Diving in threes

[Scuby]

Didn't realise (after 4 years as a BSAC diver) that BSAC had any specific guidelines / rules / recommendations / whatever to do with diving in pairs or threes. We quite often dive in threes, and not just instructor+buddy pair. Generally if there are enough people for pairs then thats the most common, but I never saw three as a problem. Only time i'd be careful would be three ODs or inexperienced SDs going together, but most others I wouldn't worry about.

David

[samui13]

I dive as part of a three and have done for the last 100 dives. We have had no problems with it and have had a couple of incidents that have lead to an ascent on an alternate air source.

I probably shouldnt say this but i think in general from what i have seen from around the world is that we as divers, descend as a buddy team and usually ascend as a buddy team, but when we are at depth are diving solo. how many times does your buddy stop to take a photo and you drift on for a while with out knowing that they have stopped. I know i am a culprit of this. the distance apart could even be too far if there, (god forbid) was an out of air incident.

[Paul Oliver]

In Club diving a trio is usually a pair and a solo diver, i personally hate it, but we put trio's in on occasion 'cos we have an odd number.

Also this single file stuff is pants, swim next to each other at the same depth then you can see each other with ease and both enjoy the dive.

Formation diving may work for those that enjoy that sort of thing, but i and most of my club are there to enjoy the dive while keeping a loose eye on each other.

Every trio dive i have done with YD has resulted in us loosing members at various stages, which if you follow a quick look then surface policy would have ruined most dives for no reason. This has included loosing some very experienced divers like Chasey, Janos, The Dude, Blanaid, Lou and Fiona. In every dive as a pair we have maintained contact except for the odd very short period and on the Ramsgarth dive in my signature.

In poor viz one other diver is more than enough to keep an eye on.

Please also note the Lyme Bay incident of a few years ago when 2 divers were involved in an AAS assent and lost the third a young lady of about 23, who they could see was in difficulty but could do nothing to assist her, i think her body is still out there.

[Janos]

I think that diving as a three is inherently more unsafe if people are not trained for it. It requires more discipline, and better use of torches to signal.

However I have no problem with suitably qualified and experienced divers choosing to dive in two threesomes rather than three buddy pairs.

Janos

[Adrian Kelland]

Originally Posted by Paul Oliver

Please also note the Lyme Bay incident of a few years ago when 2 divers were involved in an AAS assent and lost the third a young lady of about 23, who they could see was in difficulty but could do nothing to assist her, i think her body is still out there.

She was found about a month later Paul.

Very complex event that one.

Adrian

[Paul Oliver]

Originally Posted by Adrian Kelland

She was found about a month later Paul.

Very complex event that one.

Adrian

Yes, and to me a prime example of why Trio's do not suit Club diving, even more so when there is a lack of experience in the trio.

I have dealt with an incident as a trio that resulted in all 3 of us getting to the Surface ok, although at one point i was sure i would lose one of them. Fortunately while i was dealing with the problem diver (a newly qualified SD) the other more experienced SD just followed us along, if he had, had a problem i could have done nothing at all to assist him. As it was i only just got the other one to the surface, and a bit fast at that.

The incident did not fit into any one scenario or drill but was recovered by training, experience and improvisation along with a club procedure.

[sexydivebuddy]

i've not had any problems with threesome diving --- can make all the difference between someone having a dive or not.
usual precautions need to be taken eg. match qualifications where possible; plan dive to weakest member; stay close together; agree dive plan; experienced diver leads and remembers he's not at le mans; avoid planned deco dives unless all suitably qualified and trained, plus all self-sufficient.
who buddies with who? weakest diver should be buddied up but as quite a number of variable factors can be involved, i find it difficult to comment further.

[Paul Oliver]

Some examples of when it can go wrong:-

Loosing Fiona and Lou on the Salsette Dive Post 6 onwards

Loosing Chasey and Janos City of Waterford

[Lou]

Originally Posted by Paul Oliver

Some examples of when it can go wrong:-

Loosing Fiona and Lou on the Salsette Dive Post 6 onwards

Loosing Chasey and Janos City of Waterford

I would give a "yeah but" here. All along, Paul, you were happy to continue alone and so I think that your mindset wasn't set as diving as a three. That is also the way we planned the dive - effectively as Fiona and I, and you happy alone but you would tag along. Hence my mind wasn't set as a three, more a pair plus one.

That, to me, is different to planning to dive as a three. In that case we would have laid out and agreed who did what etc.

Don't you agree?

Lou

[Fiona]

Originally Posted by Paul Oliver

Some examples of when it can go wrong:-

Loosing Fiona and Lou on the Salsette Dive Post 6 onwards

Loosing Chasey and Janos City of Waterford

The common denominator being Mr Oliver perhaps he just wants to be alone

However I had a lovely dive with Paul last year.