View Point- The Dive Buddy issue

[matt t.]

The buddy system when used "correctly" is the ONLY way to go. GOOD buddies need to be close enough to be helpful in a bad situation, pay enough attention to hand and/or light signals to know what's going on throughout the dive, and be aware of their buddies and their own position in the water column. Good gear maintenance and attitude is also very important. HIS gas is YOUR gas. I dive with a group of 4-5 divers. We're all pretty much the same as far as dive habits go. It is very rare that I don't dive with a buddy (maybe a few quarry dives a year to try out a new piece of gear or something). If I was to be paired up with an "insta-buddy" on a boat somewhere, I may decline to dive depending on the circumstances. I would also understand if someone were to decline to dive with me. I dive with a certain mind set and a simple, but specific rig. Recently we had a discussion on deco diving with other divers that used computers (our group does NOT use them). The other guys seemed to be more open minded about it than me. At this point I would probably dive with a computer diver, depending on who it is, and after checking tables against his computer and determining a specific plan. YMMV .