Scubageezer
Guest
Our group here dives three quite often but it is with divers we know and gear with which we're familiar. It always comes down to discussion and planning. Haven't had any problems.
Diving in Threes?
- Thread starter Gidds
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Gidds, according to your profile, you're a new diver. I'll answer from the perspective of another new diver.
I've done a number of dives with three. I don't like it very much. Invariably, I get caught in the middle, with one of my "buddies" going one way and the other the other, and where do I go? Who do I follow? For whom am I responsible? Who is responsible for me? If one (or God forbid, BOTH) of the other divers have cameras, it makes it that much worse.
I think it might work okay if, before getting in the water, there was agreement as to who was the leader and that BOTH of the other divers would behave toward that leader as they would a single buddy. But even then, I don't know what you do with the photographers . . .
I've done a number of dives with three. I don't like it very much. Invariably, I get caught in the middle, with one of my "buddies" going one way and the other the other, and where do I go? Who do I follow? For whom am I responsible? Who is responsible for me? If one (or God forbid, BOTH) of the other divers have cameras, it makes it that much worse.
I think it might work okay if, before getting in the water, there was agreement as to who was the leader and that BOTH of the other divers would behave toward that leader as they would a single buddy. But even then, I don't know what you do with the photographers . . .
I plan to do quite a bit of three-some diving with my wife and daughter. To simplify things I made sure we all had the same brand computer, same brand BCD, and the exact same regulators. We will also discuss underwater protocols to follow to attempt to eliminate as many surprises as possible. With a little be of coordination and a lot of familarity I see no reason not to dive as a three-some.
ChillyWaters
Contributor
gangrel441:
WHAT?! It has nothing to do with pure statistics. Failure doesn't usually "just happen," but is usually a result of poor equipment maintenance, etc. Not always, but often.
It is EXTREMELY unlikely for 2 people, with properly maintained and setup equipment, to have a failure, not only on the same dive, but at the same time.
However, if 2 people really had a problem at the same time (perhaps a couple who both had improperly maintained equipment) when diving in a threesome, just imagine what would have happened had they told that third diver not to come!!!
- ChillyWaters
OP
Gidds
Contributor
Ok so what DO you do if both your buddies end up OOA? I mean this in a normal rec. sense, no caves, no wrecks etc. Octo to one and buddy breath with the other? Doable but logistically complicated and hopefullly you're not too deep.
mossym
Contributor
TSandM:Gidds, according to your profile, you're a new diver. I'll answer from the perspective of another new diver.
I've done a number of dives with three. I don't like it very much. Invariably, I get caught in the middle, with one of my "buddies" going one way and the other the other, and where do I go? Who do I follow? For whom am I responsible? Who is responsible for me? If one (or God forbid, BOTH) of the other divers have cameras, it makes it that much worse.
I think it might work okay if, before getting in the water, there was agreement as to who was the leader and that BOTH of the other divers would behave toward that leader as they would a single buddy. But even then, I don't know what you do with the photographers . . .
shouldn't all that be taken care of in your dive plan?
mossym
Contributor
Gidds:
once the first buddy is out of air you're going to the surface..there should be a very short time where the other can run out of air..but you're right, it could happen...
if i was diving with 2 other divers, and didn't know at least one was a safe experienced diver..we'de be staying very very shallow
I'm surprised so many people here dive in threes, really dindn't think about that before.
My instructor used to say that "diving in threes" is diving a couple and a solo, and used to explain that on the whiteboard with "3 = 2 + 1". "It's just math!", he would add sarchastically.
I don't think that's necessarily true, and the experiences of several of you guys can attest to that. What concerns me is that, if you're not absolutely, positively clear about who's the responsibility of XYZ task, the group starts "passing the ball", just like with Katrina
Yeh, that should have been in the plan, but the problem is that most divers out there make poor plans, even for 2-buddies' standards.
Whenever I think of 3s, I think of a diver having seizures, another diver thinking "the other guy is more experienced/closer/taller/smaller/skinnier/bigger than me, he will do it", while the other guy is doing exactly the same thinking at the same time.
I see "ball passing" in the company I work for, the school I studied at, the family I live with, and, more recently, CNN --and here we have unimpaired communications!
I think diving 3s should be a decision that a diver makes when he/she reaches a level of proficiency high enough to guarantee that all those things are being properly planned. Expecting a 50-dives diver to do that is just playing russian-roulete with three chambers loaded...
Gio.
My instructor used to say that "diving in threes" is diving a couple and a solo, and used to explain that on the whiteboard with "3 = 2 + 1". "It's just math!", he would add sarchastically.
I don't think that's necessarily true, and the experiences of several of you guys can attest to that. What concerns me is that, if you're not absolutely, positively clear about who's the responsibility of XYZ task, the group starts "passing the ball", just like with Katrina
mossym:
Yeh, that should have been in the plan, but the problem is that most divers out there make poor plans, even for 2-buddies' standards.
Whenever I think of 3s, I think of a diver having seizures, another diver thinking "the other guy is more experienced/closer/taller/smaller/skinnier/bigger than me, he will do it", while the other guy is doing exactly the same thinking at the same time.
I see "ball passing" in the company I work for, the school I studied at, the family I live with, and, more recently, CNN
--and here we have unimpaired communications!I think diving 3s should be a decision that a diver makes when he/she reaches a level of proficiency high enough to guarantee that all those things are being properly planned. Expecting a 50-dives diver to do that is just playing russian-roulete with three chambers loaded...
Gio.
TSandM:
I know what you mean TsandM. That's why having a common objective is critical especially when greater than a 2 person team. Photographers and even worse are hunter gatherers. If you must dive with one of the above make them lead and be content to follow.
Pete
One aspect that should be mentioned that has been so far absent is visibility. Diving with three people is not a real problem, if the visibility is good. If you are diving in the warm clear waters of the Caribbean, then you can keep track of each other easier. However, in low visibility it "can" be a real problem.
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