Buddy flying off of line

Hypothetical question my buddy and I are wondering about. You are at your safety stop in strong current and your buddy looses the line and flies off. What do you do? Fly off with the buddy or shorten the safety stop to inform the boat captain? We are assuming each body has a surface marker since it is a boat dive with strong current?

This can be a tough call depending on who your buddy is. My Gf or kids? I'm going with them. Guy I just met on the boat? Unless we talked it out before hand I'm going to assume they can handle it as I would hope that they would feel about me. Regular dive buddy? I would know they could handle it - but since a safety stop is optional I'd head up and inform the boat crew. If it were a deco stop I'd finish my schedule but send up another marker to let them know something was up.

If it were a student, well knowing that the currents were very strong, the dive likely would not happen depending on what class we were doing.

BTW just an FYI, it may be a language thing since you are from Montreal but "body's" don't use markers. They knda just float or sink depending on the conditions:shocked2:.

I'd go. If he needed assistance I might be able to help. If he came off the line 'cause he was not paying attention, I'd give him a boot in the arse back on the boat.


Bob
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I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

If you know there is a ripping current, this is one of the things you discuss with your buddy and plan for. Decide ahead of time whether you will stay together if one is pulled off, or separate for the rest of the ascent. Conditions and buddy will dictate. But plan for the possibility, then either choice, if followed, is the right.

I am going after them and popping a sausage...! lee

If your buddy flies off the line, he/she could be having a major problem that you are not aware of at the moment. You are the buddy, and that is a major responsibility. If you are the diver's buddy I don't think you should assume your buddy can handle it whether it be your family or someone you just met on the boat. You go after them and render whatever help you can. Maybe it's just my background as an Air Force fighter pilot, but if your wingman goes missing or falls out of formation, you go get them and you help. You can discuss the "why" during the debriefing on the ground, but in the air, you help. No questions asked.

WaterV:

Hypothetical question my buddy and I are wondering about. You are at your safety stop in strong current and your buddy looses the line and flies off. What do you do? Fly off with the buddy or shorten the safety stop to inform the boat captain? We are assuming each body has a surface marker since it is a boat dive with strong current?

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Cant see the problem. Stay on the line. Do the safety stop. Surface as normal. The buddy should deploy his DSMB as soon as he loses contact with the line. The boat will then collect him when the others are up.
Don't create 2 lost diver incidents when there is no need. The buddy is a qualified diver. If he cant surface from a shallow depth unassisted he shouldnt be diving.

For a recreational dive plan, I would stick with my buddy, call the dive, and then shoot my SMB at the surface.
It would take me just as long to ascend as it would take to shoot my SMB, since I keep the parts separate.

If I "leave" my buddy to warn the captain I'm just going to be antsy waiting for my buddy to surface and return.

There was a time when I was so solo oriented that a buddy was just a technicality that slowed me down and wasn't appreciated at all. Don't get me wrong, I still dive solo a lot and sometimes it is the only way that I will do a certain dive.

However, with the mentorship of some much more experienced divers, I have learned of the importance that a good buddy can play during a dive. I was scolded more than once for disappearing on them during a dive and never really understood what they were getting so bent out of shape over. Heck, I was fine and there were no problems and they were more experienced than me. It wasn't until I began to understand that they were not worried about themselves, but rather about me and not knowing how I was doing. Cave training and buddy awareness has also helped me with this issue. I now use the saying from Top Gun - "I will not leave my wingman". If he goes off the line, I will be right there beside him. No matter the reason, I will not leave my wingman!

Imagine having to live with the question of "what if" after a fatality.

Shoot an SMB at the surface !? Why? Thats a great way to get hit by any passing boat traffic in many areas and every second takes you further from the boat and makes you harder to spot.