Katdiver2005
Guest
Just politely say, "sorry we're booked up and paired for now" but maybe next time. Yet even better then that, give them the SB link!
Etiquette of NO, you are not diving with us
- Thread starter piikki
- Start date
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DiveMaven
Contributor
Okay, but I'm still waiting to hear what the guy did after he got on shore. Come on, tell the end of the story!!
Ben_ca
Contributor
Fairly new, under 50 dives, I'd have zero problems saying that I wouldn't be comfortable diving a triple. It's no fault, no foul, an honest recognition that you and your buddy aren't up to the skill level/awareness/comfort to do such a dive with an unknown person. Honesty is often the best policy, while the politically correct delivery is not to say the other person looks like a walking disaster, but that you don't have the right skills developed yet.
I'm still wet behind the ears, have a buddy I've done 30+ dives with. Both AOW. We've only done a triple once, an area we had been to many times, had already done two tanks that day. In such a case I played third man, purposely hung slightly back, as I always dive with redundant air (pony), could keep an eye on both my regular buddy and the other person to make sure they were having fun, no problems; we dive often enough that even with a few feet of physical separation we are constantly doing checks on each other. A good experience, but that was because we consciously chose to invite the buddyless person, idle chitchat indicated that they had decent experience, they were good on gearing up, and we knew the divesite conditions were excellent. I guess others have hit it, "Plan the dive, dive the plan."
Where in upstate NY? I go up to Alexandria Bay many weekends, or the Ogdensburg area, looking to pop over to Kingston next weekend (we were there last weekend, good diving).
Of course, if you were the Kraken, you could say "I'm sorry, but I just put a pee valve in my wetsuit, am embarrassed to use it around strangers."
I'm still wet behind the ears, have a buddy I've done 30+ dives with. Both AOW. We've only done a triple once, an area we had been to many times, had already done two tanks that day. In such a case I played third man, purposely hung slightly back, as I always dive with redundant air (pony), could keep an eye on both my regular buddy and the other person to make sure they were having fun, no problems; we dive often enough that even with a few feet of physical separation we are constantly doing checks on each other. A good experience, but that was because we consciously chose to invite the buddyless person, idle chitchat indicated that they had decent experience, they were good on gearing up, and we knew the divesite conditions were excellent. I guess others have hit it, "Plan the dive, dive the plan."
Where in upstate NY? I go up to Alexandria Bay many weekends, or the Ogdensburg area, looking to pop over to Kingston next weekend (we were there last weekend, good diving).
Of course, if you were the Kraken, you could say "I'm sorry, but I just put a pee valve in my wetsuit, am embarrassed to use it around strangers."
OP
piikki
Contributor
Hi Mark,
We are from around Albany area... and indeed I had meant to drop you a thanks because of one earlier post! You send a link to your Alexandria Bay map page - that was about the only dive site on our first trip to St Lawrence Seaway that was found on the first go (missed the marker portapotty on Rothesay twice for example!)
We are planning to return to St Lawrence this fall after learning the water stays divable in wetsuits long into October. Not planning on Kingston yet, picking some easy sites still. What's in Ogdensburg for someone who has only been introduced to currents?
We are from around Albany area... and indeed I had meant to drop you a thanks because of one earlier post! You send a link to your Alexandria Bay map page - that was about the only dive site on our first trip to St Lawrence Seaway that was found on the first go (missed the marker portapotty on Rothesay twice for example!)
We are planning to return to St Lawrence this fall after learning the water stays divable in wetsuits long into October. Not planning on Kingston yet, picking some easy sites still. What's in Ogdensburg for someone who has only been introduced to currents?
If you've done the Rothesay, a good pair of dives might be the Connie and the scuba park.
The Conestoga (Connie) is in Cardinal, about 5 miles east of the bridge; it's a shore dive wreck, immediately off shore (stack sticks above the water), at the legion park. There are decent directions to it on multiple Web sites.
In Prescott, the scuba park is a nice little loop, not too challenging but some fun things to look at. You can do the loop twice on a single tank. There's a rope to follow underwater, bringing you from point to point.
Both are fun dives, not too tough but a change of scenery. The Connie has a bit of current -- go clockwise around it to minimize the current, or counterclockwise if you want maximum current (so you can go slower, check the fish on the bottom). At the Connie, you don't just go around the outside -- make sure to go up, do a drift down the deck.
Two weeks ago we did the Connie and scuba park, water temp is about 72F right now.
http://neptune.iro.umontreal.ca/ca/on/scuba-park-en.html
The Conestoga (Connie) is in Cardinal, about 5 miles east of the bridge; it's a shore dive wreck, immediately off shore (stack sticks above the water), at the legion park. There are decent directions to it on multiple Web sites.
In Prescott, the scuba park is a nice little loop, not too challenging but some fun things to look at. You can do the loop twice on a single tank. There's a rope to follow underwater, bringing you from point to point.
