How bad was this thing I did? (2nd dive ever)

[daduls]

I think you’re on the right track by not using your camera with this particular buddy. It will make for a more pleasant evening...

 

[J322Y]

I think you’re on the right track by not using your camera with this particular buddy. It will make for a more pleasant evening...

I haven't brought the camera on a dive with her since then. I don't imagine winning an argument with her, but I did want to hear some objective opinions about.

On a moon lit night dive at Blue Heron Bridge we swam quite a while holding hands. I think that might be the better profile...

 

[daduls]

On a moon lit night dive at Blue Heron Bridge we swan quite a while holding hands. I think that might be the better profile...

Safe diving and happy endings, doesn’t get much better.....

 

[RayfromTX]

I love diving with my wife. Underwater ballroom dancing is very romantic and I'm not kidding.

 

[jlcnuke]

I had my GoPro on 3 of my 4 OW cert dives (stick mount, wrist strap, both in zippered pocket until after skills demonstrations were done), and wish I would have brought it on the 1st as well (best dive site of the 4 dives imo). With as easy as they are to use, it's seems to me that someone who has a problem concentrating on diving while using one would likely have difficulty walking and breathing at the same time as well..

 

[gfspencer]

One thing that I didn't read about in this discussion is "camera skills". (I might have missed it.) Ask yourself does your camera and/or your camera skill detract from your diving?

I am an old guy (71) who is "vacation diver" so I don't consider myself an experienced diver. However, I am a decent photographer and I am very familiar with my photography equipment. When I dive I take a small point & shoot camera that is tethered to my wrist. The camera does not get in my way. The camera does not take too much attention away from my diving. Sometimes I take pictures. Sometimes I don't. I don't think that I am endangering myself or others. And if the going gets rough I would dump my camera.

 

[Antmany2k]

me and my original buddy both got go pros after our AOW. i used my camera when i see something and secure it to my BCD when not using it while my buddy never puts it down and sometimes has to be given a whack cause he is too busy messing around with the camera to see the instructor/guide asking how much air he has or because he doesn't realize that the electric ray is about to give him a 150 volt wake up call cause he is getting too close (unfortunately that is a true story) . point is number of dives doesn't necessarily influence how good you will be with a camera.

its your awareness of whats going on around you and the effort you put into your skills and thats why i don't use my camera unless i see something special. also i like to see stuff with my eyes rather than instantly pointing my camera at it. if i was just doing it to see it on a screen id stay at home and google a turtle and save myself some money haha

 

[Diver2018]

Certainly don't want to offend all the more experienced posters. During classes, I do think that cameras should be "frowned upon". During recreational dives, as long as you are being safe, I would think it's just fine. I like the poster that says "I make it a rule not to change more than one thing at a time". Maybe during the "buddy check", you could mention to your buddy that if he thinks you are being posing some kind of hindrance during the dive that you have a signal where you agree to stop filming for the rest of the dive. It sure seems like from what you mentioned in the OP, that you have the situation under control. My regular dive buddy uses a GoPro all the time and I have never had an issue with it.

 

[gcarter]

This question relates to a few aspects of diving including, buddy consideration, diver and proficiency.

On my second dive after OW certification I took a camera with me. The site was the snorkel trail at Blue Heron Bridge. I've been told by my buddy that this was wrong, and I want to understand to what degree that's true. To help determine how bad that was, I've listed a few facts below to consider:

I'm 59 years old. I'm wiry and athletic, with better than average coordination. I have a history of reacting quickly and appropriately in stressful situations. I'm a chef by trade, and I'm used to heavy task loading which is part of those duties. I've shown very good situational awareness* in the past. My buddy agrees with all of these statements.

On the dive in question my buddy, who has been diving since the late 70's, complimented me on my buoyancy control, calmness, and general skill considering that I'm a novice.

I think the deepest part of this dive was 10 ft. It was a 45 minute dive during peak slack tide. Visibility was
typically good for BHB, I'll say 40-50 feet, although I'm not a good judge at this point.

The camera was a $75 GoPro knockoff that I got just to mess around with until I put more thought into UW photography. It was attached to my bcd using a retractor, so when not in use I could just let go of it. I shot video (no lights) by leaving it on the retractor line and holding it with one hand leaving the other hand free.

I shot a total of about 8 minutes of video. When we came to a new piece of structure I would get control of my buoyancy, extend the camera and turn it on, and then slowly circle the rocks.

I've read threads about new divers avoiding using cameras until they're more proficient divers, and I generally agree. I made the call to take the camera down based on the depth, conditions, and the fact that I'm not greatly attached to the camera. That was about 10 dives ago, and I've used it in a similar way twice, both times in FL springs.

I thought my buddy was over this, but it was mentioned again today, so I'm looking for objective feedback on the subject. It's actually turning into a lasting disagreement I'm afraid.

*I hope this part doesn't sound like bragging, but it might be helpful in establishing my frame of mind underwater, and in general. For my 5th dive, I was with the same buddy diving The City of Washington off Key Largo. This was my first boat dive, and first ocean dive. I was one of 5 divers on the boat, and all of them have a lot of experience. Capt. pointed us toward the wreck, and into the current which was pretty strong that day. I entered the water first and waited for the others. Once down, everyone started heading in the opposite direction, with the current. I refused to follow and my buddy signaled confusion. I took their slate, got my knife and sharpened the broken pencil, and drew an arrow labeled "current" and pointed in the appropriate direction. They recognized the issue and changed direction.

Get a new buddy, one you can learn from. Everything is contextual. The situation as described was not wrong.

 

[gcarter]

Get a new buddy, one you can learn from. Everything is contextual. The situation as described was not wrong.

Significant other?

Never mind what I said, do what you are told. It's safer.