Diving With a Scuba Buddy

Your Scuba Buddy is your underwater lifeguard. In this unpredictable sport, your buddy is there to help in case problems occur during a dive. Buddy compatibility is important for a good buddy team.

If you dive with a club or school, it’s pretty easy to find a good dive buddy. It may be someone who was in one of your training classes, or someone you met on a dive trip. The two of you dive often together. You know each others equipment and skill level. This is a Scuba Buddy you feel comfortable diving with.

When you travel outside your local diving area or dive with a different dive club or school, it’s not always easy to find a dive buddy you’re comfortable with. Most dive leaders will try to pair divers according to skill and experience level. It’s up to the two divers to get to know each other.

Some divers will use dive buddy listings to find diving partners. These listings will help you find divers who have similar diving interests and skill levels. They will also help locate divers going to the same dive destinations. Another good place to find divers like you is at online dive forums.

Dive Buddy Pre-dive Safety Brief

Whether you’re diving with a new dive buddy or with an old friend, it’s always good to start your dive with a good pre-dive safety check (pre-dive briefing). This is where you and your buddy agree on things you’ll do before and during the dive. Things like …

• Check each others equipment; know the position of your buddy's alternate air source.

• Agree on hand signals you’ll use during the dive.

• Low on air/out of air and emergency ascent procedures.

• What to do in case you get separated.

• Staying together, preferably no more than arms length away. Make sure you never,ever leave your buddy.

• Anything else that might apply to the type of diving that you are doing.

Give each other a final once-over just to be safe. When you’re ready to dive, make a final OK signal.

After the dive, get together with the other divers and have a post-dive debriefing. This will help expand your knowledge of diving. And who knows, you might even pick up some diving tips.

Remember? Being a good dive buddy is as important as having a good dive buddy. The buddy system is a two way relationship-you and your Scuba Buddy help each other when problems occur. Diving with a buddy increases the safety of a dive and gives you a great chance to share your diving experience. Sometimes this can be more satisfying than the dive itself

Never Dive Alone. Always Dive With a Buddy.

Return from Scuba Buddy to Scuba Diving Vacations