I'm the Pariah again
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Steady as she goes, Matt.
When you first started posting, I was totally unable to figure out where you were coming from. From your last two threads (Socializing, and Pariah), I'm starting to 'get' you. Your self-analysis appears to be dead-on, but in my non-professional opinion, you can use a bit of social awareness. Damn if you don't keep coming back for more! Hope to meet you on a local boat someday.
Best,
lowviz
When you first started posting, I was totally unable to figure out where you were coming from. From your last two threads (Socializing, and Pariah), I'm starting to 'get' you. Your self-analysis appears to be dead-on, but in my non-professional opinion, you can use a bit of social awareness. Damn if you don't keep coming back for more! Hope to meet you on a local boat someday.
Best,
lowviz
There's a wide gulf between "I lost my buddy" and "my buddy is going to die if I don't do something."
Regardless, the OP wasn't in much of a position to personally do anything about it, and totally failed to communicate the situation to anyone who was in a position to do something about it.
The captain had every right to be upset.
windapp
Contributor
I was taught to wave in the event of a lost buddy. Nobody is going to jump in the water to rescue you until the boat is at least in communicating distance, which was your objective. "No, I lost my buddy" would have been clearer than "Have you seen my buddy".
Incidentally, there is a sign for "I am ok but can't get to the boat". Anybody know what it is?
Incidentally, there is a sign for "I am ok but can't get to the boat". Anybody know what it is?
Hi Matt,
First, kudos for caring about your buddy. And for having the moxie to share your experience here on ScubaBoard. Hopefully we can all learn by discussing it.
There are certainly some less than sterling actions by several folks in the situation you described. But, since we can’t change the world – only how we interact with it – here are just a couple of suggestions for what you might have done differently.
When asked by the crew if you were OK, you could have given the signals for “don’t know” (exaggerated shoulder shrug) and “buddy” (index fingers together, but arms held close together and fingers high so it doesn’t look like an OK sign). And repeat.
The first time the captain asked what the OK sign meant, you could have responded “It means OK, but I didn’t give it because … “
The more of these types of scenarios (real or speculative) we visualize and work through, the more likely we’ll have tools at the ready to react appropriately in similar, or even dissimilar scenarios.
All divers and crew are imperfect, including you and I. Well, at least one of us.
Please keep diving and keep sharing.
k
First, kudos for caring about your buddy. And for having the moxie to share your experience here on ScubaBoard. Hopefully we can all learn by discussing it.
There are certainly some less than sterling actions by several folks in the situation you described. But, since we can’t change the world – only how we interact with it – here are just a couple of suggestions for what you might have done differently.
When asked by the crew if you were OK, you could have given the signals for “don’t know” (exaggerated shoulder shrug) and “buddy” (index fingers together, but arms held close together and fingers high so it doesn’t look like an OK sign). And repeat.
The first time the captain asked what the OK sign meant, you could have responded “It means OK, but I didn’t give it because … “
The more of these types of scenarios (real or speculative) we visualize and work through, the more likely we’ll have tools at the ready to react appropriately in similar, or even dissimilar scenarios.
All divers and crew are imperfect, including you and I. Well, at least one of us.
Please keep diving and keep sharing.
k
On pretty much any other boat I've ever been on, and you wave... You're getting rescued.
The only responses to "Are you OK?" are: "YES I'M OK" or "I'm in trouble"
If you need to get picked up, you signal like a referee would signal touchdown (in american football) - AFTER you've signaled "OK"
GrumpyOldGuy
Contributor
Now you know one of the reasons I prefer to solo dive. I am a good (rec) diver and a poor communicator. I simply avoid many of the issues and when I do PO someone I am too dense to notice 1/2 the time.
Anyway, back to your issue. Buddy separation is common (bad but **** happens) and not an emergency. If does scare you the first couple of times, but you also have to trust your buddy knows enough to take care of himself. If he can't do that and you have separated while submerged, the assistance offered by a boat is most likely a body recovery.
Anyway, back to your issue. Buddy separation is common (bad but **** happens) and not an emergency. If does scare you the first couple of times, but you also have to trust your buddy knows enough to take care of himself. If he can't do that and you have separated while submerged, the assistance offered by a boat is most likely a body recovery.
Howard's post is a more flamboyant way of saying what I suggested happens. In these recreational settings a breakdown in the buddy system is vastly more likely than calamity.
Yes, there will be (rare) times when there is a real distress situation and then the roll of the dice is "which of you is in trouble". If it's you and the buddy bolted for the boat then you are still up the creek despite all of your accommodating behavior. Take this with a grain of salt or the whole system will fall apart.
Diving has hazards and the training is all about mitigating them. At some point we all recognize that it's not a 100% safety net. Bad things happen to good and bad divers.
These situations where inattention and failure to dive the plan botch the dive are a common frustration. Short of being in a fine tuned buddy pair the best you can hope to do is minimize the incident.
Pete
AaronRiot
Contributor
Agree, OP did not handle the situation eloquently. Captain was right.
Disagree - ASSUMING A LOST BUDDY IS OK IS DANGEROUS. Complacency kills.
EDIT If you're diving with a buddy, and the agreement is to stay together, and one manages to lose the other... Hey its just rec diving, everyone will be fine.
fisheater
Contributor
I've been in your situation. At the surface down current from the anchored boat, alone, scanning for my buddy.
I signaled "OK" to the boat when I surfaced. However, after a minute when my buddy didn't surface I signaled that I had an issue by raising my fist and holding it steady.
Thus, the crew knew that I was in no immediate danger (from the OK sign), but needed assistance in the water (from the fist sign).
The problem with the captain started when you didn't signal your condition. A diver that surfaces and won't respond to the boat may be in a passive panic and in danger or may be rudely ignoring the captain and crew. Neither possibility warms the crew hearts.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I signaled "OK" to the boat when I surfaced. However, after a minute when my buddy didn't surface I signaled that I had an issue by raising my fist and holding it steady.
Thus, the crew knew that I was in no immediate danger (from the OK sign), but needed assistance in the water (from the fist sign).
The problem with the captain started when you didn't signal your condition. A diver that surfaces and won't respond to the boat may be in a passive panic and in danger or may be rudely ignoring the captain and crew. Neither possibility warms the crew hearts.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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