It is the beginning of the local dive season, and I am ready to go! One thing that I hear many times at the shop is, “I’d go diving more often, but I do not have a dive buddy.” The beauty of diving in a group is that it is easy to hook up with another single diver, or a duo that is willing to add a third person to their team. However, just as you would to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with a rental car, you need to familiarize yourself with a new buddy. Here are 6 tips to make pairing with a new buddy safe, stress free and enjoyable.
Number 1
Share your dive experience with your buddy. Have you done a lot of freshwater diving? Have you dived in this lake before? Is this your first deep dive or night dive? Find out those same things from your buddy, too, as a way to assess one another’s skills. This is not a peeing match, but an ice breaker and valuable information that will aid in your dive planning.
Number 2
Get to know each other’s gear. It goes without saying that any time a diver rents gear, he should thoroughly inspect it and be intimately aware of all the location of all the dumps, inflators and buckles, but do not forget that you also need to know your buddy’s gear. Not all set ups are created equal. Different manufacturers have different buckle, weight pocket and deflation designs. Chances are good that you will never have to dump your buddy’s weight for him, but if you need to, it is best if you already have an idea as to how it can be accomplished. In addition, pay close attention to the location of your buddy’s alternate air source.
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| Photo by the amazing Liz Boomer Check out her website! |
Number 3
Plan your dive together. It is folly to assume that your new buddy will dive the same way your usual buddy dives, or that he is going to follow you like a puppy and be interested in the same things that you are. Discuss your dive plan, including max depth, length of time, and route you will take. It will not go well if you want to stay shallow and shoot macro photos and he wants to make an 80ft. dive to penetrate a wreck, so come to a consensus on where you will go and what you will do while there. Good dive planning goes a long way towards making the most of your dives. While you are at it, review hand signals and consider bringing an underwater slate for good communication.
Number 4
Decide how you will dive. Will you dive next to each other, one leading and one following, one above and one below, or in some other configuration. This will save you both the bother of looking all over for your buddy. If you know where your buddy is and he knows where to look for you, then a quick glance to the right or left (or up of down) will ensure that you have not become separated.
Number 5
Review buddy separation scenarios. Even when you plan carefully separations can occur. The rule of thumb is to look for your buddy for 1 minute, then slowly ascend (still looking in all directions), perform a safety stop, if required and then continue to the surface. Hopefully your buddy will be there waiting for you, or will surface in a few moments.
Number 6
Dive your plan! Unless you have a foolproof way to communicate it, do not change plans while under water. Stick to what you and your buddy have agreed to and save your alternate plan for your next dive.
I hope these simple tips will take the fear out of tagging along on one of Team Manta’s many excursions. Not only that, meeting new people is one of the great benefits of the sport of diving, so get out there. Go places, Meet people and Do things underwater!
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