Posted by Frank Farmer on September 05, 2000 at 22:54:23:
In Reply to: Some Thoughts On Buddy Diving posted by seahunt on September 05, 2000 at 16:22:00:
Buddy diving began in the military and in commercial diving. Divers worked in teams to complete underwater tasks, not for mutual safety. Sport diving certification agencies adopted the buddy system to pacify nervous, ignorant insurance companies and thereby lower their premiums. You can broadcast the PADI/NAUI buddy party line till you're blue in the face, but the simple fact is, experienced, self-reliant divers diving alone are much safer than mandated buddy teams. The DAN stats bear this out, year after year.