Do YOU surface if another buddy team thumbs a dive?

I'm reading another thread with a bit of interest, which brings up this point.

If you and your buddy are diving as part of a larger group, and another buddy team thumbs the dive do you surface as well? Or do you continue your dive and let them sort out the problem?

What if the DM thumbs a dive, but he's not your assigned buddy?

Should the problems of a different group affect your dive? Why or why not?

If the issue/problem would effect me or my buddy or if I am told specifically by the DM to end the dive, then I would call the dive off. If not, then I won't. I can't be responsible for everyone's problems out there, worrying about my buddy is enough responsibility.

If the DM or other team leader emphatically pointed to my team and also gave a thumbs-up sign, I would initiate surfacing. Around here anyway, hand-singals indicating another team is surfacing combined with a bye-bye waive translates to continue your dive and have a good time...

It would depend on the circumstances. When we are diving around home, we always go into the water as primary buddy teams of two or three, although there may be more people diving. The agreement is explicit; if we get separated or a team has to go back, the other team or teams will continue.

If we were diving off MY boat, and someone on another team appeared to be in trouble, I'd probably surface, worrying that the boat might have to hightail it for shore. If the other team simply had to go up for gas or cold, I'd finish my dive.

When we are diving with a dive operator who tells us ahead of time that when one surfaces, the whole group surfaces, we follow the rules. (We try to avoid such operators, though!)

Cave Diver:

I'm reading another thread with a bit of interest, which brings up this point.

If you and your buddy are diving as part of a larger group, and another buddy team thumbs the dive do you surface as well? Or do you continue your dive and let them sort out the problem?

Click to expand...

The diver thumbing the dive is not my buddy, then we willl continue the dive. Unless of course it is something obviously life threatening and the boat will have to leave. Common sense will help here.

Cave Diver:

What if the DM thumbs a dive, but he's not your assigned buddy?

Click to expand...

This is something that needs to be sorted out prior to the dive. Is the DM in charge of the whole group during the dive or is he/she just along for the ride? If the DM is a designated buddy to someone then it should not effect your dive unless you are that someone.

Cave Diver:

Should the problems of a different group affect your dive? Why or why not?

Click to expand...

This will depend on the circumstances. A serious injury or death will affect you even if it is outside your group. A minor thing like thumbing the dive due to comfort level or low on air might not affect you. Each dive is different and in the end, you and your buddy must make the call. just use your head.

Are you playing a "follow the leader" group dive? If so, when the leader signals up to you, it means up.

If you aren't playing group herding then no - its nothing to do with you.

It all depends on what was briefed pre-dive. And that SHOULD be briefed EVERY time.

It depends on the situation, the problem, the DM, the group and my buddy.

Firstly, the general procedures should be part of the dive briefing. That said, there are sometimes occasions where the pre-planned dive gets thumbed. Those are two very different scenarios.

Being told to ascend - in line with the dive plan, is one thing. Prematurely ending a planned dive is another.

I tend to be the one leading dives, so I don't often encounter being 'told' to end a dive prematurely. When a customer indicates they want to ascend, I'll always check why - because sometimes it is a resolvable problem that they don't understand. If it isn't a resolvable problem, or I can't understand what the problem is, then there's no issue or hesitation with aborting.

How the abort is managed depends on the circumstances. Some of the sites where I lead divers require specialist local knowledge - so I don't favour leaving buddy teams behind. As the dive guide, I am there to provide educated judgement for the customers. Ultimately, it's the customers call though.. if they are in a buddy team and want to ascend separately. Unless there is real (un-anticipated) danger, then I see no problem letting a buddy team continue the dive and/or ascend without me. I'll make a judgement call on which buddy team to accompany - those ascending, or those remaining.

I never dive with more than 2 buddy teams. If I have 3 divers, then I consider myself a member of a buddy team.

I don't see a problem with re-organising buddy teams 'on the fly', if someone needs to ascend, but their nominated buddy want to remain... especially when you can match divers with roughly equal gas consumptions.

In the rare occasions why I am a customer, with another DM leading, then I'll follow their directions. If I have cause to doubt their decision making, then it's an issue I'll raise post-dive with either the DM, or the dive operation manager.

For technical and wreck penetration dives, no question, no hesitation, ever.

yep, decided before the dive. i don't dive with a mob as my buddy, so i'm responsible for one or two folks. even if we're four on a cave dive, that's two buddy pairs. if one pair scrubs, the other pair may or may not, but it's a separate decision.

It all depends on the parameters of the dive....

If the parameters are its a buddy dive and you and you're buddy are responsible for your own dive planning and monitoring... Then continue the dive

If the parameters are that all buddy teams stay together and come up together then it is time to go up..

If on a charter that has a DM, in water, he/she may dive with an odd(as in number) diver. However, the DMs responsibility is to the overall groups safety and enjoyment. Not an individual or individual buddy team, no matter the parameters if he/she thumbs the dive it is time to go up. You have the option to ignore that thumb but take responsibility for your decision and expect to be left at sea.

There maybe cases where a DM is specifically hired or brought on for a specific individual or team.. Which in that case the DMs responsibility is to that team or individual not the group.. Even so I would not ignore the thumb..

Why, I simply do not have enough information to make an informed decision while Im under... All I know is I have air; my buddy has air; we have NDL time and are with the parameters of the dive.... What if the surface condition change significantly, what if the other team issue is life threatening and the boat needs to start heading back...

In general no, as we tend to dive independently as 2 man teams, but if it were guided or it were specified that we would surface if the other guys did I would.