"Good Buddy" or "Dive Natzi" ??????

Last weekend I was talking with a Dive Con about our oldest starting OW in a couple of weeks. I asked if buddy/hubby and I could audit the class. He wanted to know why so I explained my hubby had been resort certified in 2 days and had no clue about the "buddy system" about "pre Dive" checks or any kind of self or buddy assistance.

He asked if I had any specifics.. and I explained sever instances where these had been an issue on a dive and could have been much more serious if we hadn't immediatly aborted the dive.

He asked what I expected as a buddy and from a buddy... Well, first and foremost was to be there to precheck equipment, dive plan, communication, emergency procedures.. etc.

He told me that I just wanted to "spoil all the fun of diving" ????

When I told him my buddy/hubby generally took off as soon as we were in the water he called me a dive natzi!! Asking what I expected "What, do you expect him to be in sight on the whole dive!!!" When I responded "YES" he was downright nasty saying that was selfish and evil and he was glad I wasn't his buddy!

Am I waaaaaaaaaaaay off base here? I realize most of my buddy habits were learned from a scientific research team.. but ... does staying within line of viz make me a controling natzi dive buddy???

This has been bugging the heck out of me.. and of course my hubby ate it up! Now he feels justified only making sure we are in the same ocean!

no i dont think you are way off base. as long as you two are in a resonable sight, and keep paying attention to each other, if a problem arises you would be able to help oneanother.

but this comming from a dive professional just isnt right. they should be the one advocating for the buddy system. we do some dives that we do consider "same dive, same ocean" but we are all dive professionals, and carry the necessary gear for self rescue. that being said, we never do solo deco, penetration, or cave diving.

just from a buddy standpoint i do like to know where they are, especialy at night. if durring the day we get 20 feet apart in the tropics no big deal. i look for them every minute or two to make sure they are ok, ask if they are ok and we go on with the dive. after a while we check air and decide what to do next.

it is a buddy system for a reason, and you need to decide what that system will be for the diving you are going to do. maybe after he audits this class he will have a better apprecation for it and do his part a little better, if not find a new buddy

WOW terrible advice, you and your buddy should AT THE LEAST stay in sight of each other! What use is a buddy if you dont see him during the dive, you might as well be diving solo. If you had a problem your hubby/buddy would never know. You should stay withing a reasonable close distance to your buddy. I would say you are anything but a dive nazi.

I would also seriously suggest talking with the instructor that your son is about to use, to make sure his take on diving is not the same as the divemaster/con, if it isnt make sure he knows what was said, if it is find another instructor!

Holy smokes! That "professional" is SO wrong! I hope you ran as far and fast as you could out of that shop!

"Same Ocean" dive buddies should apply only to those solo trained. IMHO. With very few dives, but a healthy dose of safety-mindedness.

If that guy is representaive of the dive facility, you should find a different place for your kid to be trained. No way I'd trust my kid there.

Whoever you talked to is an idiot. Find someone else.

DiveMom1:

:He asked what I expected as a buddy and from a buddy... Well, first and foremost was to be there to precheck equipment, dive plan, communication, emergency procedures.. etc.

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You might as well have also said that you expect your buddy to carry your tank and weights to and from the dive boat or beach entry point and to then pay for dinner after the dive. You would have probably gotten the same reaction.

Perhaps you should have framed it as that a dive buddy is part of a team. You pre-check each other's equipment, agree on a dive plan, agree on signals, agree on emergency procedures. I expect MY buddy to let ME be available in the event MY buddy needs ME, without requiring me to be a babysitter (unless we have already agreed that I will be one).

DiveMom1:

He told me that I just wanted to "spoil all the fun of diving" ????

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Your dive con is an idiot and needs to go back to OW class.

When my wife and kids were certified I was in the classroom and in the water. I just hovered off to the side and took pictures of the whole class underwater.

It appears as though you are uncomfortable with your buddy's behavior; have you ever sat down and communicated your expectations to him? If he is a same ocean diver and you are not communicaition above and below the water may save some grief along the way.

If the DiveCon you were speaking with is involved in teaching your child's class I would suggest you monitor the class closely, or find another. Buddy behavior is pretty important with new recreational divers from a safety standpoint. If this person's attitude is as you describe, what will the class be filled with?

If you and your buddy do not have the same idea on how the dive is to run, then don't buddy up. Let people who want to tear off on their own tear off on their own. But don't go diving with them.

Firstly, you need to communicate your ideas about what you want out of the dive. If your buddy does not want to do the checks and the planning you want to do... don't dive.

I wouldn't dive with that Dive Con, and, from what you have said, in my limited experience, no one else should. If you know you are alone you are better off than being left for your first solo dive without any prior preparation, which would be the situation for the buddy of this diver. If him & his buddy both like that, more power to them, but the way he is not able to adapt to his buddy, it sounds like an impending disaster.

Gerbs