Lost Buddy procedure. Should I have done things differently?

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triode12

Registered
Messages
50
Reaction score
8
Location
Sydney
# of dives
25 - 49
Went diving with a few acquaintances today. I was teamed up with a couple of guys. Both (like me) are relatively new to the hobby, one of them is very inexperienced (20 dives) while the other has about 30-40 dives. The shore dive site had very low vis (1m) with a strong current today - max depth is around 10-12m.

In the briefing by the DM (who partnered another newbie) who split us into two groups, it was explicitly stated that if we lose each other in our group of three, that we do the standard lost buddy procedure. Circle for one minute and surface to wait for the other/s to come up.

We lost the guy with 30 dives after just 2-3mins into the dive (10m distance from shore -2m max depth). We surfaced and waited (for 40mins) but he never bothered to surface. We didn't know whether to alert the authorities and waited till he finally surfaced.

I gave him a piece of my mind when he did eventually return to the shore where I was waiting still in all of my gear (floating in the water)i.e. our dive start position

Should I have called the authorities and perhaps wasted their time?
 
You cant fix stupid. Be self aware and don't let the IDIOT kill you. My first dive in muddy water was with the same type of person. I refuse to dive with him or recite his name.

---------- Post added January 31st, 2015 at 01:54 AM ----------

There are a few buddies that are that bad. Most are not.
 
So you had a new buddy... besides the conversation with the dive master, did you actually make a plan with your buddy group? Calling the other diver an idiot is a pretty strong reaction to poor communication between a set of divers.

Since you were still close to shore in shallow water, could you see his bubbles? Could you have swam to him and followed the bubbles to him?

Sounds like poor situational awareness between the whole group.
 
So you had a new buddy... besides the conversation with the dive master, did you actually make a plan with your buddy group? Calling the other diver an idiot is a pretty strong reaction to poor communication between a set of divers.

Since you were still close to shore in shallow water, could you see his bubbles? Could you have swam to him and followed the bubbles to him?


Sounds like poor situational awareness between the whole group.

I didn't call him an idiot. I asked him why he didn't follow the buddy procedure which the DM reminded everyone at the start of the dive. Briefing was done in the water.
We could not see the bubbles due to the waves coming. We lost him 2-3mins into the dive due to poor vis, the waves were churning up the sand. The area is also crowded with stand up surfers, swimmers and snorkelers.
 
I am responsible for the IDIOT part. And I stand behind IDIOT.
 
New buddy protocol is to make sure you are both on the same wavelength. Wether my buddy has 5 or 5000 dives, I still talk to them about what we would do if we are separated. Communication is the key.

If you are diving with ~2m of vis and didn't specifically talk with your buddies about WHEN (not if) you get separated, then your plan was doomed from the start.

---------- Post added January 31st, 2015 at 12:22 AM ----------

A little judgmental, don't you think Fedtus?
 
New buddy protocol is to make sure you are both on the same wavelength. Wether my buddy has 5 or 5000 dives, I still talk to them about what we would do if we are separated. Communication is the key.

If you are diving with ~2m of vis and didn't specifically talk with your buddies about WHEN (not if) you get separated, then your plan was doomed from the start.

---------- Post added January 31st, 2015 at 12:22 AM ----------

A little judgmental, don't you think Fedtus?

He was just reminded what the lost buddy procedure was 2-3 mins prior to the start of the dive and when we lost him! I don't know how much clearer it could have been laid out. The DM said if we lose someone, to circle for 1 min and then surface - do not go down again after surfacing till the other person comes up. He was even given the choice of which group he wanted to join at the start of the dive and he chose our group. I descended to two metres and we both turned around and he was gone. Circled for a minute - blew my dive alert horn underwater as an alert and then surfaced.
 
Pre-dive briefs are not done in the water. When I lead a dive a site brief is given even before gear is unpacked. If I have to make "insta-buddies" I remind them to discuss their plans before the dive.

Let me ask you this... did you verify each other's kit before you got into the water? Did you verify the location of their octo? Did you discuss hand signals at all? Did you discuss when you turn your dives?

Try taking charge of your dives instead of being babysat by a divemaster and hoping that everyone is thinking the same thing without discussing it first.
 
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