What would you do?

[Far_X]

Ok, here is the situation. You are joining some buddies from the dive club for a beach dive. You never know exactly who is going to turn and who isn't. People tend to get there early and entry into the water is usually before the scheduled time if everyone if there. You turn up, later than normal but still before the scheduled diving time. You see a dive flag about 20 feet out into the water and blame traffic for holding you up. You ask the people on the beach when did the divers go into the water. They reply just a few minutes ago. What would you do?

a) Would you get suited up and join your buddies in the water and because you know the dive site will most probably come across them and tell the people on the beach that if the other divers come out to tell them that you have gone into the water already.

b) Wait for your buddies to come out of the water about 40 minutes later.

 

[jbd]

Ok, here is the situation. You are joining some buddies from the dive club for a beach dive. You never know exactly who is going to turn and who isn't. People tend to get there early and entry into the water is usually before the scheduled time if everyone if there. You turn up, later than normal but still before the scheduled diving time. You see a dive flag about 20 feet out into the water and blame traffic for holding you up. You ask the people on the beach when did the divers go into the water. They reply just a few minutes ago. What would you do?

a) Would you get suited up and join your buddies in the water and because you know the dive site will most probably come across them and tell the people on the beach that if the other divers come out to tell them that you have gone into the water already.

b) Wait for your buddies to come out of the water about 40 minutes later.

If they were going to be out that soon I would wait if I wasn't fully ready to go. If I was fully ready to go and they weren't far I would surface swim to the flag, follow the line down and join the group.

 

[Gary D.]

Go join the group if your comfort level is there. If in doubt, Don't. It's up to you, don't let us make that decision.

Gary D.

 

[Quarrior]

Go join the group if your comfort level is there. If in doubt, Don't. It's up to you, don't let us make that decision.

Gary D.

Bullseye.

 

[pasley]

Open a bottle of water and wait for hte next one. Otherwise if you are comfortable solo diving then do so. But as others have said, this is an idividual decision. Me, I would wait for hte next dive. but you must make your own decision.

 

[Far_X]

I decided to go in to join them. Checking and double checking my equipment I made sure nothing was amiss. I swam to the flag and then dove down there. The depth was not great and armed with compass headings and visual indications of entry/exit point (large pipe leaving shore) I felt fairly comfortable. It wasn't until after about 20 minutes did I come across another diver whose set up I didn't recognize. We gave each other the okay and I continued studying local flora and fauna. When I came out, I saw my regular buddy standing on the shore as if he had just come out of the water. It was then that I discovered that he had been running really late and was just about to go into the water and was wondering where I was. The dive flag that was in the water was not by people from the dive club either!! With hindsight, I guess I should have waited but at the time, I made a decision that I was comfortable with. If the visibility had been bad, or there was a strong current, or it was a dive soite I had not dove before, then I would have waited. We agreed as we sat around the barbecue on the beach that we would wait for each other if we knew that each were coming.

 

[Winton]

two words "cell phone". I also know that any regular diving buddy that knew I was on the way would wait.

but, a dive is a dive is a dive.

 

[matt_unique]

I decided to go in to join them. Checking and double checking my equipment I made sure nothing was amiss. I swam to the flag and then dove down there. The depth was not great and armed with compass headings and visual indications of entry/exit point (large pipe leaving shore) I felt fairly comfortable. It wasn't until after about 20 minutes did I come across another diver whose set up I didn't recognize. We gave each other the okay and I continued studying local flora and fauna. When I came out, I saw my regular buddy standing on the shore as if he had just come out of the water. It was then that I discovered that he had been running really late and was just about to go into the water and was wondering where I was. The dive flag that was in the water was not by people from the dive club either!! With hindsight, I guess I should have waited but at the time, I made a decision that I was comfortable with. If the visibility had been bad, or there was a strong current, or it was a dive soite I had not dove before, then I would have waited. We agreed as we sat around the barbecue on the beach that we would wait for each other if we knew that each were coming.

You don't know who is at the bottom of that flag and you don't know what their dive plan is. If you wanted to dive solo take your own flag and if you want head for the group but be prepared to do a solo dive.

--Matt

 

[EVEYPR7]

:07:

Ok, here is the situation. You are joining some buddies from the dive club for a beach dive. You never know exactly who is going to turn and who isn't. People tend to get there early and entry into the water is usually before the scheduled time if everyone if there. You turn up, later than normal but still before the scheduled diving time. You see a dive flag about 20 feet out into the water and blame traffic for holding you up. You ask the people on the beach when did the divers go into the water. They reply just a few minutes ago. What would you do?

a) Would you get suited up and join your buddies in the water and because you know the dive site will most probably come across them and tell the people on the beach that if the other divers come out to tell them that you have gone into the water already.

b) Wait for your buddies to come out of the water about 40 minutes later.

 

[Far_X]

Yeah, there was not going to be a second dive. These are one dive only meetings so it was either dive then or not at all - ignoring the fact that if I had waited another 20 minutes I could have dived with a buddy. Cell phone will be used next time. I love this sport - always something new to learn And I did rescue some kids' fishing line when I went in as their weight was stuck on a rock!