Two's company - three's a crowd

[Jonathan]

Finally my post is catching up with me from the UK and in the Decmber Diver magzine there seems to be an ongoing discussion about 3 in in (hesitate to call it) buddy team. I think it may have some history which will hopefully be answered when Sept and Oct mags arrive....

What are your thoughts of diving as a 3?

I personally do not have a problem with it and treat exactly the same as just diving with a buddy. Do all the checks, make the plan and dive as a team. If one goes up all three go up, if one wants to abort - all abort (if under water)etc

I'm not sure if the article is referring to a one person going up to leave the other two behind or just someone on the edge at Stony asking if they could join you.

I think I've answered the first question but the second one is a bit different. Not sure I would dive with someone unknown and certainly not hook up just before I got in the water. But then isn't that exactly what I did on holiday last week when I went out on a day boat charter hoping (perhaps naively in hindsight) that the DM knew all the details and would buddy us up appropriately..... Should have asked more questions but he could talk the talk!

Perhaps someone in the UK could fill in the gaps in the article?

Cheers and merry (hic!) Christmas
Jonathan

 

[TexasMike]

Three in a team can be a bit more challenging than just two, but here is some things I have heard that might help:

1. Be very detailed with the pre-dive buddy briefing. Don't just assume that you all know where you're going and such. Be sure to cover such things as dive objective, hand signals, turn-around points, what to do incase of separation, and gear configs (in case one of them has a non-standard setup or device)
   
2. Establish who's watching whom. Unlike a two person buddy team who just watches out for each other, 3 people might mean that one person doesn't get checked on as often as necessary. I've heard its a good idea to have something like TexasMike watching NetDoc, who is watching ScubaKat, who is in turn watching TexasMike. The "OK" signal get's shown in the sequence and everyone is assured that everyone get's checked on.
   
3. Be sure everyone on the buddy team has the same objective for the dive. I got in a threesome when I buddied with a fellow who had an u/w video setup. I agreed to be a spotter of interesting things when another diver wandered over and asked if he could join us (making three). We said sure. But as soon as we were settled at the mooring blocks and off filming, he takes off and we didn't see him during the remaing bit of the dive until we found him at the hang line. When we asked him why he took off, he said he saw something interesting a ways off and then couldn't find us later. He's a lucky diver since he could have gotten into some deep kimchee if he developed a problem and no buddy was there to assist.
   
4. Be sure to inform the supervising DM (who is checking you in and out of the pool) that you are a threesome Remember, DM's don't like suprises, especially when only two of you exit the water.

Anyone got anything else to add?

 

[Dee]

You pretty much covered all the obvious points. I really don't like three's and won't take on a third if they are a stranger. We have a couple of buddies who we dive with locally and do 3's but it's very well planned and everyone follows it to the letter.

 

[Fishkiller]

Is I have been in three different diving 3-somes. And TM has covered it well.

 

[The Chairman]

Have a sore neck after a threesome! I have to keep looking around to find the third and get them reigned in. I find it easier to just be a DM at that point and make them buddy up together and then watch them. I have seen VERY FEW divers buddy effectively, and frequently I am the one who does all the work in a buddy team. I guess I have had so much practice/training with dive management that it is only second nature to me by now.

 

[neilstewart]

Jonathan, from your mail I see you did not see the original letter carried in the November issue.

I'll give you the brief outline:

My DM wife and myself, an instructor, are the dogs Bol*!!*ks at diving and anyone we ever come across could not hope to match us in technique and knowledge. Imagine our extreme arrogance, sorry slip of the nouns, annoyance to be asked to dive in a three by some unscrupulous DO whilst on holiday, even if the guy is the second coming of Jacques Cousteau.

Against points made echo Texasmike's warnings but without the helpful remedies, more along the lines of

"We are so in tune with each other that we would not check on a third at all and proberbly end up out of the water if something happened, just asuming the other was looking after them" (see qualifications above!!!)

The reactions you've obvioulsy read I agree with completely, the best two being

Why does this guy not have a quiet word with the DM at the beginning of the holiday and say that they do not wish to be trebbled

And especially the "who would want to spend a week on a boat with these two anal retentive idiots?"

 

[lakesdiver]

My wife and I and a friend have over 150 dives as a 3-buddy team. We all have a very similar style, so it's no problem, tho' some of the DM's have looked askance when we insisted on tripling.

BUT, to be forced into a triple with someone unknown to you...I think I would fight that one. Why isn't the DM buddying with that odd third? I think throwing my money down in the diveshop is NOT to be construed as paying for the priviledge of tripling with an unknown.

 

[fredk]

having worked in many different resorts it's always been my policy to take the odd man if you will with me on a dive. i don't believe it's fair to burden a paying diver with the responsibility of a single diver. if the lone diver has problems or is an air hog the paying customer shouldn't be shouldered with that problem.
but we often dive in threesomes but are all of the same level and air consumption.

 

[Lost Yooper]

I don't particulary care for threesomes, but if the other two are of like mind, skill level, and such, I can take it. I absolutely prefer diving with MY buddy, whom I'm totally comfortable with.

Mike

 

[Scottri]

I've done a lot of dives in groups of three. Three is about the max for me. If one diver is low on air we all turn around. If one goes up we usually all go up. I have done a lot of diving with my dive buddies so we all know about where the other is on air consumption and it works out pretty well. I've never had a problem with 3 divers in a group. Any more than that would be a mess.


Scott