Buddy Diving

[Chris]

I'm starting this thread because I think there's some good info in another one about Team Diving... I think there is a difference and wanted to start a new thread about 'buddy diving'.

How do you like to buddy dive?

I guess I like to be relatively close, but not so close that we are in each other's way. This of course is based on visibility... If I can see my buddy and he's 10 feet from me, it doesn't bother me. I prefer to stay within 5 feet or so, but it's not always possible. As long as I am close enough to get their attention, or for them to get my attention then I am comfortable. I also prefer to stay in somewhat of a side-by-side mode. There have been times where I have lost site of my buddy and looked all over only to find they were only a few feet above my head.

Good communication is key... as long as I know how my buddy prefers to dive (before the dive), then I am more comfortable. And I try to do a check as often as possible during the dive so I always know where my buddy is, but sometimes (my own fault) something cool distracts me for a moment and I have to re-focus on where my buddy went.

[MNLakeDiver]

I like to dive with buddies that are good communicators. you need to plan a dive well and also be able to comunicate while on the dive.

[WisGal]

Preferably 5 feet or less, especially in low viz situations. Never know when assistance may be needed.

[lrmoll]

I too want the buddy beside me most of the time. It is too tiring to have to constantly look backwards (or above) doing an exorcist neck maneuver to find your buddy

[javelindan]

Thanks for this post. I'm amazed at how many instances I've read or heard of people diving alone (on forums, in discussions, etc.). Personally, I feel very strongly that SCUBA diving should always be done with a buddy. Specific to this string, it's critical that buddies plan, discuss and agree upon how a dive will be done. This includes how they will communicate, how close to stay, etc.

Diving is a great pastime but it's one that requires a lot of respect of mother nature and of the rules/guidelines of diving. Bottom line: dangerous situations can develop unexpectedly and having a buddy with you can make the difference in being able to deal with the situations.

A personal experience:
I was diving on Looe Key in the FL Keys in Oct 1986. I was with a couple of dive buddies and there were a couple of other groups on the dive boat including a group of 5 guys of which one was a snorkeler. It was an incredible day of diving. After the 2nd dive of the afternoon, the snorkeler didn't respond to the underwater siren to get everyone back to the boat. He was 100ft from the boat and was apparantly still snorkeling...

It turns out the guy had been snorkeling over his diver friends and free dove down 20ft or so to briefly hang with them on the bottom. One of his friends shared air with him... well, the snorkeler didn't know the basics about diving (not to hold your breath, etc.), suffered an air embolism on his way back to the surface and drowned. When the snorkeler didn't return to the dive boat and the boat pulled up to pick him up, I was one of 2 guys who jumped in and helped get him out of the water. Although there were 2 doctors on the dive boat, the guy didn't respond to emergency treatment. We were about a 1/2 hr out and the Coast Guard met us halfway back to get the guy to a hospital...

So, what does this have to do with Buddy Diving? First of all, unexpected things can happen and the results can be fatal. Having a dive buddy with a mutual plan gives you a strong chance to deal with most unexpected situations. In the case of this story, I would have hoped that with more than 1 diver present that more common sense could have prevailed and either 1) no air would have been shared with the snorkeler so the situation wouldn't have presented itself, or 2) if realizing that air had already been shared with the snorkeler that the divers could have communicated the potential concerns with the snorkeler (using a slate to explain never to hold your breath, esp. when ascending) and have accompanied the guy back to the surface...

I love diving but I understand it can be very dangerous. Heck, when I did my Ice Diver cert this March and was renting equipment for my check out dive, I learned that the last guy who wore my harness had died when solo ice diving on Superior. He had tied a safety line to the harness and his wife and teenage daughter had been at the surface tending (divers but with no ice diving experience). Evidently the line froze to the ice and any attempts to communicate by line were negated... so what happened? Bill at Scuba Daddy's said he didn't know the specifics but that the guy had a knack for diving alone which obviously contributed to his death. The guy's wife sold some of his equipment to Scuba Daddy's after the fact and that's why Bill had the harness. Kind of creepy to put it on knowing that the last guy to wear died while wearing it...

Anyway, enough carnage for now. Diving can be dangerous. Dive properly and do so with a buddy. Besides being safer, it's usually a lot more fun as well. Everyone tends to experience things a bit differently and it can enhance the experience. On many dives my buddies have spotted things I would have otherwise missed and vice versa...

[Freedive WI]

Dan,

That was pretty wild that you were down there when the snorkler embolized. I remember when that happend. It was written up in Underwater USA at the time. I also remember using that story as an example with my basic openwater students why they shouldn't try and teach their friends how to dive and bring them to a discover scuba session instead. I think I recall that there were at least two snorklers that had that happen to them within a short amount of time.

I have dove solo in the past, but now I always dive with a buddy. This is the direct result of becoming a father. I know of too many certified instructors, and tech divers, who have died because they were solo- and this happened on dives to less than 100'!

We have a shipwreck off of Milwaukee in 60'-90' of water that has claimed at least 4 divers. 3 were solo diving and the fourth lost his buddy and panicked. When it comes to tech diving I ALWAYS dive with a buddy. For freediving I dive in a team of three or four. This is really true when we go for dives below 60'. Two years ago there were a total of 83 freedivers who died around the world. Most of these deaths were a direct result of spearfishing while solo. I have also seen people Samba, a type of shallow water blackout, first hand.

When it comes to tec-diving we try and make eye contact with our buddies at least once a minute- if not more. When we switch to our deco gases we switch one at a time with our buddies looking us in the eye while we switch gases- this can be the most dangerous part of the dive. My buddy provides another set of back-up gauges and gases. (S)he also carries my back-up tables and cutting shears. They might even be carrying my back-up scoooter if needed. I woudln't even think of planning a trimix dive without my buddy beside me.

When I was young and single I could justify to myself why I should dive solo. After too many years in the water, and witness to too many accidents that never should have happened, I have dampened my tone. Once I became a dad I completely changed my opinion. I have too many responsibilites in my life to take a chance on something so silly. You need to take stock in oyur own life to make these choices for yourself.

You can take all of the precautions that you like, but the truth of the matter is that it can happen to anyone at any level- I've seen it first hand. Lists like this are a great way to find buddies with the same interests and experience levels.


just my $0.02


Jon

[javelindan]

Thanks for the great feedback, Jon. I'm also a father and I will only dive with a buddy... too much to live for not to. Being a dad is also the reason that I joined DAN for both the emergency support as well as the insurance coverage.

For anyone interested in more info on air embolisms, here's a site with detailed medical explanations of the physiology of diving:

Here's a link to the contents and entire book "SCUBA Diving Explained" by Lawrence Martin, MD: