Threesome

[LI Diver]

OK just made my son read some of the posts and now he is seeing the light! Now I just have to deal with his sister who will probably tell me to get an instant buddy so that I have more money in the till to buy her trinkets! Me myself I love having a local guide to show us all the hidey holes! Not that that solo dive is not tempting though.My only fear would be entanglement. I wouldn't go below 30fsw. And if possible much less. I do respect all your guys advice however and will do my meandering with a buddy.......... For now!

 

[HowardE]

What is the consensus? I will be in Bonaire at the Sand dollar with my 15yr old daughter and 13 yr old son in 9 days and plan on doing a lot of shallow shore diving at the house (Bari) reef. Should I try to find a buddy there to round out the group to 4 or do what I would prefer and dive as a threesome. It is my daughters first dive trip since certification in April and my son and I have about 30 logged dives. All are comfortable underwater and good w/skills. Also if there are times they don't want to dive I would love to do some very conservative solo dives just for the solitude. Am I crazy? :huh: Ed

I dive solo, in buddy pairs, 3-somes, 4-somes, and sometimes more. It really depends. There's no problem with larger groups, as long as its determined who will lead, and that the lead person looks back frequently. I don't see any reason to seek an extra person, it's not like a date, where the third person would be the "third wheel" and you need someone to keep them occupied

 

[wardric]

I agree with El Orans. I have two regular buddies and we often dive as a unit, no problem at all being 3. We even prefer that to being buddied to an insta-buddy.

If you do a threesome, dont put your daughter in the middle, she would be more likely to cut the communication between you and your son. stay in the middle yourself, so you can keep an eye on both and communicate easilly with both. Also, stay close like we do in our murky lakes (an arm's lenght).

 

[HowardE]

I agree with El Orans. I have two regular buddies and we often dive as a unit, no problem at all being 3. We even prefer that to being buddied to an insta-buddy.

If you do a threesome, dont put your daughter in the middle, she would be more likely to cut the communication between you and your son. stay in the middle yourself, so you can keep an eye on both and communicate easilly with both. Also, stay close like we do in our murky lakes (an arm's lenght).

The OP is diving in Bonaire, not one of your creepy and cold canadian lakes

How many people were in the group with us, when we dived in FL? 5 or 6?

 

[Guba]

There are caveats to almost everything I'm about to say...
Threesomes are not INHERENTLY bad--IF they are experienced enough to keep track of ALL other members of the team. That's not the situation in your case.

Solo diving is not inherently bad, either--IF the diver is experienced, well-trained (are you rescue diver certified?) and well-equipped. Do you have a full range of solo gear complete with TOTALLY redundant air supplies, etc? If you are not trained for solo, then it's a bad idea.

Partnering with very young divers in general isn't a bad idea--AS LONG AS they can operate as a fully functional dive partner. That means can they not only handle their own safety, but can they handle YOURS? In other words, can this young person rescue a full grown partner including surface tows, etc...? If their size or skill level prevents this, then you are, essentially, diving solo with someone in tow. (see above about diving solo.)

An relatively inexperienced dad with two inexperienced teens? No caveat here...not an ideal situation at all. The suggestion to round out the dive team with a guide is a good one. Not only would there be another adult, but a well-trained one at that. In addition, just about everyone involved would benefit from what a guide could show you. These ops know the reefs well. They dive them every day and can show you more in minutes than you could discover in a series of dives on your own.

With time, your young ones will mature, develop and acquire experience and training. They will become good partners with time and patience. Don't rush it. Hopefully, there will be many more trips for ya'll to enjoy.

 

[LI Diver]

My question now is are dm's available to shore dive when I need them? If I want to make 4 dives a day at the house reef..... in my experience last year in curacao it's kinda doubtful. I really don't want to spend my vacation chasing down dm's. I guess this may be a good time to call the dive operator and ask

 

[wardric]

The OP is diving in Bonaire, not one of your creepy and cold canadian lakes

How many people were in the group with us, when we dived in FL? 5 or 6?

6 i think, but we lost Marvel on the way

In less than 10 ft viz, a large group is not fun at all. 3 is fine if you dive with a regular buddy though.

Of course, in your paradisiac waters, it's not an issue...

But even in the clearest waters, i would recommend new divers to stay as close as possible.

 

[dlndavid]

isn't a threesome a menage et trois?