Keep your dive buddies closer...

[The Chairman]

Using audio cues to keep tabs on a buddy might be sufficient for normal circumstances among warm water divers.

Which is where %95 of my diving is done.

But what happens when you're wearing a thick hood for cold water diving?

I don't normally wear a thick hood, but I adjust my distances and techniques according to the situations. Anyone who thinks that every dive should be handled in the same way is fooling themselves. That being said, the times that I have had to wear a hood impeded this skill a bit, but I was still successful.

What happens when the buddy needs help but his breathing is still rhythmic...and you aren't looking at/checking in with him?

Not going to happen. Breathing is the first thing to change. I learned even as a Dive Master to dive behind the group and to monitor the bubbles visually, now I listen to them.

What happens if your buddy just wants to communicate with you?

Then they communicate with me. A slap of a hand on a fist is more than enough to get my attention. Still, I almost always pick up on that before they make the signal. Try it sometime. You might learn something from the way your buddy breathes.

If you're closing your eyes and zoning out, are you still able to foresee imminent problems to the buddy team and act swiftly to prevent them?

Yes. Of course, I only zone out during a looooooooooong safety stop after I ascertain that all my buddies are fine.

FWIW, I think the OP meant to write: "...no greater distance/farther than 7 feet apart..."

Yeah, I would start to feel crowded unless the vis was WAY bad. There are times when I can't be counted on as a buddy. If I am hunting fish, lobsters or fossils I only solo dive. I have had people try to "buddy" with me, and they always get frustrated. I am very clear at the start of such activities that I do not want or need a buddy and will not be fulfilling that role. I also insist that we carry separate flags for that very reason. Some insist that they will just follow me, and I hate that. I don't want to be encumbered with a buddy when I am stalking prey.

 

[Bratface]

I was diving with a buddy who had her camera. She was always wandering waaay off by herself. She was so absorbed by her camera that she missed the pair of spotted eagle rays swimming 5 feet from me. I banged on my tank and she didn't even lift her head. She was so astonished when she got back on the boat to find out what she missed. I told her she needed to pay a little more attention and stick closer to the rest of us.

 

[Ozwald]

There's nothing wrong with expecting a great deal from a buddy.
However, if you want to give both people the best chance at being happy during/after the dive, you need to discuss expectations/logistics/contingency plans explicitly in the pre-dive conversation.

Try not to assume anything. The training and experiences that people have...are all over the map. Regarding the dive in question, you were assuming that your idea of good dive buddy behavior was the same as your insta-buddy's. Clearly that was a poor assumption.

Wanna hear something funny.....it wasn't an insta-buddy. It was a diver friend from up here where I live that wanted to go on a dive vacation and I was up for it. Yes, probably partly my fault not expressing forcefully enough, because I did convey my expectations, my guidelines prior to buying the tickets.

LIVE and learn.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Then they communicate with me. A slap of a hand on a fist is more than enough to get my attention. Still, I almost always pick up on that before they make the signal. Try it sometime. You might learn something from the way your buddy breathes.

Who said I don't listen to how my buddy breathes? Audio cues can be very helpful underwater (even if they are muted somewhat by a thick hood).

The point I'm trying to make here is that a diver who has closed his eyes and resigned himself to zoning out (or sleeping) is being complacent. He has shut down visual sensory information for no good reason. Without a doubt, such an act compromises situational awareness.

Yes. Of course, I only zone out during a safety stop after I ascertain that all my buddies are fine.

Well, at least they were fine when you chose to close your eyes. I'm sure you could imagine any number of changes in the UW environment that could pose a risk to you or your buddy.

 

[The Chairman]

Who said I don't listen to how my buddy breathes? Audio cues can be very helpful underwater (even if they are muted somewhat by a thick hood).

I get the feeling this is disagree with NetDoc at all costs day for you. You took me to task here for relying on audio clues and now you claim to do the same? Even with a thick hood? Like the other thread, you're saying that I am right, but you still want to proclaim me to be wrong. Are we running for the same office somewhere?

But hey, you weren't there when I zoned out and just listened, so you know precisely all the number of changes that could happen in those specific underwater environments. Maybe the boogeyman is creeping up on me. NO! It's the Kraken sneaking up while I simply relax and enjoy the sensations of floating neutrally.

It's obvious to me that we would not mix as dive buddies. Let's leave it at that. I'm not going to try to reason with an unreasonable person any longer.

 

[101recon]

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I do around 5-10ft in average visibility, and I tell my dive buddies this beforehand. This is especially important with bad visibility and if one of you is using a camera.

However, I might be little bit more lax in very good visibility or a very easy dive site (e.g., Ogden Point) with dive buddies that I dive with frequently, but I still emphasize under 10ft to my dive buddy.

 

[TSandM]

I think it's really important for people to dive with other folks who share their priorities. For me, team is a priority. I don't like buddies who get too far apart, or who don't look up from time to time to check on their companions. I'm very up front about this, and with someone with whom I haven't dived before, I'll get quite specific about where I want them to be. If they don't honor my requests, we'll talk about it post-dive. If the problem is recurrent, I'll just tell them I'm not comfortable diving with them, and look for another partner. (I didn't dive with my own husband for about six months because of this.)

I have learned that my concerns are not universal, and that some people have a much more casual approach to "buddying". I'm not comfortable diving with "same day, same ocean" people. They have a right to dive that way if they want, and I have a right to wanting an engaged dive buddy.

 

[RTee]

Diving is like dancing...you cannot have two trying to lead. Attempting to do so result in serious foot stomping. If somebody is leading a dive, the most basic courtesy from the others in the group is to follow notwithstanding if you happen to carry a big camera set-up. At some locations, a leader (DM) may be assigned to you. Fine, then you and your buddy follow him. If none is provided, then one individual in the group or the team as to be assigned as the the lead and act accordingly. This does not mean that others do not have their say during the dive but somebody has to be up front. I profoundly dislike being asked to lead a dive but to have to constantly look backward because some folks decide to do their own thing or attempt to set the pace from the back. When that happen, I have no problem telling them that they can lead the next dive and I will close the back (and no...I do not do it for payback time). I just prefer looking forward or sideways when I dive and where I am going instead of where I am coming from.

I just returned from a two week long diving trip in Bonaire as part of a group of friends and diving buddies. One individual brought up a big underwater camera set-up. He is a great individual and diver but, like anybody with a big camera, he will be looking for stuff and at stuff. From time to time, he will look at you for SA and then goes back to his thing. During said trip a friend of mine and myself rotated as being his diving buddy for the better part of the two weeks (my GF diving with other folks in the group) and I guess we both acted in very similar fashion. We hovered nearby him, sometime right on top of him to see what was captivating him, maintained visual contact with the rest of the group, at times giving him a gentle tap to close the gap, kept our eyes opened for something he might be interested in photographing and enjoyed our dive. When I follow, I will usually position myself a certain way in relation to the other diver and remain in that position. If I decide to move to another position, I will let him or her know. Therefore, if my dive buddy wants to look for me then he or she will instinctively look at that position first.

I guess this is not bad for an OW by-product of late 70s...

 

[TSandM]

Oh, and BTW, I don't mind people going to sleep on deco, if they are decoing in the little alcove off the Eye, or under the log in the Ear. I've done it myself