Quote:
Originally posted by condor13090
Ever notice when diving with your dive buddy that they either stay so close that they bump into you all the time...use their arms too much or kick you in the head with their fins. Then maybe do the opposite and swim ahead and never look back to see where you are. If I had a problem there would be no way to get their attention.
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I have an idea...tell me what you think of it. If two divers were to use a 10 ft. piece of rope with velcro attached to one wrist of each diver...then whenever their was a problem or you need to get the other guys attention...just tug on the rope. They would never get too far away and if you had to release the rope just undue the velcro! George
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Condor, I understand the rationale behind your idea but I feel that using a rope as you describe is a potentially dangerous approach (except for some very unusual situations). Consider a dive over a beautiful Acropora reef with a dangling rope ready to get snagged in the branches of the coral. Even an all-rock reef offers a similar snagging potential. One should always strive to streamline ones equipment by eliminating dangling consoles and other "doo dads" that can potentially snag the diver and damage the reef. I have actually seen someone get their console caught in branching coral, causing the diver to panic and break the coral (very sad).
The real solution to your problem is to get another dive buddy. A diver that uses hands for swimming and kicks you in the face is neither a good dive buddy nor a skilled diver. A good dive buddy swims along your side, not ahead or behind unless you are entering a constriction in a wreck or cave. A good dive buddy will also exchange OKs ever 30 seconds or so. My dive buddy and I use light as a primary form of communication (even during the day). There is a fairly standard vocabulary that is expressed by specific movements of the light. In any case tethering yourself to a bad dive buddy still leave you stuck with a bad dive buddy. I strongly suggest you either get your buddy to work with you as a team, or find someone else.