To Buddy or not to Buddy?

For years now I have been taking new and prospective diver's down as a guide and show said new diver what the world of diving is all about and then I turn them over to a real Instructor so that they may get all the proper trainning they need.

But while looking over my logbook I found myself thinking back to when I first started and how I did not dive without a buddy or a guide of some sort.
It had been drilled into my head that under "NO" conditions should I dive alone. And if you come across a diver that does solo shun him or her for it is taboo!

So a spent a few years working in dive's with friends of mine and some times never getting to dive. My future wife became a diver so that was a big plus. But I still could not get in the time I wanted diving till one day I woke up and said "Damit I'm going diving!"
At first I was a closet solo diver as to not make my buddy's and LDS mad...why I dont know.
My wife and I moved to Arkansas and found to my surprise a thriving dive comunity! I learned to spearfish and rack up dive after dive either with or without a partner, ever learning how to use my gear and expand my knowledge of scuba past rec diving and into tec.

I have had some of my best dive's alone and I do enjoy my friends and taking new diver's down for that first time and seeing how they move-about like new born pups.
But just to clear the water I dont encourage solo or night diving till he or she is ready, or if they ever want to do this type of thing.

So I ask all who read this what is your take on the buddy system? Do you love it? Do you hate it?
And I know their have been many post and this can be a tricky can of worms for some, but I would like to know what drives you to or from this system!

Personally, I will dive with a buddy when I can, but I know I can conduct a dive within my limits alone, if I must. I have the redundant equipment & training. In a way, I look at every dive as a potential solo dive. Not that I would ever leave a buddy, but if the situation is that I get separated from a buddy, It is nothing to freak out about. I go, try to find my lost buddy. If my buddy can not be located, then I calmly abort the dive & make my way to the surface. I have had the entire gambit of good buddies to buddies who have no clue what the buddy system is. Being self sufficient & equipped, to dive solo, if I must makes me a better buddy IMO. I also do occasional solo dives just for the peace & not having to worry about a buddy.

I have a grande total of 15 dives ive logged since getting my OW and will probably seek a solo card in the future ,but a card wont limit me on solo diving before getting the card if i want to solo on my own boat ,my own area.. Sometimes i drive 70 in the 55 zone, sometimes even faster.

I used to think solo diving was bad thing. But now I am not so sure. Is it for me? Who knows

I had an experience the other day. We were diving with two buddy teams (ie total of 4), and I got seperated from the group. Normally if the buddy teams split no worry, but well it was 3 and 1 at this point. I spent a few minutes looking, and then finally said you know what, I am just going to continue my dive. I was calm, comfortable, and plenty of time and air. Sure enough about 30 seconds later I found my buddy downstream and we resumed together.

Now most people would jump on me and say that's not right, proper practice is to surface!! But alas that is not the way we work it here. We dive in a shipping channel, and you do absolutely not come up in the channel unless it is a true emergency. So either way I would have to start swimming out of there on my own.

So would I ever purposely dive on my own?? Nope. But maybe if I was comfortable then yes I would continue a dive solo.

My thoughts - do whatever you feel is right for you. It's your life you get to choose. People will critisize no matter what

Avonthediver:

It had been drilled into my head that under "NO" conditions should I dive alone. And if you come across a diver that does solo shun him or her for it is taboo!

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The horrible thing about a brain wash... it blinds your behavior by not allowing yourself to engage your brain, and decide how to dive. Then it becomes even tragic, the brain wash goes farther by giving you the impression that you are the 'holder of the only truth" and everyone not kneeling at the same deity should be shun.

Avonthediver:

..... till one day I woke up and said "Damit I'm going diving!"
At first I was a closet solo diver as to not make my buddy's and LDS mad...why I dont know.

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So even after realizing that you are missing out by not diving the way you like to dive, the brain wash is so deep it makes a grown up hide a perfectly ok activity.
How amazing, it would be interesting to see how many important achievements you have completed without a fault and how many tasks that require a high level of independence, knowledge, accuracy and similar skills you do on a regular basis without even consider supervision. but I'm sure all that is under the blessing of your world.

See for some of us, it makes no sense. If someone was to suddenly say you can only drive your car if you have a navigator at all times, you would think that is ridiculous, you've been operating your vehicle for years with a high degree of success, who are these deciding that new nonsense? Well these people have a loud voice and they are control freaks. Their tools are very powerful. For the general masses they use collective brain wash and for the people refusing to assimilate their tools vary, shunning works for some, high insurance premiums, local laws, shunning some more, perceived safety arguments, and generally annoying little bullying tactics.

Avonthediver:

But just to clear the water I dont encourage solo or night diving till he or she is ready, or if they ever want to do this type of thing.

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Oh yes... there are remnants of the brain wash. All those good people that drill that stuff in your head can not be totally wrong... can they?

Avonthediver:

So I ask all who read this what is your take on the buddy system? Do you love it? Do you hate it?

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who cares what I think about the buddy system, why would my opinion matter to your diving or to any other? My choice of buddy should not be any more relevant than my choice of thermal protection, and people should keep their shunning to themselves. Yes I dive dry once the water goes below 70 F and yes I go solo most of the times.

My view is that the buddy system is aimed more at those who have just completed their OW. By that I mean divers who really have now got their L plates on.

Always with an buddy from day 1.

A much discussed subject. Many factors. Your experience, comfortability with everything to do with diving. Depth. Redundancy of equipment. Availability of buddies in your area. Ability of buddies--ei. what's better, being with someone who is new/not very good with safety/prone to panic, or being by yourself? How about 2 new OW divers buddying to 60 feet, neither having very much training in Rescue should his buddy have a problem? r are each of them just as unsafe alone (I know they SHOULD be trained for all that can happen, but...)? Just so many factors.

Diving with a buddy just gives me that "warm fuzzy" feeling. Plus the social aspect of diving is one of the greatest allures for me.

I have done a dive on the Benwood in Key Largo alone which is a shallow dive and I felt perfectly safe, but it just wasn't the same for me without someone to point stuff out to etc.

I really, really enjoy diving with a buddy or buddies. But my dives today brought home to me that some of that is dependent on the company I keep. I enjoy having more than one person in the water to look for stuff; I love diving as a photographer's spotter or model. I sometimes really appreciate having more than one set of eyes or more than one brain on the dive, when we are trying to find the boat or decide where something that was described to us actually lies. I love the fact that I can focus on taking a picture of something, and when I back up and look around, my buddies will be right where I think they will be. I love that a wave of my light will bring someone over, either to see what I've found, or to help with an issue.

I'll admit I love a good ascent, like we did today . . . a smooth bag shoot, and three divers coming up and making stops, all neatly together, very quiet in the water, and all of us remembering and relishing the dive, and looking forward to the excited discussion and photo review that will take place afterward.

Picking up a camera has made me, for the first time, think about diving solo . . . but I'd miss all that.