Buddy Distance

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DiverInAk

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Puget Sound, Washington
Just a question for general discussion. What do you consider maximum distance in open water (as opposed to overhead environments) between dive buddies?

Do you consider sound signaling distance or an arbitrary distance? Do you confer with your buddy before diving and agree on what is your "comfort zone" ?

Just wondering... :bonk:
 
It all depends on the situation, freshwater or seawater? what's the viz? Task loaded or rec. diving? In freshwater, lakes, rivers farm ponds and stock tanks, I would never get out of the range of the viz. As for Saltwater and Mines I would not get beyond 1 breath, that is how far you could swim on one breath in an emergency situation.

As for signaling distance, that is not an option, as you learned in O/W it is to say, difficult at best to determine the direction from which a sound came. On the other hand, with a reliable & proven underwater communication unit the distance could be greater.

If you are fortunate and dive with the same buddy all the time you will get to know what distance you will be comfortable with. Also if you dive with the same buddy all the time you will start to think alike and the distance will become automatic. I know this sounds strange but I'm sure others will back me up on this.

I am always aware of my buddie's position in relation to me, and that doesn't mean rubbernecking to keep him in sight, sometimes you can just sense it, catch him out of the corner of your eye, see his bubbles in your field of vision etc, and if that position gets out of range then I signal the "Buddy Up" signal and continue on.

Just my .02

ID
 
I generally try and stay within 25 to 40 ft(vis allowing), or as Don says, One breath. If diving with my wife, my usual buddy, I never have to worry about where she is cause she is always right by my side. Couldn't shake her if I tried. If I'm diving with someone else that I'm not familiar with, I generally let them go wherever they want and I tag along at their side about 20 to 30 ft away with an eye on them all the time.
 
Like the guys before me said, it's variable depending on the conditions of not only the water, but the capability of the divers as well. Another factor that is important is the scope of the dive, and depth of the water. In saying that I mean that diving in 15-20 feet of water, diver distance isn't as important as diving in 100+ feet of water.
 
There are two principle reasons to buddy in the first place. Safety and the enjoyment of sharing. The enjoyment side of the coin will pretty much take care of itself - buddies will want to stick together to point things out to one another if they are attuned to doing that.
On the safety side, there are two principle issues - out-of-air situations and entanglement. For the first, (out-or-air), distance depends mainly on depth and equipment. Once below your personal depth for a safe CESA (Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent), a redundant air supply becomes mandatory. If you're using a standard recreational rig that redundancy comes from your buddy, so you must be both within sight and within reach on a single breath. For the second (entanglement) visibility is the prime factor, and remaining within sight of your buddy the mandate. This could be 150' in Cozumel down to holding hands or using a buddy line in the Cooper River.
Rick
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I was just interested in what other people were doing out there. I was really interested to hear whether you discussed these types of things prior to a dive, at least with a buddy you didn't previously dive with.

 
That is one of the primary topics, next to depth, time and color of eyeshadow.


ID
 
They've covered your question pretty well. And yes, I always discuss 'these kinds of things' with any buddy. Even my regular buddy. Some days he leads, some days I do. We each like our buddy in different places so it's something we make clear before we get wet.

Oh and Don...that pink eye shadow clashes with your leopard print!
 
Hmm, I think I'd be happy to have any of you as a dive buddy, although Don and I would have to agree on the color of eyeshadow before I'd consider sharing air with him. :p
 
I need to have my husband read these posts. I spend half of my time looking for him. It's REALLY irritating!
 

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