Managing A Picked-up Buddy

Reading on SB and in Deco For Divers about what can go wrong on a dive, and how important it is to do things a certain way to avoid disaster and be prepared for disaster, I'm now getting concerned about the fact that I'm going to be going on dive trips on a regular basis without my wife. I'm basically planning to dive with strangers.

The thing is, I'm going to want my buddy to stay within a few feet of me (like, 3 to 5 feet, right?), to always be aware of me and whether I'm having difficulties, to not dive sawtooth patterns, to plan the dive beforehand with me and stick to the plan, etc.

After the few dives I've done with DM's, and seeing how they have typically been 10-20 feet away from me frequently, and sometimes have lost sight of me even, I bet expecting a total stranger who isn't a DM to stick close-by and follow a plan is-- Well, I just bet it isn't always going to happen.

Of course sticking close isn't as much a concern at shallow depth (such as on a shore dive in the 20-foot range) as at depth. But if I have a regulator malfunction at 80-100 feet (like that poster who suddenly found himself inhaling water instead of air), and my buddy isn't basically within reach, then I'm going to have to do a CESA. And then I may as well just get on the phone immediately to EMS to find the nearest hyperbaric chamber.

I dont think anything could replace having a good dive buddy within arms reach but it is good practice to plan every dive as if you will be completing it solo. Think of your buddy as your last resort and be as self reliant as possible.

The insta-buddy is always a bad choice for divers with little experience in the specific location/circumstances they are going to dive.
I always feel safer paying for supervision in places I have never been if there is nobody there I have dived with before.

My article on the subject: How to Dive with 'Insta-Buddies' - Scuba Tech Philippines

DevonDiver:

My article on the subject: How to Dive with 'Insta-Buddies' - Scuba Tech Philippines

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A lot of really good stuff in here. I set up the vast majority of my dive trips to avoid instabuddies; in fact, one of the primary reasons I didn't dive the last time I was in NC visiting my parents, was that I didn't KNOW anyone who was diving. Although, I do have to admit that I met one of my best dive friends/buddies AS an instabuddy on NC charter... and although we live in different parts of the country, in less than a year since that NC trip, we've already been on two trips and have two more planned (one this upcoming weekend!). But for the most part, where I am now, I believe that I'd want to at least know *of* someone before diving with them in NC.

That being said, for relatively shallow recreational dives, where there is no other option, I'm comfortable diving with an instabuddy. I'll be going to Nassau next month on a family trip and I simply don't know people there... I'm not going to sit by the pool the whole time. I know what to look for in terms of a competent/confident diver (setting up gear for example), and I will be doing what DevonDiver advises... it's how I dive. It's a lot simpler if it is someone who is familiar with the same protocols I am, but it's not that complicated with anyone. They might not be USED to it but I haven't found that anyone has a problem with it; if they do, I want a different instabuddy anyway

Matt Beckwith:

Reading on SB and in Deco For Divers about what can go wrong on a dive, and how important it is to do things a certain way to avoid disaster and be prepared for disaster, I'm now getting concerned about the fact that I'm going to be going on dive trips on a regular basis without my wife. I'm basically planning to dive with strangers.

The thing is, I'm going to want my buddy to stay within a few feet of me (like, 3 to 5 feet, right?), to always be aware of me and whether I'm having difficulties, to not dive sawtooth patterns, to plan the dive beforehand with me and stick to the plan, etc.

After the few dives I've done with DM's, and seeing how they have typically been 10-20 feet away from me frequently, and sometimes have lost sight of me even, I bet expecting a total stranger who isn't a DM to stick close-by and follow a plan is-- Well, I just bet it isn't always going to happen.

Of course sticking close isn't as much a concern at shallow depth (such as on a shore dive in the 20-foot range) as at depth. But if I have a regulator malfunction at 80-100 feet (like that poster who suddenly found himself inhaling water instead of air), and my buddy isn't basically within reach, then I'm going to have to do a CESA. And then I may as well just get on the phone immediately to EMS to find the nearest hyperbaric chamber.

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You are probably not going to find a high level of buddy awareness and team proximity among the typical insta-buddy out there. Most people aren't taught that way, and therefore don't dive that way.
If close proximity to your buddy is to maintained.....it will most likely be because YOU are the one that is maintaining it.
Not saying that you won't find a diver that will stay close by, just that it's probably not the norm. A lot of people just don't have the awareness or buoyancy control to stick close together.

A lot of divers have to keep swimming forward just to maintain their depth, if they stop they start ascending or descending......so they end up swimming pretty fast just to maintain a constant depth.

Or they will be over weighted, so they stay in a vertical orientation. They end up finning up as a way to "hold" their position in the water column. If the stop finning, the descend further.

When divers start doing either of the above, it's harder for them to have any sort of buddy awareness or keep close proximity.

I've had divers get paired up with my wife and I in the past, but they have rarely stayed close by. We have ended up having to sort of chase them down during the dive.

All of this makes getting paired up with insta-buddies sort of a crap shoot. You might run into some some divers that will be similarly minded....but you might also get some blank stares.

As for proximity, we tend to stay pretty close, about double arm-length interval.

It's not so much an issue on technical dives, since redundant gas supplies come with the territory, but if I was planning a lot of travel to recreational sites as a single diver, I'd be thinking about an alternate air supply. The SDI Solo course has a lot of good information regarding redundancy and a self-sufficient mind set in a recreational setting too. That being said, the best trip I've ever had was with an insta-buddy I met a couple of years back on a liveaboard in the Bahamas.

Oh yes! If you do a CESA from 80 feet you should be calling EMS.. Was this in the dive manual?

Also, good luck with "managing" your buddy and telling him you want him 3 feet from you at all times...

DevonDiver:

My article on the subject: How to Dive with 'Insta-Buddies' - Scuba Tech Philippines

Click to expand...

DevonDiver - thanks for that article. It was very informative and as a new diver I really appreciate stuff like this.

Matt Beckwith:

The thing is, I'm going to want my buddy to stay within a few feet of me (like, 3 to 5 feet, right?),

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Unless specifically decided upon, in clear and warm waters (i.e.: tropical), this is not typically "the norm". There have been numerous discussions here on SB, with common themes being (if I remember correctly) 10-20 feet being not uncommon. Limited visibility is quite another story... Keep in mind, your diving should be within your plan, within your training, and within your "comfort zone".

It may also take more effort on your behalf to stick with your buddy rather than expect him to stick with you.... If it doesn't go well, DIVE OVER, and discuss, or get another buddy....

Remember, it is about self reliance.