serambin:
So as not to hijack the other thread, I would like to get techniques for evaluating a buddy hookup on a dive boat. I will be diving in Mexico early next year and will not have a buddy with me. The dive charter company assures me they will get me a buddy, but how do you judge the competence of a put together buddy? Under what circumstances would you pass on the dive?
People lie. You can't ever "know the competence" of someone until you dive with them. But you can improve your chances and increase the odds of getting a good buddy by running them through the gauntlet.
I know I'm a good buddy. I expect the same from my insta-buddy - so I take the time to be sure I get the pick of the litter on any boat I'm on. I'm worth it. So are you. This person has to be there if/when it hits the fan. They need to be able to get you out of a jam. Some Insta-buddies are up to the task. Some simply become my nearby drifting back up gas supply. Once in awhile you get a gem and a friend for life.
Here's what I do:
First, the elimination round (aka: the big 3):
* I never dive with Hunters
* I never dive with Rebreather divers
* I never dive with the morbidly obese
If the prospective buddy isn't any of the above, they're still in the ball game.
Now to the preference list:
* I prefer to dive with DIR divers
* I prefer to dive with skilled women
If none of the above two can be easily or visually discerned, we go into the lightening round:
Look at them
1) Gear - take a look at their gear configuration, condition and brand. If a prospective buddy is a hippie diving a two hose vintage reg and a plastic back pack, they may be an fine diver but we're not seeing eye to eye. I pass. If the gear is later than the Carter administration, OK. Do they look like a Christmas tree with bobbles and bells hanging all over the place, or do they look a little more together? Is this person diving the yellowed remains of the 4-window mask they bought for their OW class in 1985? Are they diving Dacor or Atomic regs? Backplate or horse collar? Computer or sundial? Pony bottle? Do they have a dive light? Do they carry a slate or some kind of device to write on? DIN or Yoke? Imperial or Bars? You can tell a lot about a person by the care, condition, configuration and brand of gear they dive.
Speak with them
2) Experience - How many dives, in what environment? Cold water through pounding surf, or have they been once-a-year resort divers in warm water all their life? Does their experience include diving in conditions like you'll be diving today? Have they been here before? Have they ever had an OOA, been separated from a buddy, been bent, lost their way back to the boat, etc? What is their training? OW in the Nixon era and they're just starting to dive again, or has there been continuous, escalating education and training? Are they Nitrox certified? Experience means a lot to me, but relevant, recent and real experience means more to me. If someone has 75 dives in these conditions over the last 6 months, but has only been diving for 2 years, I'd take that person over someone with 300 dives 10 years ago. I hold experience (again, real, recent and relevant experience) over "skills." Meaning I'll take someone who's been diving a lot over someone with their DM, their peak performance buoyancy, their rescue diver, their night diving, their navigation, photograph and fishie ID badge and all of 35 dives.
Get to know them
3) Attitude - are they regaling you and anyone else within earshot about the time they wrestled a giant squid into submission, while doing an air share with their buddy at 145 feet? Are they quietly setting up their rig in the corner of the boat and keeping to themselves? Go make conversation. They could just be shy - I am, for sure. The best insta-buddy experience of my life is when she came over and talked to me. Is this person giving off a confident vibe, or is it all bravado and no substance? Are they focused and excited about the trip, or are they nervous and not confident because its a new site or a new rig or not their regulary buddy? This is your dive trip, so go make polite conversation - you don't need to love this person, or even really like them - you need to be able to work as a team underwater.
I've been very lucky. I boat dive a lot, and insta-buddies are a part of life. The only time I've had
bad experiences are when I violated the big 3. I've had mediocre trips when the pickin's were slim, and I've made some poor choices, but I've never a bad experience except when I blew past my own rules and violated the big 3.
Others will post their tips. These are mine. YMMV.
Enjoy.
---
Ken
PS: where are you going in Mexico?
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