eric229
Registered
I have done most of my dives with instabuddies and they are not so bad if you have the right mindset for dealing with them, even the dreaded 3 buddy team. There is another thread in here about bailout systems and the main reason for taking one diving that most people give is the instabuddy system is unreliable in an emergancy. The reality is that if you get seperated from your buddy its YOUR fault. There are other factors like current that can seperate you, but that would also happen with a buddy that was a regular diving partner.
My strategy for diving with a stranger is to think like a DM who is guiding the dive. Try to discuss your goals for the dive and make a basic plan like "I'll follow you" or "I like to go slow and take pictures". Keep track of your navagation and keep track of your air and you buddy's air by doing gauge checks. Checkout their octo setup and visualize how you would get it if you needed it.
If your buddy starts to wander off in the wrong direction, or if they are a "sprinter" and you don't want to go that fast, signal them that there is something interesting to see over by you to get them to come closer and slow down
90% of the instabuddies I've gone diving with were great divers and interesting people that I was glad to have met. The other 10% ... well in my experience they are usually the more experienced divers who are bragging about the 1,000s of dives they have done and not the brand new divers who tend to follow you around like a lost puppy. Have your limits and don't ignore your training just because your buddy does something stupid. If you get a bad buddy ask for a different one when you get back to the boat.
My strategy for diving with a stranger is to think like a DM who is guiding the dive. Try to discuss your goals for the dive and make a basic plan like "I'll follow you" or "I like to go slow and take pictures". Keep track of your navagation and keep track of your air and you buddy's air by doing gauge checks. Checkout their octo setup and visualize how you would get it if you needed it.
If your buddy starts to wander off in the wrong direction, or if they are a "sprinter" and you don't want to go that fast, signal them that there is something interesting to see over by you to get them to come closer and slow down
90% of the instabuddies I've gone diving with were great divers and interesting people that I was glad to have met. The other 10% ... well in my experience they are usually the more experienced divers who are bragging about the 1,000s of dives they have done and not the brand new divers who tend to follow you around like a lost puppy. Have your limits and don't ignore your training just because your buddy does something stupid. If you get a bad buddy ask for a different one when you get back to the boat.