What Kind of Insta-buddy Experience Do You Prefer

[AdivingBel]

I'm arriving in Bonaire on aug 26th and will be there till oct 29th... Would love to meet up for some diving.. Wife get's in for the last 2 weeks.. Have you done Bonaire before ? Keep in touch ..

Jim...

Yes we have. We love it there. Let's do some PMs as we get closer to dates. Sounds like fun.

Now back to our regularly scheduled insta-buddy paranoia.

 

[Asteve]

You've done a lot more diving than I, but I've only had that conversation once with an instabuddy. She wanted me to know it was definitely a same day same ocean situation, which I was quite fine with. That was on a scubaboard trip with another scubaboard member. I've never seen the subject discussed with folks outside of scubaboard ever. I bet most people aren't aware there are other options outside of scubaboard readers and perhaps divers with higher diving certs.

I've spent several dives chasing around inconsiderate buddies who just take off in a random direction as fast as they can kick. T

When I switched to a nonstandard gear configuration (bungeed octo, later replaced with air2) where I didn't have a primary in your mouth and yellow octo at your right hip, I made sure to tell every instabuddy to just grab the reg out of my mouth if they needed it. I think if you're sticking with the configuration that every school (except maybe GUE/DIR) teaches, everything is already standardized.

Luckily for me, I got married and she's a diver. Now I have a permabuddy.

You are my kind of diver. Before dive computers were the norm, you would see a lot of pre-dive planning not so much any more. I am sure we have all seen it, someone says I need a buddy and someone else say me too, lets do it. Off to the water they go without another word.
I once told my instabuddy that I had no problem, if he needed air, to just grab the reg out of my mouth if they needed it. I got a Deer in the headlight look and other divers hearing this were horrified. I am conformable in the water so this is no problem. The sooner my buddy get air the better off I will be. In my teens I saved a woman that stepped/slipped in to deep water and could not swim, I hope to never have to deal with that kind of panic again. I know my gear and where to find the octo.

 

[chrisch]

I'm not DIR-trained either and I'm curious, too. I've seen enough threads where it was discussed to get a sense that the team diving training standardizing on some elements of gear (IIRC?) is over & beyond the 'typical' buddy system as I think it's commonly understood. This comes out more in threads where people discuss dive plans for really advanced dives (e.g.: multi-gas, or cave); I was curious as to how many divers would prefer that 'up gunned' approach even in benign tropical conditions. So far, I'm a bit surprised at how many...

Richard.

I think this is because there really isn't any difference between "really advanced" dives and any other dives. All of them involve being immersed in a fluid that is highly unsuited to human life. It is very easy to forget just exactly what you are doing when you learn to dive. 50 or more dives in, maybe at AOW or Rescue level and beginning to think you "know the game". So very very easy to be complacent, over confident, relaxed in the water. Maybe (read 2 million threads here) even thinking about becoming a (gasp) Dive Master or (faint) Instructor. OMG.

Modern scuba gear is idiot proof. Like cars with seat belts, air bags, crash protection that mean most auto accidents are non fatal, in fact often nothing more than a nuisance. Modern scuba gear is so good we take it for granted. It's so easy to forget the importance of the buddy because after 100 dives you have never needed him/her. What other hazardous activity would we think a 100 times experience is adequate to relax?

When you learn more demanding (let's avoid "advanced") dive techniques, decompression, trimix and caves you suddenly start to think about your vulnerability - just like learning to dive again. I look back an some of the things I did 20 years ago and break out in a cold sweat. So so so easy to die. For no reason at all. Lucky yes, clever no.

Team diving (for me anyway) is about attitude not equipment and the GUE/DIR equipment standardisation is to make the team more safe. For some diving environments it is possible to relax that standardisation somewhat (hence all the debate round DIR) but the underlying principle stands - dive with anyone and you know what their response will be if there is a problem. That is very reassuring and appeals to a lot of people.

 

[drrich2]

Appreciate the insights. A few follow up thoughts to some points you made.

I think this is because there really isn't any difference between "really advanced" dives and any other dives.

While any dive can kill you, the degree of risk varies (consider shallow 40 foot max., 20 foot average reef dive in benign tropical conditions with no current, vs. a deep cave penetration at depth on a rebreather, going to extremes to illustrate the point), as do options for self-rescue (e.g.: the SDI Solo Diver course sets recommended solo dive parameters such as no penetration, no deco. obligation, not pushing your limits or new experience (i.e.: pinnacle dive for you)).

What other hazardous activity would we think a 100 times experience is adequate to relax?

Here's a possibility; a new teen driver in a non-urban setting (particularly the country) who's fairly quick to catch on. He'll start out driving with a licensed adult in the car. How many hours of road time till he's allowed to drive alone? I'm not just talking legally, I'm talking till his parents are okay with him running around to the local grocery store to pick up food. That assumes we equate solo driving to 'relaxed' diving (assuming that means you don't think you 'really need' the buddy).

