The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Which is where %95 of my diving is done.Using audio cues to keep tabs on a buddy might be sufficient for normal circumstances among warm water divers.
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.But what happens when you're wearing a thick hood for cold water diving?
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 when the buddy needs help but his breathing is still rhythmic...and you aren't looking at/checking in with him?
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.What happens if your buddy just wants to communicate with you?
Yes. Of course, I only zone out during a looooooooooong safety stop after I ascertain that all my buddies are fine.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?
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.FWIW, I think the OP meant to write: "...no greater distance/farther than 7 feet apart..."
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