Problems diving with other dive buddies

[WhiteSands]

I'm posting this to see if others face the same problems I do, and would like to hear suggestions of how you would deal with it.

I prefer self-dives with my buddy over following a guide or diving with unfamiliar buddies (who may be good friends in life). When I dive with my regular buddy, both of us have no problems thumbing the dive at any time without any bad feelings. Or rather, we know each other so well we don't really care if our buddy feels bad.

This past week, I was called on to guide a dive as I had dived there many times and knew where to find the critters. During the dive, we spotted some rare critters and I guess I got really excited and gulped a lot of air taking photos. Before long, I had only 60bar left.

I asked my buddy and he had 100bars left. Being the guide, I felt really bad that I had to cut short the dive. So I signalled to go shallower to try to last longer.
Because of feeling bad for my buddy in cutting short his dive, I tried to stay down as long as possible. Sad to say, I cut it a little close. I surfaced with only 20bar left.

I have encountered this problem several times in the past. Sometimes, I thumb the dive and the dive guide will say to wait and swim a little more, and I will start feeling uncomfortable.

Does anyone else face problems like this, and how do you deal with it?

 

[rivers]

Anyone can thumb the dive for any reason. If I'm diving with people that I've never or rarely dive with, I reiterate that rule at the start of the dive. A thumb is not a question. If it's seen, the dive is over, and the blob goes up or we head back to the shot. I never feel bad for thumbing a dive, and I make sure whomever I'm diving with doesn't feel bad thumbing it. The dive site will be there another day. The only question anyone will get from me after a thumb is "Everything okay?" because that's all I care about.
I don't do guided dives, so I can't really comment on what I would do. but if I thumbed, and the guide told me to wait, I'd most likely give him a one fingered salute and abort on my own.

 

[phork]

but if I thumbed, and the guide told me to wait, I'd most likely give him a one fingered salute and abort on my own.

Agreed.

I will never feel bad for getting low on air and thumbing a dive or calling it for any reason in general. Just because someone else still has 1/4 tank doesn't mean I can breath off a tank that's empty and just because someone else is having a good time doesn't mean everything is going well for me. I called my first night dive after 15 minutes because the current was strong, my mask kept fogging and I couldn't control my breathing properly (I was a cigarette smoker then and after fighting a hard current for 10 minutes, I was severely winded and sucking down air). I figured it was better for me to call it and get out of the water rather than continue on with something that I wasn't comfortable with. If any of my buddies would have told me to wait because they weren't done then we'd no longer be diving together. Them being cave guys, they felt right at home in the dark with a current in low vis, I didn't. When they realized how it was going for me they helped me along and we got out of the current and exited the water. No complaints from them and they were all actually relieved that I called it when I wasn't comfortable.

Fortunately I've never had an issue where someone told me to wait when I called it, but if they did, I'd probably ascend on my own as Rivers said. You want to keep going, by all means, go ahead, however if I call it I'm exiting the water.

 

[TSandM]

There are things in life that can be negotiated. Running out of gas is not one of them. If I think I need to get shallower or surface because of limited gas supply, I do it. My communication with a guide or buddy is not a discussion or a question -- it's an announcement of what I need to do.

This is one of the reasons that I do not like guided dives where the agreement is that the first person low on gas surfaces the entire group.

I would be (and have been once or twice) VERY angry with a buddy who decided to continue a dive in the face of low gas. He is, after all, carrying MY reserve supply -- and USING it!

 

[DivemasterDennis]

The key is the pre-dive planning and briefing to establish clearly who is leader, and under what conditions, including lowest air supply level, will cause the dive to end. This is a matter of communication with the group before the dive begins. Set the rules, and they will follow.
DIvemasterDennis

 

[Steve_C]

You thumb when you need to thumb.

In this particular case it sounds like you were guiding the dive but guiding is not something you normally do. That can affect your air consumption more than you think it does.

I took a drift diving course. We were drifting the outer edge of Florida Keys in 60 ft of water (max agency allows for class dive). Day 1 was nice. Day 2 under the exact same conditions, the instructor told me to run the dive from briefing back ot the boat. I had three swim to cuba folks and two hold hands and stare at each other folks. I was just drifting along trying to gently keep this herd within eyesight when I checked my gauge and say that I was burning air over 20% faster than the day before. Just from the nervous tension even though I was not physically more active.

So I pointed out my air supply to instructor, made a point of relaxing my breathing, and then eased up the edge of the reef a bit so we were running in 45-50 ft of water so the group got in a 40+ minute dive and I stayed within my air supply. Group I was guiding were none the wiser.

 

[poomero]

I called a dive last weekend and I didn't feel bad at all and neither did my dive buddy. When we surfaced he said are you ok and I said it was way to rough for me and I didn't feel comfortable in those conditions. He said ok what do I want to do. I got back in the boat and was 100% ok with that. he said he wanted to finish the dive and he said he was comfortable with the conditions for a solo dive. He is an instructor so I was alright with his decision. no one should ever feel bad or make anyone feel bad for calling a dive.

 

[redacted]

Manage your air consumption right from the beginning of the dive. Don't wait until you are LOA to look for ways to reduce your consumption rate.

End your dive when you need to.

 

[j2s]

Anyone can thumb the dive for any reason. If I'm diving with people that I've never or rarely dive with, I reiterate that rule at the start of the dive. A thumb is not a question. If it's seen, the dive is over, and the blob goes up or we head back to the shot. I never feel bad for thumbing a dive, and I make sure whomever I'm diving with doesn't feel bad thumbing it. The dive site will be there another day. The only question anyone will get from me after a thumb is "Everything okay?" because that's all I care about.
I don't do guided dives, so I can't really comment on what I would do. but if I thumbed, and the guide told me to wait, I'd most likely give him a one fingered salute and abort on my own.

....Same.....Any dive, any reason, any time....Even if it's just a 'gut' feeling......If they don't pay attention, I leave them......W/O any remorse !!!!.....

 

[3D diver]

FWIW: I bought a 120 so's I'm not the one calling the dive (most of the time).

But the previous posts are right, IMHO, call the dive when you have to---or even want to---no questions asked. If you hesitate, and something goes really south, you'll feel a lot worse.