The same goes for a buddy who races ahead as if he’s running the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Pairing up with a buddy who runs out of air while you still have half a tank can be annoying. My wife and I are looking forward to diving with my daughter when she’s old enough, but the joyful experiences we envision can’t happen if we don’t stay within all three of our limits.” Breathe Easy, Set the Pace “Respect limits,” says Shreeves, “and both divers can have a great time.
Make sure you and your buddy discuss limitations or issues that could affect how you plan the dive. Failing to do so at best can take the fun out of the dive, and at worst can lead to an accident.” “But the more experienced and qualified diver needs to respect the less experienced diver’s limits. “One of the remarkable things about diving is that it’s one of the few activities in which a very experienced person and a very inexperienced person can participate together and both really enjoy it,” says Shreeves. READ MORE: 17 Scuba Gear Hacks from the Pros But we divers know that’s not always possible. That’s a perfect world, one in which you and your buddy share attributes that match as perfectly as twins on the first day of kindergarten. You know each other’s level of comfort in the water, experience and skills, goals for the dive, and have perhaps made the same dive together countless times.Īnd even when a dive doesn’t go as planned, says Mikutowicz, “neither one feels pressure to push your limits, and neither one feels badly for making the other one miss out on a dive that you might not be comfortable doing.” If you’re lucky, your buddy is your BFF - maybe a spouse, friend or fellow dive-club member. “Carry some sort of audible device, so if your buddy isn’t looking in your direction, you can still get his or her attention,” says Jo Mikutowicz, managing partner of Grand Cayman’s Divetech. Getting your buddy’s attention can be tough when there’s a shark cruising past or he’s preoccupied with the settings on his camera. “A good set of wet notes or a slate is a must on every dive, regardless of unspoken communication skills,” says Levendorf. If you find that you need to stop the dive because your buddy is puzzled by what you’re trying to tell him or her, make sure you’ve got some way to scribble a message.
Signal coral buddies how to#
READ MORE: How to Deal with Panic While Scuba Diving “Flashlights, camera lights or glow sticks are not only good for night dives,” says Liz Parkinson of Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, “but they also work well on reefs to point out wildlife or get your buddy to look in your direction.” Not every underwater conversation can be conducted with a simple hand signal or by glancing at your buddy. Kell Levendorf, dive accident investigator for Dive & Marine Consultants International in Florida, says the relationship that longtime buddies develop results in a kind of “mental muscle memory that dictates who leads and who follows, and allows for communicating changes in the dive plan that need to be made on the fly due to unforeseen circumstances.” The more you dive with someone, the more you learn each other’s language.” “We can tell a lot by expressions, breathing patterns and body postures, often unconsciously. “Beyond hand signals, buddies communicate by staying close and making eye contact,” says Karl Shreeves, technical development executive with PADI.
Ditto for asking your buddy how much air he or she has remaining. If your buddy is new, asking if he or she is OK by flashing the universal OK hand signal can be a reassuring way to let him or her know you’re paying attention. Hand signals are the most common way to “talk” to your buddy once you’ve begun a dive. A buddy team should decide who will lead the dive, review hand signals and discuss emergency procedures, such as what to do if you get separated - and you should have the conversation before putting a fin in the water. Planning a dive is more than mapping out your basic profile.
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