Buddy Diving - Why do you continue diving with a bad buddy?

[Mo2vation]

I'm reading lots of posts lately that seem to have more and more people talking about how the buddies they dive with are insufferable, unsafe, MIA or just not fun.

But the thing is, these are their regular buddies.

I don't get it. I mean, if you buddy is bad news, get a new buddy.

Why do you keep diving with a buddy that sucks the fun out of your diving? Or is it just not that bad? Are they the only one around? Do you stick around hoping it will get better? Are you the problem?

Some of you have had some pretty hairy experiences with your regulary buddy. You have to ascend alone from depth cuz buddy racehorses off into the murk, Buddy refuses to thumb the dive, buddy unilaterally changes the dive plan once in the water, buddy lies to you about their remaining gas... I mean, yikes. All of these are dealbreakers.

What's the deal? Why do you keep diving with a bad buddy?

Lets be honest here. Its scaring me so many of you are sticking with buddies that are taking the fun out of your diving.

---
Ken

[erparamedic]

I've never had a bad buddy. I suppose I choose well. Of course... I keep an open mind too.

[SparticleBrane]

<--just slanting the poll

[abjonesiii]

My bad diving buddy is my little (19y/o) brother. From an eductional point of view he is a wiz kid on land but borderline retarted in the water. There are two basic reasons i can't stop diving with him:

#1 He is my brother. I don't want to hurt his feelings, he is my only brother what do you do?

#2 I can't make him stop diving, so i know that if i don't go with him he will go anyway. And he is so bad in the water that i think if someone like me who has a vested intrest in his life wasn't with him, he might not come back alive.....

I am not exagerating (i can't spell) he is really a bad diver and there by a bad buddy... I just keep hopeing that if i go with him enough he will learn from me and get better.

... what else fo you do...

[DennisS]

We've been diving solo together over 10 years. His attitude toward an octopus is the one a lot of divers have to snorkels, gets in the way, don't need it, never carry one.

[Meng_Tze]

I have two types of buddies.

Two guys I dive caves and deco dives with, I trus them in the water, out of the water with my life. I know what their training is, how they react in crisis and what they can/ can not do.

Other guys I know (very good friends of mine) I will not do these dives with because they do not have the training, experience. But....

I do dive with them, even though they have less experience, make mistakes, etc.... they are my friends and we have a blast.

So I do leisure dives with all of them, but tech dives (if you want to call them that) with only two.

[jbd]

Question-"Why do you continue diving with a bad buddy?"
Answer- Maybe a day diving with a bad buddy is better than a good day at work
or diving with a buddy keeps one from getting flamed for diving solo????

[Diver Dennis]

I don't. Whenever I dive in groups now I don't have a buddy unless they are a photographer as well and we are both diving solo but in the same ocean.
I dive in resort situations where I am with a group but dive solo. If I go to a new resort, I might have to dive with a buddy for the first couple of dives but after the DMs are satisfied I can take care of my self, I am on my own.
It's a bit different from diving with a club or the same group of people all the time because the faces on the boat are always changing. In the past I've had some terrific buddies that I've met but once they go home, it was on to another. I've just had enough that were not so good to forgo the buddy system most of the time. It's easier and more fair to someone I might be paired with, to take pictures on my own.

[Cacia]

well, today I dived with a train wreck cause she asked me to...and she had just given me a stainless grill.

She is getting better...I did tell her that on an uncontrolled ascent to please put her hand above her head. She came up under the prop.

Now, Chris, the best diver I have ever known...took me (first dive) all through the lower cargo holds. I am sure he thinks I am a bad buddy, because I am afraid to do certain things...but he takes me because he knows I idolize him and want to learn certain things. And the things he teaches me are not found in classes, I do not believe. He teaches me how to be with my thoughts.

He passes an energy to me. After it happens, I get a rush. Infused energy, can't explain it. Not just a thrill...something else, that you get from the person when they agree to pass it.

I passed a little to the lady I dove.

When you get the energy moving things happen like the dolphions...if you don't believe in the energy, things don't show up very often.

So..usually I dive solo but sometimes you have to circulate the energy. If you do it all the time...it isn't as good.

Tantric diving...

[drbill]

Because she sleeps with me? Well, most of us know that isn't true... just teasing ya, Ken.