Too good of a buddy?

[tomboyy]

Depending on the buddy and the location, My buddies and me usually switch leaders. We do the usual pre-dive planning and know the dive profile , but I may start leading and then he'll lead awhile and we go back and forth. We just kinda know if your in front you keep track of your buddy behind.

The dives I'm talking about are stomping grounds dives ... I'm not talking about new dive sites.

 

[spectrum]

I wouldn't call it being too good of a buddy at all. Some divers don't want the responsibility of getting the team back to the right place at the right pace. I think there is a time and place to pass the baton. If I'm diving with someone who I feel is open to taking on the responsibility I'll tell them "you're driving". I don't think they have ever said "no" though they have asked me to not let them mess it up.

Navigation has a number of components. We all think about the technical operation of the compass and site knowledge. There are also personal abilities in spacial relations and personal ability will vary. There is a huge difference between doing a few navigation tricks for AOW and leading and executing an interesting dive that goes full circle while keeping track of 1 or 2 buddies. AOW does not a navigator make.

The upside of being in the lead is that you pick the pace and precise course. I subscribe to the leader and follower(s) mentality. I dive with many divers and usually in relatively limited visibility, it just makes it easier. I have seen well tuned buddy teams that run the dive in a more democratic fashion and that's cool if you're in tune to do it.

Pete

 

[Gambitt]

Too good of a Buddy? I vote no..

When your Buddy dives with you, he's following your lead, and learning from your experience.

If he goes out tomorrow, with a different group, with less experience than himself, then your leadership will be his background to lead the new group.

In the Army, a Lieutenant will lead a Sargent, but the Sargent leads the Privates..

 

[SkimFisher]

I lead a lot of dives. But I don't want to lead EVERY dive. Sometimes I just want to dive. So I would say to hand over the ropes on a regular basis. When I first started diving and was the newbie (which I still am depending on what kind of dive we're doing) the more experienced divers would say, "Ok, you're the new guy, lead the way." Obviously, it's all relative to the difficulty of the dive you're doing. But if you're just site seeing, then I would say absolutely - make them lead some dives. They need to be confident in their own abilities and in turn you should feel confident in their abilities.

 

[Hoomi]

Too good of a Buddy? I vote no..

When your Buddy dives with you, he's following your lead, and learning from your experience.

If he goes out tomorrow, with a different group, with less experience than himself, then your leadership will be his background to lead the new group.

In the Army, a Lieutenant will lead a Sargent, but the Sargent leads the Privates..

That depends on the lieutenant. I knew a lot of lieutenants in the USAF that weren't qualified to handle their own privates, let alone a flight of Airmen. Had it not been for qualified sergeants, the work would never get done. The worst lieutenants for that were most often the ones from the Academy, that came out thinking they were hot stuff because they were Academy grads. It usually didn't take too long for them to get their hineys handed to them by some career Master Sergeant.

The smart lieutenant is the one that lets the sergeant lead, and learns by watching how it's really done.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Greg,

It sounds to me like you are being a terrific buddy.

As mentioned in several great posts above, some folks are just more comfortable following, and have a terrific time doing just that.

It seems I've "led" most of the dives I've been on. But leading for me most often just means "watching over" the other diver(s) I'm with... not necessarily directing the dive, maybe not even planning it (but I might make gentle "suggestions" if I'm uncomfortable with the plan).

So, somtimes I'm "leading from the rear" on a dive, enjoying myself, but still keep an eye on things.

The more you dive, and the more your buddies dive, the easier and more natural all this becomes.

Best wishes.

 

[spectrum]

As mentioned in several great posts above, some folks are just more comfortable following, and have a terrific time doing just that.

One way to get nominated leader next time is to be a poor follower this time. I don't mind leading for the most part except when I need to spend the dive turning around looking up my crotch and doing helicopter turns playing where's Waldo.

Next time that diver leads and I do my best to set the example of a flanking buddy.

The other favorite is the follower that swims ahead, how is that supposed to work? I just start following them and keep track of where they take me. No sense dealing with that underwater. I'm happy to be cruising along neutral.

Keep that in mind when leading the reluctant navigator.

Pete