waterpirate
Contributor
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
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