How to make teams of three work?

[Lobzilla]

We had a training dive this weekend where the three of us never got together as a solid team. At best, we had two divers paying attention to each other during drills while the third one was watching from the distance. At worst we lost one guy and the other two had no clue where he went and where he came back from (in excellent visibility).

For the person doing a drill (let's say a valve drill) it is hard to keep eye contact with two other divers simultaneously. So you tend to focus at the one who is closer and more engaged. That was causing the third one to "drift off".

How do the more experienced divers deal with this challenge?

 

[zoom5]

It was the two of you that were drifting off together. I was staying in the starting position to act as a visual reference that everyone was ignoring. The drill started over the platforms and you guys ended it in blue water.

Just look back and forth at both buddies when doing the valve drill like I did, that way you know if you are moving out of position.

 

[LiteHedded]

We had a training dive this weekend where the three of us never got together as a solid team. At best, we had two divers paying attention to each other during drills while the third one was watching from the distance. At worst we lost one guy and the other two had no clue where he went and where he came back from (in excellent visibility).

For the person doing a drill (let's say a valve drill) it is hard to keep eye contact with two other divers simultaneously. So you tend to focus at the one who is closer and more engaged. That was causing the third one to "drift off".

How do the more experienced divers deal with this challenge?

they don't drift off

 

[Lobzilla]

I posted this thread in the hope to get some constructive help on the question of how we can hold a team of IMPERFECT divers together. I have absolute no desire to get involved in a bickering fest of who was in the right position or who was drifting at particular points of the dive. I also do not give a hoot about who here on SB can whip through a valve drill in nanoseconds while being frozen in space. What I care about is that we dove as a team of three and for about one minute I could not locate the third guy and the other teammate next to me did not have an answer either for the whereabouts of number three (or was unable to convey his greater knowledge). I am unwilling to file this off under the category that the lost guy was not were he was supposed to be.

 

[TSandM]

The real key is to understand the role of the third diver. The third diver is the one under the least stress, and his job is to focus on the things that the other two might lose track of -- depth, time, position, and line. When doing drills in undefined open water, it's easy for the third diver to lose focus and feel like a supernumerary. But in addition to watching the other two for post-dive critique, and alerting the other pair to excursions in position and depth, he should also be thinking about what the next step would be, if this were a real scenario, and setting himself up properly for it. For example, if the two are doing an S-drill, the third diver will either be the one to lead out, or will be on the other side of the OOG diver from the donor; he should be anticipating this and preparing for it.

It's also part of the role of the "unstressed" diver in the drill (the watcher in a valve drill, the donor in an S-drill) to keep TRACK of the third team member. This is part of developing flexible situational awareness. One of the things my instructors have done to us during scenario dives is sequester that third diver, if they felt nobody was paying any attention to him. The person who is OOG may be forgiven for briefly losing awareness of the last person on his team, but the donor shouldn't be that overcome.

We all recognize that buoyancy, position, and tolerance of task-loading are skills we have to work. Situational awareness may be the most important skill we have in the water, but it's hard to "practice". But drills like what you are describing are one place where you can really measure how well the team is working as a TEAM, and to be a team, everyone has to remain aware.

 

[LiteHedded]

sounds like a team failure to me. someone, or all of you were moving around when you shouldn't be.
what answer, besides stop doing that, is acceptable?

 

[Captain12Pk]

Teams of three work quite well. But like most of the skills you're learning, it takes practice. But with that practice and some time, you and your teammates will get to a point where you will probably be able to anticipate each others moves before they happen. Keep practicing.

And keep in mind, this is training. In reality, it won't be a valve drill. It'll be a shutdown and hopefully a repair. So one diver has a bubbling valve. Second diver moves in to assist. Third diver MUST keep his eye on the team AND the exit. Oh yeah, in the midst of this, the second diver lost his mask. Now the third diver is suddenly the only member of the team who is unimpaired. He just became the Team Leader. So for the third diver (or any diver) to drift away is just unacceptable. He is a part of the team and the team's available resources. Just because that diver does not have a probem or is not actively involved in it's repair does not mean he is not part of the solution.
I know this scenario sounds far fetched. But wait until you start practicing your critical skills.

Good Luck,
K

 

[Lobzilla]

Teams of three work quite well. But like most of the skills you're learning, it takes practice. But with that practice and some time, you and your teammates will get to a point where you will probably be able to anticipate each others moves before they happen. Keep practicing.

And keep in mind, this is training. In reality, it won't be a valve drill. It'll be a shutdown and hopefully a repair. So one diver has a bubbling valve. Second diver moves in to assist. Third diver MUST keep his eye on the team AND the exit. Oh yeah, in the midst of this, the second diver lost his mask. Now the third diver is suddenly the only member of the team who is unimpaired. He just became the Team Leader. So for the third diver (or any diver) to drift away is just unacceptable. He is a part of the team and the team's available resources. Just because that diver does not have a probem or is not actively involved in it's repair does not mean he is not part of the solution.
I know this scenario sounds far fetched. But wait until you start practicing your critical skills.

Good Luck,
K

Let's take your excellent example of #1 having a valve failure, #2 loosing his mask while assisting/repairing and both #1 and #2 "drifting off". What is #3 supposed to do and how?

 

[TSandM]

#3 is on the line, whether it's an upline or the exit line from a wreck or cave. (And if there is no line, and it doesn't matter at all where you are, then #3 just follows the other two). As #3 sees the two are losing awareness and losing the line, he starts by signaling with his light. If he doesn't get a response, and before the others can get far enough away to lose viz of the line, he needs to get them -- either swim to them (in a cave, I'd tie a spool off) or make noise (you'd be surprised how well you can hear someone shouting at you, even through a hood). The key is not to let the situation get far enough out of control that #3 can no longer maintain contact with the line/position and the rest of his team.

Even with a mask off, if your eyes are open, you can see light flashing. The guy who has shut his valve down, once he's got it done, shouldn't be in so much stress that he can't pick up a light signal.

This all takes practice and determination. Nobody is born with perfect awareness, and not a single one of us manages to keep it perfect on every dive, every day. (I've dived with members of the Training Council, and I know this from experience.)

 

[Captain12Pk]

What is diver 3 supposed to do? He is supposed to stay with the team and keep his eyes on the exit. Depending upon the outcome of the valve, it's quite possible the dive is over. If divers 1 and 2 drifted while working on the repair, their sure as hell gonna need to know that diver 3 maintained orientation and knows how to get them to the exit.
And fwiw, I'm using "diver" rather than "#" because each dive in the team has a specific number which tells the team where that diver is supposed to be located in the teams positioning. And this is not necessarily relevant to the scenario in question. Just to be clear.