dive with a buddy?

[joed]

I seem to have a problem finding a buddy to dive with. I would say that 90% of the time I dive with someone they take off. Do other people have this same problem? I was trained the ocean is a lonely place and that a dive team needs to stick together. Here is a quick story: I used to dive with a guy who always took off by himself at he beginning of the dive. I would lecture him about sticking together for the 30 min. ride to the dive site. One night we go out and the dude takes off asap. I surface and stay surfaced, really mad and I swam in. Well the sucker doesn't come back to the car which was on the pier. He finally shows up in about 2 hours walking down the road. I was a minute from calling the Coast Guard. Well, the cats dive light bulb blew out and he couldn't see where he was so he found an exit point along the shore. Had to walk a few miles back to the car with his gear on. I told him if he stuck together with his buddy that I had a working light.
I never dove with him again. And the idiot had a wife and babies at home at the time.

 

[GQMedic]

I've had a buddy do that I dove with a few times. I've chewed him out for it several times, cluelessness prevailed, he is a buddy short now.

As far as waiting two hours to consider calling the Coasties. Nah, if he doesn't surface within 5 minutes, that's the time to swim in and call. Hey, if he surfaces after they arrive, he can explain his inconsideration to them, they will school him well. TRUST ME.

Shop around at a few local dive shops for a dive club, that's an easy way to find a buddy. When I am not taking students down, I can always take off to a LDS and hang out there until one of the guys there gets the itch. Someone's always around looking for a buddy. You meet alot of people that way and eventually run into someone with similiar diving styles who are safety minded without it being a pain.

On the up side, there's always another instructor around looking to make a dive that does not involve students. Then, it's just pure relaxation and diving at a slow pace where you get to see everything and you've time to just hover and look around. Now THATS diving at my favorite pace. As you dive more, you'll meet more divers, it's a matter of time before you find a safe and fun buddy to make these trips with.

-Dennis

joed once bubbled...
I seem to have a problem finding a buddy to dive with. I would say that 90% of the time I dive with someone they take off. Do other people have this same problem? I was trained the ocean is a lonely place and that a dive team needs to stick together. Here is a quick story: I used to dive with a guy who always took off by himself at he beginning of the dive. I would lecture him about sticking together for the 30 min. ride to the dive site. One night we go out and the dude takes off asap. I surface and stay surfaced, really mad and I swam in. Well the sucker doesn't come back to the car which was on the pier. He finally shows up in about 2 hours walking down the road. I was a minute from calling the Coast Guard. Well, the cats dive light bulb blew out and he couldn't see where he was so he found an exit point along the shore. Had to walk a few miles back to the car with his gear on. I told him if he stuck together with his buddy that I had a working light.
I never dove with him again. And the idiot had a wife and babies at home at the time.

 

[scubasean]

joed once bubbled...
I seem to have a problem finding a buddy to dive with. I would say that 90% of the time I dive with someone they take off. Do other people have this same problem? I was trained the ocean is a lonely place and that a dive team needs to stick together. Here is a quick story: I used to dive with a guy who always took off by himself at he beginning of the dive. I would lecture him about sticking together for the 30 min. ride to the dive site. One night we go out and the dude takes off asap. I surface and stay surfaced, really mad and I swam in. Well the sucker doesn't come back to the car which was on the pier. He finally shows up in about 2 hours walking down the road. I was a minute from calling the Coast Guard. Well, the cats dive light bulb blew out and he couldn't see where he was so he found an exit point along the shore. Had to walk a few miles back to the car with his gear on. I told him if he stuck together with his buddy that I had a working light.
I never dove with him again. And the idiot had a wife and babies at home at the time.

You waited TWO HOURS before you were "one minute" from calling the coast guard after losing your buddy underwater?

Unless the phone was in your hand when he showed up, that kinda tells me that you really hadn't made the decision to call the authorities, but that your buddy showed up anyway.

I'd like to hope that my buddy would call the authorities a bit sooner than that.

I'm glad you have a new buddy...

 

[MonkSeal]

joed once bubbled...
I was a minute from calling the Coast Guard.

I can understand your frustration but "Lost buddy" procedure should be applied no matter how mad you are - something like:
- looking for buddy for one minute
- surface
- wait few minutes (try to locate him if possible )
- call help

Easy and straigth forward.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I can understand your frustration. I actually had a dive instructor leave me. The guy only had 2 students, and it was an advanced course. When I went back to the boat telling them the instructor took off they said not to worry about it, enjoy the dive!
Needless to say, I never went back to finish the course.

Good luck finding a buddy that won't leave you. If you're in the Ft Lauderdale area, look me up!

 

[joed]

I just want to make myself clear, I waited 2 hours to almost call the Coast Guard because this buddy of mine had taken off on every dive for like the last 5 years. It was a habitual experience.
Everytime we dove together except for maybe one time of 100 the guy would take off. I think I was so fed up with him I kind of didn't care because obviously, he never cared about me. He was a big mouth sort, if I called the C.G. he would have been mad at me. Bottom line is: you all have good advise for me. I learned something from you all. I need a plan with whoever I am diving with,to have a set time before help is called for.
My training taught me, surface after 1 minute if team seperates. Both divers than surface and reunite. Period. If buddy does not surface in 5 minutes call for help. That is a good procedure.
Reality is: why do people take off?

 

[Diver0001]

joed once bubbled...
I seem to have a problem finding a buddy to dive with. I would say that 90% of the time I dive with someone they take off. Do other people have this same problem? I was trained the ocean is a lonely place and that a dive team needs to stick together. Here is a quick story: I used to dive with a guy who always took off by himself at he beginning of the dive. I would lecture him about sticking together for the 30 min. ride to the dive site. One night we go out and the dude takes off asap. I surface and stay surfaced, really mad and I swam in. Well the sucker doesn't come back to the car which was on the pier. He finally shows up in about 2 hours walking down the road. I was a minute from calling the Coast Guard. Well, the cats dive light bulb blew out and he couldn't see where he was so he found an exit point along the shore. Had to walk a few miles back to the car with his gear on. I told him if he stuck together with his buddy that I had a working light.
I never dove with him again. And the idiot had a wife and babies at home at the time.

You gave him too many chances. People like this dive with me once.

R..

 

[CBalloch]

As with all of the other replies giving good advice...

It sounds like your buddy was a little short on equipment for a night dive. Your buddy and you each should have a primary light, a backup light and a flagging light (i.e. glow stick, red flasher, etc.) attached to the cylinder valve.

As far as your buddy taking off all the time; that would be no buddy of mine.