Dangers and options for swim throughs, down currents, and buddy teams/groups

[xyrandomyx]

I agree with diverrex, and will go as far as to say that in a normal buddy situation, it is very hard to do anything worse than having one of the divers above and behind the other. I have had a couple of regular buddies who had that tendency, and I had to tell them what a pain in the neck they were being. Literally. While they were keeping track of me effortlessly, I had to keep twisting my neck around to see them. And it was not a matter of my being ahead and below them. In each case, I kept trying to adjust, and they kept adjusting to my adjustment. One of them was just this weekend. I told them that if I had kept trying to get us in a position where I could see him by slowing down and ascending, it would not be long before we were swimming backward on the surface. In good buddy diving, both partners can see each other with ease.

My first dive buddy (who has now ditched me because he doesn't like cold water) used to do this. Until I told him I'd send him my physio bills when my neck finally gave in. On the upside, it taught me to not do this to anyone else, since I've had first-hand experience of how much of a pain it is.

I try as far as possible to dive side-by-side with my buddy (and ask new/ insta-buddies to do this before dives, so we're clear). The diver leading might be slightly in front, but not so much that a slight tilt of the head won't put the diver following in sight. If I'm leading and about to make a sharp turn, I try to signal by pointing before I do. I find it helps with not ending up swimming into each other.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I was taught that a buddy team is made up of a leader and a follower. All members of the team need to know what their roll is and the signal for follow and lead. I think in most cases of separation there is no leader or follower just divers that get in the water together. My comments are not in reference to the accident but meant to help divers be better buddies.

You were taught wrong. Buddy teams share responsibility. Quite often when they do they can compliment each other. One's weakness may be another's strength. Learning these things allows you to take it to the next step which is switching roles when possible so that you each build up weak points. Assuming there is always a leader and a follower often results in the follower staying weak. And that is a dangerous situation should something happen to the leader on the dive.

Group diving does occur. But at not time does it relieve the buddy team of their responsibility to each other. Including having a back up plan separate from the group plan. And the leader of the group is not your buddy.

 

[nimoh]

You were taught wrong. Buddy teams share responsibility. Quite often when they do they can compliment each other. One's weakness may be another's strength. Learning these things allows you to take it to the next step which is switching roles when possible so that you each build up weak points. Assuming there is always a leader and a follower often results in the follower staying weak. And that is a dangerous situation should something happen to the leader on the dive.

Group diving does occur. But at not time does it relieve the buddy team of their responsibility to each other. Including having a back up plan separate from the group plan. And the leader of the group is not your buddy.

I interpreted fishi's post as a particular dive has a leader and a follower, but on subsequent dives the roles could be changed, or even possibly changed during the dive for whatever reason.

I also think that fishi is correct in that members of the group have different roles, for example, one role may be to shoot a bag at the end of the dive, however other members should be able to shoot a bag also if necessary.

 

[peterbj7]

Since we seem to be moving towards general diving etiquette, may I add a point about DSMBs (too commonly confused with lift bags, though that's not my point). When some divers are close together and all intending on surfacing for the same boat, whether or not they've been diving as a formal group, they should all surface and stay near to a DSMB once sent up by one of them. The boat will see that DSMB and manoeuvre close to it to pick up its owner. The boat captain won't necessarily know there are other divers coming up and certainly won't know exactly where they are, so it's courteous and safer to stay with the DSMB.

 

[fishi]

You were taught wrong. Buddy teams share responsibility. Quite often when they do they can compliment each other. One's weakness may be another's strength. Learning these things allows you to take it to the next step which is switching roles when possible so that you each build up weak points. Assuming there is always a leader and a follower often results in the follower staying weak. And that is a dangerous situation should something happen to the leader on the dive.

Group diving does occur. But at not time does it relieve the buddy team of their responsibility to each other. Including having a back up plan separate from the group plan. And the leader of the group is not your buddy.

I've only had one instructor so I have never considered any other way of doing it. We take turns leading unless one of us is more familiar with a site then that person will lead. I don't know if we would function very well if neither one of us was leading the dive. When I do dives with people I don't know or have never met before it seems that someone always has more dives or is more familiar with the site so that diver will lead.

 

[boulderjohn]

I interpreted fishi's post as a particular dive has a leader and a follower, but on subsequent dives the roles could be changed, or even possibly changed during the dive for whatever reason.

I also think that fishi is correct in that members of the group have different roles, for example, one role may be to shoot a bag at the end of the dive, however other members should be able to shoot a bag also if necessary.

That's how I interpreted it, and that is how I was taught, especially throughout my tech training.

 

[BDSC]

I've only had one instructor so I have never considered any other way of doing it. We take turns leading unless one of us is more familiar with a site then that person will lead.

What you are doing is just fine. I know a lot of folks who do it the way you guys are doing it. Just because one person leads and one follows doesn't mean you are not both responsible.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Was she above and behind you or were you below and ahead of her?

Taking the "Bird of Prey" position is a horrible thing to do to a buddy. you have to stop, spin around look up, ruin your vision by looking into the sun and when you tip you head up, the water in the mask runs into your nose and burns your eyes. I have EXTREMELY limited patience for that kinda crap..

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Since we seem to be moving towards general diving etiquette, may I add a point about DSMBs (too commonly confused with lift bags, though that's not my point). When some divers are close together and all intending on surfacing for the same boat, whether or not they've been diving as a formal group, they should all surface and stay near to a DSMB once sent up by one of them. The boat will see that DSMB and manoeuvre close to it to pick up its owner. The boat captain won't necessarily know there are other divers coming up and certainly won't know exactly where they are, so it's courteous and safer to stay with the DSMB.

Possibly a more important warning to divers would be to never, ever swim horizontally when close to the surface and ascending from a drift dive when getting picked up by a live boat. I always thought this practice was incredibly dangerous, in that the diver is not ascending within his own stream of bubbles. If the capt. is using those bubble stream as clues to where the diver will pop up, he can be mislead... depending on surface conditions etc.

COME up within your bubble stream, preferably right next to a diver on the surface or an SMB. if you have extra air and do not have an SMB overhead, I like to purge the reg at 8 ft and send a big warning blast of bubble up for the boat operator to see, immediately before my final ascent.