When you learn more demanding (let's avoid "advanced") dive techniques, decompression, trimix and caves you suddenly start to think about your vulnerability - just like learning to dive again.

Many consider it advanced because it is demanding. Semantics; if a dive is 'demanding' but a highly accomplished diver is so advanced in knowledge, capability and diligence that it's easy for him, is it really demanding?

I look back an some of the things I did 20 years ago and break out in a cold sweat.

Yes! I'm still a little surprised so far I have all my fingers, the bones healed and the scars are fairly minor...

Richard.

 

[chrisch]

...
While any dive can kill you, the degree of risk varies (consider shallow 40 foot max., 20 foot average reef dive in benign tropical conditions with no current, vs. a deep cave penetration at depth on a rebreather, going to extremes to illustrate the point), as do options for self-rescue (e.g.: the SDI Solo Diver course sets recommended solo dive parameters such as no penetration, no deco. obligation, not pushing your limits or new experience (i.e.: pinnacle dive for you)).....

Yes, I agree - as you say it is semantics. Calling the more risky dive "advanced" is common in diving, but really it is the risk (and risk management) that is the key issue.

The only person I have seen drown first hand was a guy on a Rescue Diver course (pretty ironic). He was on the exercise where you dip down and rescue an unconscious breathing diver (role played by a volunteer in the drill). For reasons unknown the student missed the waiting diver and carried on beyond the training platform in the quarry. He (the student) was low on gas but had "enough" to complete the drill. Visibility about 3m (10 foot). Having missed the "casualty" the student began a search and ran out of gas. A situation from which he did not survive.

As a result the school changed it's procedure and required a "buddy" to accompany in water divers at all times (both the rescuing student and volunteer pretend casualty in this example). Thus for this exercise what was accomplished with the instructor (casualty) and student, now required four people in the water to complete the exercise.

The quarry environment is pretty benign - no current and the bank just a few metres from the submerged platforms specially installed for exactly such practice drills. The platforms are also marked with lines and floats to show the end of the platform. The deceased in this instance was requested to descend the line to the 6m platform where the "casualty" was waiting. The exercise would have been acceptably completed with physical contact to the line during the descent.

On the face of it the risk of letting the student (by definition an AOW diver) descend the line solo is very small. His death was a direct result of his personal decision to search for the waiting diver despite the obvious course of action to return to the surface and repeat the descent, combined with the decision not to refill the tank prior to making the dive. His body was found well below the 6m depth and the depth gauge fitted to the console was found to be working accurately. The tank was empty. He was still wearing his weightbelt when found.

I think risk is a personal thing. I think "advanced" is a personal thing. I genuinely believe that good gear configuration and team mentality mitigate a lot of risk in diving. Watching someone else make the big mistake is helpful as well. I can still close my eyes and see that blue face.

As they say on Hill Street Blues, let's be careful out there.

 

[Blasto]

So, for purposes of this poll ...
The dive op. rents pony bottles; if you want solo-supporting gear rental, it's there.

A combo of 4 and 6. In what dive tourist experience I've had, insta-buddies don't work. The 'buddy' is just kind of there. So, assuming the site is new to me, I want to have a rough idea of where to go for the good sights, i.e. the DM. And there's no reason not to carry a RAS other than the logistics of long-distance, many-transfers travel with pony tanks.


That said, I did get some great "insta-buddies" on my dive vacations. These would typically be some good divers I meet in the shop, get talking, and we'd do our best to stay together the rest of the trip.

 

[Storker]

Given my background and experience, I'm a little surprised that my choice (#2) is at 3rd place. Almost all of my diving has been in self-sufficient buddy pairs, as proper buddies.

It's probably due to the differences between Euro sty club diving and US style commercial diving.

 

[Saniflush]

I went with #2 with #3 coming in second.

My regular dive partner and I take turns taking pictures on dives so our standing rule is that whoever is not taking pictures is on watch for hazards that may be occurring while the other's attention is somewhere else.

When she is not involved and it is just me with another person that I have dove with a few times then we stay loose.

 

[admikar]

Given my background and experience, I'm a little surprised that my choice (#2) is at 3rd place. Almost all of my diving has been in self-sufficient buddy pairs, as proper buddies.

It's probably due to the differences between Euro sty club diving and US style commercial diving.

Or it has something to do with diving in cold, murky waters vs. OP clear, warm water, shallow dive.
My best combo would be two #6 divers diving #2 choice.

 

[Storker]

Or it has something to do with diving in cold, murky waters vs. OP clear, warm water, shallow dive

Maybe. But even when I'm down south in clear, warm water I'm uncomfortable diving anything but #2