Posted by John Walker on July 10, 2000 at 23:44:49:
In Reply to: Buddy Diving - Is three a crowd ? Did I start all this ?? posted by Dean Christensen on July 10, 2000 at 16:13:13:
Dean,
Unlike most of the Mutant dive shop instructors in this industry, I have no reason to put on a clown face on and kiss anyone's booty.
A quality dive instructor is one who tells you the truth. He's the one who teahces you how to be safe. He's not going to be the one who always tells you what you want to hear.
If your idea of a quality dive instructor is one who whores out to anyone walking into their dive shop then your going to get what you deserved, a piece of plastic and little knowledge of diving.
Here's an exercise for you: ask whatever friendly dive instructor your learning to dive from why they teach impractical techniques such as out of air signals. Ask why an emergency swimming ascent is taught to be your first choice in an out of air situation. Then post the replies to this BBS.
Unlike Kelpies, the opinion's that I have expressed in my reply are far beyond just mine. They are also shared by thousands of advanced divers as well as certification agencies. My choice to share them with you was based on safety, after I saw Kelpy mislead you.
MHK was talking way over your head. Kelpy was making his own uneducated opinion to a life threatening subject and Seahunt obviously thought I was just making it all up. There was nothing from any of them to build from.
Diving in a three person team is optimal in advanced diving. If its optimal in advanced diving it could be learned to make a beginning diver a safer diver while at the same time enjoying his/her dive. The third diver in this size of team is not difficult to keep an eye on (directly or indirectly) if the concept of buddy diving is properly taught and learned.
The (#1)lead diver paces the (#2)diver behind him/her. The (#2) diver behind the lead diver paces the (#3)diver behind him/her. This simply means that you don't swim faster that the diver behind you. In this technique the lead diver never has to see the 3rd diver. This technique has proven it's self in the darkest of caves and shipwrecks to the murkiest of lakes.
Good Luck