The trouble with buddy diving

[waterpirate]

O.k. the title says it all. I should have known better but took a chance. Boy were my expectations met in spades.

I joined a low key local dive club as a vehicle to get on charters on the weekends so as not have to ditch work. From the first contact I had with the club, the mantra was "we go in together and exit together, buddy diving only, it's safe you know!"

I gritted my teeth every time I heard it, but decided to soldier on. I am admitedly a same day same ocean diver and like it that way.

The day of my first dive with the club arrived, and we showed up at the dock, boarded the boat, and set off. On the way to the dive site I was dumped off on the videographer for the club, and some guy, I was to be the third. Now trying really hard to "fit in" I asked some guy what the intended dive plan was and he said "just follow videographer guy" !!! ***?

I asked videographer guy what the dive plan would be, and he replied "Just stick close to me, and when you get to 500psi let me know." Now I am not that trusting of anyone, let alone someone I do not know, and have never dove with. So I made my own plan.

We arrived at the site and after the cluster of them gearing up, we splashed. Visibility was poor at best 5 feet maybe. I tied off my reel and followed the pair. Some guy swam off with video guy in hot pursuit. Here there and everywhere, I practiced laying line, and followed from a distance. About 22 minutes into the dive at 75fsw some guy showed video guy his gauges, this can not be good I thought. It was not, he was at 500psi.

We had circumvented about 3/4 the way around a fairly intact wreck, when they took off. I shrugged, did a 180 and spooled in back to the tie in. I began my ascent with the pair no where in site. At my ten foot stop the visibility was clear to the surface and there was something strange on the surface. It too a while to process, but when a school of spade fish showed up and started eating, it clicked. Some guy was puking all over the back of the boat, into the water.

I did and extended stop to watch the mate hose down the swim platform and boat before exiting. The mate said it was a good call as I came up the ladder.

The point of all this is that if you are going to dive the buddy system, or team approach, than do it!!! To say you do it, or say you mandate it, and then you do not do it is dangerous.

After exiting the water, video guy said " I lost you after some guy showed me 500 psi" Where did you go? I said "you saw me laying line, I went back the way I came, to retrieve my line". Video guy said "you do not have to do that, I have this transponder thingy, it never fails." That would have been nice to hear about pre-dive.

My point is this, I should have known better. I am self reliant first, and buddy dependant never. For all the crying about the DIR crowd we do at least they have a set of standards in regard to the "team concept". In my opinion if you are going to go that way, DIR is it. Complete team planning, dive plan, briefing, gas management, dive objective, yada yada.

If you are not you wind up a solo diver, or a same day same ocean diver buy choice.
I asked video guy on the way back to the dock if the dive was typical in regard to some guy and the course of events, and he said "yes".

I was told I passed my initiation dive with flying colors, and welcome to the club membership, I declined.
Eric

 

[dave4868]

Man, you're a nicer guy than I am.....

I would've needed an agreed upon "separation plan" that included some way for me to fully utilize that charter dive if my buddies weren't able. Something like, "Video Man and Some Guy are primary buddies and I'm only secondary and can surface alone if needed."

Great story! Loved the part about the spade fish feeding frenzy as Some Guy blew chunks!

Admit it, you broke out laughing underwater when you saw that, didn't you?

Dave C

 

[mark99]

Thanks for taking the time to tell your story. As I've advanced in my diving skills and training I've become less and less tolerant of bad buddies and buddy diving in general (I have to qualify that to pertain to recreational diving and not technical diving). It's not really that I feel that I'm "better than them"- it comes down to a question of whether I want the liability of helping a buddy for his mismanagement or inexperience (or getting hurt by it), vs. the outside chance a buddy could actually be helpful to me. I dive with a twice redundant system- manifolded doubles with a slung stage bottle, so I'm pretty sure I could manage most any gas emergency.
I've been diving solo for the last 30 or so rec dives, and it's been a lot better- I do my own planning and my own diving.

 

[AndyNZ]

In my experience, 3 is always a nightmare unless you've all trained to be diving in a team of 3 and have the same mindset. It's always ended up 2 + 1.

I love diving with people I dive well with, and would much rather dive with them above diving solo.... but I'd rather dive solo than dive with random people I don't know.

 

[Charlie99]

Now I am not that trusting of anyone, let alone someone I do not know, and have never dove with. So I made my own plan.

Did you share that plan with them, or was it your own little secret? :1poke:

Did your "buddies" know that you were planning on laying line?

---------------------

I used to have trouble with insta-buddies. Then I learned how to communicate.

When I dive solo, I dive solo.

When I dive with a buddy, we follow the plan (and yes, SOB if that is indeed the plan). I don't agree to a gas plan (such as lets pop to the surface at 500psi) unless I truly agree with it.

It sounds like you agreed to a dive plan without intending to dive what you agreed to. If that's true, then you need to ask yourself "Who really was the bad buddy?".

Charlie Allen

 

[waterpirate]

no offense but, did you read the post?
I was the new guy, I was being "initiated" and I was never included in the non-existing dive plan.

Reality check please.
Eric

 

[Charlie99]

I was the new guy, I was being "initiated" and I was never included in the non-existing dive plan.

I guess in your world, being the new guy absolves you of any responsibility to know, or to discuss, or to agree to the dive plan.

Or perhaps since you were being initiated that means that its OK to dive with a nonexistant dive plan. That's fine if that's how you want to dive. But it doesn't make sense to then come here and bemoan how horrible the other guys were.

My point is that when one has "buddy problems", it is best to first look at oneself to see what could have been done about it. Unless you prefer to continue to have problems so you can complain about how horrible your buddies are.

I used to have lots of problems with insta-buddies. Then I actively started looking at what I could do to avoid such problems. It's not really all that hard. It's not that big of a pain in #@#@. It doesn't take very long. It does require the decision to go ahead and try and resolve important stuff BEFORE the dive, and not to ignore things that you know are likely to be problems.

 

[Thalassamania]

The problem is not having a buddy, its how you choose your buddy.

 

[Web Monkey]

O.k. the title says it all. I should have known better but took a chance. Boy were my expectations met in spades.

I joined a low key local dive club as a vehicle to get on charters on the weekends so as not have to ditch work. From the first contact I had with the club, the mantra was "we go in together and exit together, buddy diving only, it's safe you know!"

A buddy is someone who keeps an eye out in case you do something stupid, and someone you can count on in case you have a problem.

Some guy(s) you just met on a boat do not qualify as "buddies".

Terry

 

[waterpirate]

Thanx Dave C,
O.K. the rest of you guys got me. I have been off line for a while and forgot I was not sopposed to feed you. lol!!

This is the solo divers forum, I made a mistake, I am going back to remedial solo diving this weekend. That incident is funny, no matter who you are on the internet. God forgive me for dat der, and all the pygmies in africa.

In my world, cats on the tin roof, dogs in a pile, nothing left for me but smile smile smile.
Let's all lighten up and go knock back a few, I am
Eric