We eventually found each other, but he seemed pretty agitated that I didn't pop up right away. I told him I wasn't comfortable doing that at that depth, and he seemed to think it was ok...
My question is- Is it anyway safe to pop up for a minute and take a look for his bubbles at that depth? (i don't think so, just confirming that i'm not insane).
The main thing to remember for next time is to take this into consideration in the planning.
Safety stops are optional but recommended so normally I agree to make a "normal" ascent and that includes the safety stop. With a very inexperienced buddy I might suggest foregoing that, but it would depend on circumstances.
R..