derwoodwithasherwood
Contributor
Disclaimer: Ok, first off, I know this forum is focused on diving solo, but I'm here since I really don't want to get 101 responses flaming solo diving.
Background: Most of my diving is solo. I have a few buddies I sometimes dive with, all of whom I know well (mother, uncle, child, etc.). I enjoy diving with them, but opportunities are rare and I also enjoy the peacefulness of diving alone. I have no previous experience diving with an unknown person. That said, I'm a firefighter, and have considerable experience pairing off with our equivalent of the "insta-buddy" in similarly hazardous environments. There are obvious differences, but many of the skills of a good buddy are universal -- watching out for each other, keeping track of each other in restricted visibility, communications issues, etc.
History: Our lake association was planning an underwater cleanup around a popular swimming area. The call went out for waders, snorkelers and divers to clean up at the various depths. One other diver responded to the call, and we met for the first time at an organizational meeting, where that diver showed me her instructor's c-card.
On the day of the dive, I anchored off one end and hoisted my dive flag. She anchored at the other end and dropped a flag in the water (FWIW, her flag was more orange than red and the stripe was upside down). She geared up and headed for shore as did I. We met in the shallows, and I suggested following the contour at a specific depth, turning, and moving to the new depth, etc. She agreed, and submerged, leaving me standing there doing the mental equivalent of jiggling the hook trying to figure out why the phone just went dead.
Questions: is it not customary to have a bit more of a briefing -- familiarize each other with gear differences, etc? As a FF, we all have the same gear, but I'm sure I remember something in the OW course about the importance of being familiar with a buddy's variances in personal gear. The whole dive was basically at safety stop level or less so air management was really a non-issue, and I would have quite happily and comfortably done it solo, but I never advertised that I dive solo and neither did she. I suppose that, as an experienced instructor, she sized up my gear quickly, but she is somewhat shorter and I couldn't even see most of her until I caught up down below. So how casual are these briefings between new buddies normally? Is there a solo equivalent of "gaydar" -- solo divers just kind of recognize each other as such? If two solo divers are "paired" is there an unspoken agreement that "I'll look after me, and leave you to your own devices"?
FWIW: we did collect a bag full of empty beer bottles, pop cans, etc. And we had a small school of perch join us for 15 or 20 minutes. The visibility in this lake is so much better above the thermocline -- I'll have to spend more time up there in the shallows!
Background: Most of my diving is solo. I have a few buddies I sometimes dive with, all of whom I know well (mother, uncle, child, etc.). I enjoy diving with them, but opportunities are rare and I also enjoy the peacefulness of diving alone. I have no previous experience diving with an unknown person. That said, I'm a firefighter, and have considerable experience pairing off with our equivalent of the "insta-buddy" in similarly hazardous environments. There are obvious differences, but many of the skills of a good buddy are universal -- watching out for each other, keeping track of each other in restricted visibility, communications issues, etc.
History: Our lake association was planning an underwater cleanup around a popular swimming area. The call went out for waders, snorkelers and divers to clean up at the various depths. One other diver responded to the call, and we met for the first time at an organizational meeting, where that diver showed me her instructor's c-card.
On the day of the dive, I anchored off one end and hoisted my dive flag. She anchored at the other end and dropped a flag in the water (FWIW, her flag was more orange than red and the stripe was upside down). She geared up and headed for shore as did I. We met in the shallows, and I suggested following the contour at a specific depth, turning, and moving to the new depth, etc. She agreed, and submerged, leaving me standing there doing the mental equivalent of jiggling the hook trying to figure out why the phone just went dead.
Questions: is it not customary to have a bit more of a briefing -- familiarize each other with gear differences, etc? As a FF, we all have the same gear, but I'm sure I remember something in the OW course about the importance of being familiar with a buddy's variances in personal gear. The whole dive was basically at safety stop level or less so air management was really a non-issue, and I would have quite happily and comfortably done it solo, but I never advertised that I dive solo and neither did she. I suppose that, as an experienced instructor, she sized up my gear quickly, but she is somewhat shorter and I couldn't even see most of her until I caught up down below. So how casual are these briefings between new buddies normally? Is there a solo equivalent of "gaydar" -- solo divers just kind of recognize each other as such? If two solo divers are "paired" is there an unspoken agreement that "I'll look after me, and leave you to your own devices"?
FWIW: we did collect a bag full of empty beer bottles, pop cans, etc. And we had a small school of perch join us for 15 or 20 minutes. The visibility in this lake is so much better above the thermocline -- I'll have to spend more time up there in the shallows!
