On Your Own: The Buddy System Rebutted By Bob Halstead

[AJ]

For me there is nothing more enjoyable than sharing the experience of a memorable dive with a close friend, it’s a moment never forgotten.

True, these are the best dives I ever did. Nothing in diving is better than sharing it with a good friend.

But when I’m alone in the water I’m totally focused on every little thing around me, I’m sharper ,I’ll plan the dive meticulously and go over it in my head down to the last detail. I don’t know which is safer but there is a degree of complacency with more people in the water.

That's why I always asume I'am diving solo. I do not rely on someone else to come to the rescue, not even when I dive with others except when diving in a trained team. I do expect to help some other diver during these dives. It's a mindset I feel comfortable with.

I think it is down to the individual divers.

Agree, I don't judge other divers how they want to dive.Every diver has to make her/his own decision on this. I respect that decision no matter what, as long as they respect my decision.

 

[EFX]

The buddy system was taken from the YMCA and used in the first formal scuba training, I believe in the '50's. Back then ones watermanship skills were considered necessary, and the Y was the last word in water safety. Bob

"Necessity is the mother of invention".

I think the emphasis on the swimming skills and on being reasonably fit was the equipment back then was not reliable. Also, some equipment was non-existent. Without a suitable BC to maintain neutral buoyancy and a level position divers kept swimming which required the swimming skills and proper fitness level.

One reason for the lack of buddy skills is not only the mindset but the goals of the divers. If your primary goal is to see things or practice skills or take pictures it's no wonder your buddy gets the short stick. Whatever happened to diving for divings sake. To many divers are in a big hurry. It's not a race. Slow down and you might just enjoy it more. Make your buddy one, if not the primary, goal of your diving. If we can do that then "buddy diving" we'll be all that it was meant to be as we were taught it.

 

[Hickdive]

**** Halstead...

Scuba diving is like so many other sports/hobbies/pastimes...it's social...with options...advantages...as well as disadvantages...

For those who like to be in charge...dependant divers may be to your liking...if your partner is not suitable for what ever reason...find a new partner...if you're anti social and being alone suits you...dive alone... sit alone at the corner bar stool and enjoy your beer/wings...satisfied with the company of your own mind...

You can't share the enjoyment of anything...if you're alone...

..if you're a complainer...you're going to complain regardless of what you do...


W...

At risk of being reminded that I'm obviously a complainer...this must be a troll. Surely nobody is so far up their own backside to accuse everyone who solo dives of being anti-social, complaining, control-freak, misanthropes?

 

[Jcp2]

Buddy seems a bit dated. Partner sounds better. Think about when you’d call someone buddy. They are either a stranger in your way or your preschool son.

 

[W W Meixner]

At risk of being reminded that I'm obviously a complainer...this must be a troll. Surely nobody is so far up their own backside to accuse everyone who solo dives of being anti-social, complaining, control-freak, misanthropes?

Hey H...

If the fin fits...

Some times when you're accused of not playing well with others...is it the fault of the accuser...or the accused...

Best...

W...

 

[drbill]

About 90% of my dives dating back to 1962 have been solo. I once calculated the percentage of solo and buddied up dives in which I experienced an incident. The uddied dives were 17X more incident prone if I remember correctly. Of course if one of my favorite buddies is available, I'm always willing to dive with them.

 

[chillyinCanada]

May I draw your attention (and the attention of other nay sayers in this thread to a portion of the stickie attached to this subforum, written by TheChairman):


"This is a no-troll zone! The discussion is not to be centered around whether to do a solo dive, but in the techniques andstrategies involved. <*DO NOT PARTICIPATE if you have already decided that solo diving is not for you!*/> Thanks in advance."

 

[leadduck]

About 90% of my dives dating back to 1962 have been solo. I once calculated the percentage of solo and buddied up dives in which I experienced an incident. The uddied dives were 17X more incident prone if I remember correctly. Of course if one of my favorite buddies is available, I'm always willing to dive with them.

I bet one will see a lot more trouble and incidents when diving with buddies, particularly instant buddies, than diving solo. However we always must distinguish between minor incidents and fatalities, not only because the latter are obviously more important to avoid, but also because their distribution and causes are very different. Bad divers create a lot of non-fatal trouble by making mistakes, whereas a large portion of fatalities (in DAN or BSAC reports) are divers that suffer from a medical problem (often cardio-vascular) while being alone in the water (solo or lost buddy).

Everybody has made bad experiences with instant buddies, but nobody can subjectively estimate the personal risk of having a light heart attack or other causes of unconsciousness while diving. Hence one's personal subjective risk perception will be easily biased towards solo diving. In the OP by Bob Halstead I miss this point. It doesn't distinguish between minor inconveniences caused by bad buddies and fatal risks from health issues.

 

[caruso]

In the OP by Bob Halstead I completely miss this point. It doesn't distinguish between minor inconveniences caused by bad buddies and fatal risks from health issues.

Good point. Having a buddy nearby in the event of a medical issue might significantly improve survival odds. That much being said, how many of us have current rescue training and would really make a difference most of the time? Especially in the case of instabuddys who might think the best thing to do if they find you unconscious at 100' is to inflate your BCD and pull out your weights. "Geez he seems to be ascending rapidly I sure hope he doesn't bump his head on the boat".

 

[Ana]

Whatever happened to diving for divings sake. To many divers are in a big hurry. It's not a race. Slow down and you might just enjoy it more. Make your buddy one, if not the primary, goal of your diving. If we can do that then "buddy diving" we'll be all that it was meant to be as we were taught it.

Should all divers have the exact same goal for every dive?
Through out the years I've dive because I was happy, or miserable, or mourning, or trying to figure solutions for topside problems, while getting my engineering degree I'd plant myself in the bottom and work out derivations or force diagrams on slates. I dove for a paycheck for a bit over a decade. For a while I was obsessed on finding flounder just by finding their eyes.
I've forgotten half of my goals for diving.
I do remember for a while my kids would try to avoid giving my bad news if I didn't dive that day.

Slow down? Your speed only matters when you're looking for small stuff. If you're after whale sharks slowing down will have zero effect on enjoyment. That's just a thing people started to say, not sure why. Sometimes it comes across as talking down to others.
Make your buddy the primary goal? I did for a while the first couple dozen dives with my kids. But not anymore, why would I waste a dive babysitting others?
Others that rather depend on others instead of figuring how to dive safely themselves? Not sure that's my style.