfortunately, we do see it all too often. BCs are often used to compensate for an inability to swim, and for an inability to weight a diver properly. I don't assume everyone using a BC is doing so to compensate for inadequate skills.

I always carry a buddy line, even when diving solo. They are extremely useful in many different situations. I most commonly use mine when diving in low viz while searching for fossils. Proper technique involves putting your hand through the loop and holding the line. The buddy line isn't dropped when you use good technique. Entanglement? If there's a problem with entanglement, you might want to reconsider the use of a buddy line. They are great to use as jon lines. They are great for tows. They can be used to keep a group of divers together while awaiting pickup. When diving off small boats, they are handy to secure your gear to the boat while you exit the water.

A buddy line is the single most useful item of gear I carry. I don't use it on every dive, but I use it more often than I use my BC.