Diving with strangers

[GTRJazz]

A few years back my dive club used to get calls from skippers to make up the numbers on half empty dive boats sailing out of Brighton, Eastbourne, Shoreham. This worked well but you could never tell who else you would share the boat with. On one such voyage the numbers were odd so I offered to dive with two other divers from another club, we set off to dive the wreck in around 30meters.
We were first in and the three of us dropped down to the wreck without issues. At the bottom I secured the shot on the wreck and moved off however my buddies had swam off without me so I joined the next two down.
As I had less bottom time than my new buddies at the end of my dive I signalled I was going up the shot line, they gave the Ok signal and I started the assent alone.
At 15 meters I could feel my ears needed to equalise which was very strange as I was going up? The water had also started to get dark again, a few more feet of shot line passed through my fingers and I checked my gauges again 20 meters, so I put more air in my suit and fined harder, another check 25 meters, more air more fining 27meters. Not a good feeling
Then something strange the shot buoy was with me at 27 meters still attached to the line had it taken on water and sunk.
It was then I looked down, the first divers from the other club were fining hard and pulling on the shot line but without adding any air to their jackets they had pulled the shot down.
I guess with all the silt they had kicked up they could not see the rope all over the sea bed or that they had risen only a couple of meters at most.
A little worried that they may let go of the shot and fire me to the surface I let go and drifted off using my deployed my SMB when close to the surface.
When they eventually got back on the boat my buddies could only say how much they enjoyed the dive with no mention of any problem

Needless to say I passed up the opportunity to do a deeper dive with the same group later in the year

[Hickdive]

Ooh I love diving with strangers - usually I'm the stranger too!

Highlights;

The couple of Geordies who scoffed at the size of my weightbelt as we loaded the boat, of course their belts were much lighter since they proceeded to stuff their BC pockets with lead before the dive. They then tipped it out all over the seabed and had to make an ascent clinging for dear life onto the shotline. That was my dive screwed after 5 minutes, a dive I was paying for. To add insult to injury someone from another boat descending the shotline gave me the finger as I hovered a few metres away watching my buddies try to complete a safety stop whilst hideously underweight. This diver evidently objected to the shotline being 'blocked'.

The bloke who showed me his computer was in deco before we swam back up over the reef where he lost buoyancy control and zoomed to the surface - sorry but you're a complete stranger; so I completed my stops and surfaced expecting O2 and panic on the boat. Nope, computer was wrapped in a towel to muffle the beeping.

The German couple 'just back from diving all over Thailand but we've forgotten our qualifications' that couldn't clear their masks, at all.

The DM who wouldn't, absolutely wouldn't, descend below deck level on the Hispania.

The Belgian with the "Class B Licence" who could fin at four knots and generally did the instant his head was underwater.

And many, many more...

Ooh yes, diving with strangers is my lot.

[Ian@1904]

I guess many YDers first diving experience through internet could be seen as a bit like that-ie diving with strangers. My early YD trips were:
Me getting on the boat with a 15ltr and pony, everyone else on a rebreather or twins and stages for a 35m dive.

Some experiences of diving with strangers include:
Divers using wetsuit, or untried dry suit, recently serviced regs, no redundant gas supply for a 37m dive on the Lucy in April.
Buddy checks no longer required after about 10 dives-experienced this on holiday and and UK(including yesterday)
No dive computer, or working watch for a 40m deco dive

OTH knowing what you will experience can also be a downside:
Chasey will hunt lobster
Dude will use conger prodders
Tom will show us how to do things properly
Adrian will catch crabs
Mattbin will overcome complacency by changing his kit arrangement for every dive
Diane will chunder
BB will engage in polite conversation
I will become lost, kick up the viz, wrap line everywhere, all before even hitting the water

Sometimes it is best to dive with complete strangers

[scuba steve irl]

i went to greece with the better half 2 years ago . booked into a dive shop for 4 dives . first 2 dives i was loaded with new ow divers (nice 1 pal ) . after 2 no. 10m dives for a whopping 5 mins 2 lifts later i argueed with the shop and said i was here to dive not to babysit . 2 free dives/ replacement dives

second day divin was put with this german ex army diver . dive depth 50 meteres to a wreck . told not by any means to go into the hole beside the the wreck that was for the following days dive . nextafter no buddy check heir german decends straight to the hole . my mix didnt allow for that depth so ooohhh no i aint goin down there . informed the dm he said leave him . at the end of the dive he returned and done less deco than any of us . comp beeping like crazy on the boat and jumps in for the next dive . aaahh i aint divin with you on this 1 my friend .

needless to say i didnt do the other 2 dives .

[scuba steve irl]

im still a yd's virgin .....

[fibrefab2]

The first time I dived in Oz, I knew no-one, so got buddied up by the DM with a complete stranger. Seemed ok when chatting on the boat, however once in the water he was off like a torpedo. I'm used to diving literally shoulder to shoulder in the UK and so was a bit pi$$ed at spending most of the dive chasing this gimp around.
Before the 2nd dive I informed him that it was his turn to follow me, alas this did not last long, so just let him get on with it. Finished the dive alone (12 metres depth with 20metres+ viz, so not too concerned).
Have never dived with that operator since and never will.

[Sipadan]

i've had some near disasters diving with bsac club members, one memorable dive on the breda resulted in my buddy losing a fin (and freaking out), losing his weight belt and then showing me he had 40 bar in the space of the first (and last ) 10 minutes of the dive.

the strangers i've buddied with have been no problem at all. however, i'm very happy diving by myself and if they want to do silly things, then i'm not gonna play.

[GTRJazz]

I don’t think it matters which type of club you belong to or did your training with , a diver with 50 plus deep dives in his book is going to be a more competent diver than someone with a dozen shallow dives under there belt.

[howellsn]

Originally Posted by Ian@1904

Divers using wetsuit, recently serviced regs, no redundant gas supply for a 37m dive on the Lucy in April.

Ian, do we already know each other?

Seriously though - been there / done that - not recommended.

[Buoyant Babe]

Originally Posted by Ian@1904

OTH knowing what you will experience can also be a downside:
Chasey will hunt lobster
Dude will use conger prodders
Tom will show us how to do things properly
Adrian will catch crabs
Mattbin will overcome complacency by changing his kit arrangement for every dive
Diane will chunder
BB will engage in polite conversation
I will become lost, kick up the viz, wrap line everywhere, all before even hitting the water

Sometimes it is best to dive with complete strangers

Ah yes, you've dived with me. There's none stranger