Both are fun dives, not too tough but a change of scenery. The Connie has a bit of current -- go clockwise around it to minimize the current, or counterclockwise if you want maximum current (so you can go slower, check the fish on the bottom). At the Connie, you don't just go around the outside -- make sure to go up, do a drift down the deck.
Two weeks ago we did the Connie and scuba park, water temp is about 72F right now.
http://neptune.iro.umontreal.ca/ca/on/scuba-park-en.html
amt
Registered
My first dive after AOW. I was a walking disaster. It was down in OZ. I was happy to wear a 3mm shortie. Everyone else was in 7mm or two or even three suits. Guys helping everyone gear up insisted I take two, rather tight fitting shorties because there wasn't enough to go round with everyone doubling and tripling up. I didn't take enough weight and the rather nice DM (I have to really thank him for putting up with me if I ever see him again) spent the entire time holding me down by the belt. Most uncomfortable dive I ever had. Everyone else was used to tropical oz water and me used to swimming in 12 degrees Irish water and my freakishly high toleration to cold water half boiling to death and barley able to breath. At the end I was pulling my self out of the water trying to strip off as fast I could only to collapse on the deck and throw up from heat and dehydration.
Without people to teach me to do it properly it would probably still be happening
Without people to teach me to do it properly it would probably still be happening
Why, isn't that supposed to be a typical dive?
jerryn
Contributor
All of this has been said before in different ways:
Whenever you agree to be someone's buddy, you have said, "I am willing to assist you and maybe even rescue you if there is a problem." You may not be able to carry that out, especially if it were to put you at risk, but that is the essence of agreeing to be a buddy -- well, if he has a camera you are agreeing to be a model also.
There was a time when for the most part I did not feel comforable with that statement and I would say, "you know, I really have such and such dive plan and It does not involve a buddy or a threesome, so I would rather not, but thanks for asking."
Now I mostly am comfortable and agree -- but I know what I'm getting into.
Two weeks ago in Cancun, I agreed on a boat. As it turned out the guy had a hoover problem and was very uncomfortable in the water. long story short -- he was on my air before he made it to the surface and my 1 hour dive turned into a 20 minute dive. No complaints on my part since that is what I agree to when I agree to buddy with someone. But that is the question you have to answer first.
In the end, if your experience level or his abilities put you in a position where you don't think you can be of assistance if a problem arises, you are doing him a favor by declining. If you don't, you give him a false sense of security.
Jerry
Whenever you agree to be someone's buddy, you have said, "I am willing to assist you and maybe even rescue you if there is a problem." You may not be able to carry that out, especially if it were to put you at risk, but that is the essence of agreeing to be a buddy -- well, if he has a camera you are agreeing to be a model also.
There was a time when for the most part I did not feel comforable with that statement and I would say, "you know, I really have such and such dive plan and It does not involve a buddy or a threesome, so I would rather not, but thanks for asking."
Now I mostly am comfortable and agree -- but I know what I'm getting into.
Two weeks ago in Cancun, I agreed on a boat. As it turned out the guy had a hoover problem and was very uncomfortable in the water. long story short -- he was on my air before he made it to the surface and my 1 hour dive turned into a 20 minute dive. No complaints on my part since that is what I agree to when I agree to buddy with someone. But that is the question you have to answer first.
In the end, if your experience level or his abilities put you in a position where you don't think you can be of assistance if a problem arises, you are doing him a favor by declining. If you don't, you give him a false sense of security.
Jerry
OP
piikki
Contributor
Agh, I've only briefly checked on the SAC issue because it's so inaccurate to count it for my type of dives and when not using a computer (I decided early on, I'll get one only after AOW and 50 dives). Another pointer taken, someone more 'experienced' than you will not necessarily outlast you on 80cuft - especially if they start off huffing purple. Don't trust that. I don't think that the guy could ever have finished the dive plan we had (not that he mentioned anything when we told the first stop is at 50ft for 15min pointing the distance to the boat, second at 25 for another 15 min in location he knew was all the way back and past, and last at 15-20 playing for the remaining air). If it took him nearly 10 min to make the 2-3 min dive to the boat how much longer the return might have taken? I did not once see him voluntarily checking his gauges, and I don't know how much air he had left when he took off.
I rarely have under hour dives, so I don't even understand to start checking someone else's air as early as 5 min into dive. Sure looks like I have to rethink this too. I know my regular buddy checks hers early on to know things are working as do I but we don't constantly ask each other until one hits 1500 and/or if one is badly off the other. (We usually snort same amount of air, so if one's really off we run through a little check up - lesson learnt from first stage leak I once spotted after having teased buddy for hogging).
I rarely have under hour dives, so I don't even understand to start checking someone else's air as early as 5 min into dive. Sure looks like I have to rethink this too. I know my regular buddy checks hers early on to know things are working as do I but we don't constantly ask each other until one hits 1500 and/or if one is badly off the other. (We usually snort same amount of air, so if one's really off we run through a little check up - lesson learnt from first stage leak I once spotted after having teased buddy for hogging).
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