Andy DavisScuba Diving Safety Protocols: Buddy Separation
Andy Davis Technical Diving Blog
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • About Andy
    • About RAID
    • Why Andy?
    • Training FAQs
    • Course Schedule
    • Course Prices
    • Student Reviews
    • Subic Bay Info
      • Dive Sites of Subic Bay
      • Travel to Subic Bay
      • History of Subic Bay
    • Philippines Travel Info
      • Philippines Travel Advice
      • Diving Emergency Info
      • Diving Philippines
      • Coron Shipwrecks
      • Subic Bay Wrecks
      • Diving Anilao/Batangas
  • Sidemount Courses
    • RAID Sidemount
    • Sidemount Performance Diver
    • Sidemount Clinics
  • Tech Courses
    • Tech Performance Diver
    • RAID Deco40 Trimix
    • RAID Deco50 Trimix
    • RAID Deco60 Trimix
    • Technical Sidemount
    • Technical Wreck
  • Wreck Courses
    • Basic Wreck
    • Wreck Performance Diver
    • Advanced Wreck
    • Technical Wreck
    • Penetration Protocols Clinic
  • RAID Courses
    • RAID Nitrox
    • RAID Sidemount
    • RAID Advanced35
    • RAID Deep40
    • RAID Performance Diver
    • RAID Deco40 Trimix
    • RAID Deco50 Trimix
    • RAID Deco60 Trimix
    • Master Rescue
    • Basic Wreck
    • Advanced Wreck
    • Clinics, Workshops & Mentoring
  • Blog
    • Author Bio
    • Latest News & Events
    • Articles Archive
    • Tech Diving Articles
    • Sidemount Articles
    • Travel to Subic Bay
    • Wreck Diving Articles
    • Travel to Subic Bay
    • Kit Reviews
    • Beginners Articles
    • Exclusive Course Notes
    • Andy's Buoyancy Masterclass
    • Knowledgebase
    • Tech Pre-Reading
    • Scuba Theory Links
  • Contact
Scuba Diving Buddy Separation Safety Protocols
Filed Under: Scuba Diving Tips For Beginners, Scuba Tech Philippines Articles by Andy Davis
August 7, 2019

Originally posted 2017-10-13 14:51:32.

Scuba Diving Safety Protocols: Buddy Separation

by Andy Davis

Losing your buddy is an easy way to ruining a good dive.  Being alone underwater can cause many divers apprehension.  It often also ends in an aborted dive  – which sucks when you’ve spent your hard earned money, time and effort in going scuba diving.

Buddy separation can be avoided by using effective diving procedures and maintaining a focused mindset (more about that another day).  But that doesn’t mean that divers shouldn’t consider their contingency planning for the possibility of separation.

Here’s my view on designing an effective Buddy Separation protocol…

Team Roles.

I teach my students that pre-designated ‘roles’ should be agreed before the dive (as part of dive planning).  This is especially applicable for buddy separation scenarios.

If one diver is primarily lead/navigating the dive, then they will be the diver to retrace their steps and reunite the team/pair. The other diver will remain static – observe and, where possible, aid discovery by highlighting themselves.

Being Visible.

You can highlight yourself by; rotating a light 360 degrees, partially deploying a DSMB above your heads (with a very slight amount of air in it) etc

Search Timing.

The team has a pre-set amount of time to re-united. The ‘default’ time is 1 minute unless otherwise planned. When that time expires, both divers will begin a solo ascent whilst maintaining observation.

Ascent Protocols.

It is important to establish a protocol for the ascent in your contingency dive planning.

One big question is whether or not to complete a safety stop. This could be an easy ‘yes’ or ‘no’.  Or it could be set against flexible criteria, such as;

a) If less than 10min NDL do a safety stop / If more than 10min NDL don’t do a safety stop.

b) If more than 20min bottom time perform a safety stop / If less than 20min NDL don’t do a safety stop. etc etc.

On the Surface.

Upon reaching the surface, the divers continue observation. Deploying DSMBs at the beginning of the ascent can aid this.  Divers should expect a variation in the time that they arrive on the surface, depending on how long it took them to realize the separation and engage the protocol for ‘missing buddy’.

Separation becomes ‘missing’.

Buddy teams should also pre-define a maximum amount of time in which to reunite on the surface.  If that time is exceeded, then the buddy should raise an alarm and begin search proceedings for a missing diver.  This would be a serious escalation in the severity of the scenario.

The whole drama of buddy separation is avoidable if appropriate diving techniques are used for the environment and both divers maintain good situational awareness and effective buddy procedures.


About the Author

andy davis technical diving philippines

Andy Davis is a RAID, PADI TecRec, ANDI, BSAC and SSI qualified independent technical diving instructor who specializes in teaching advanced sidemount, trimix and wreck exploration diving courses across South East Asia.  Currently residing in ‘wreck diving heaven’ at Subic Bay, Philippines, he has amassed more than 9000 open circuit and CCR dives over 27 years of diving across the globe.

Andy has published many magazine articles on technical diving, has written course materials for dive training agency syllabus, tests and reviews diving gear for major manufacturers and consults with the Philippines Underwater Archaeology Society.

He is currently writing a series of books to be published on advanced diving topics.  Prior to becoming a professional technical diving educator in 2006, Andy was a commissioned officer in the Royal Air Force and has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Belize and Cyprus.

What Others Are Reading

How to Scuba Dive with ‘Insta-Buddies’
Choosing and Using a SCUBA Redundant Air Source
Are Some Scuba Courses more Equal than Others?
Basic Scuba Tips | Using Your Hands Whilst Scuba Diving
  • Search Blog

  • Connect!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS Feed
    • Email
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
  • Recent Blog Posts

    • Why do tech divers use two computers? July 24, 2020
    • How to find the Optimal Height for Sidemount Cylinder Bands August 7, 2019
    • Top 5 Convertible Hybrid Sidemount Systems August 7, 2019
  • Click to search catagories

  • Sidemount Articles

    • A Guide to Modern Sidemount Diving
      sidemount-technical-wreck-courses-philippines
    • A List of Sidemount Regulator Sets
      Apeks Sidemount Regulators
    • Ultimate Guide to Sidemount Cylinder Trim
      Sidemount Cylinder Trim copyright 2019 Andy Davis
    • Top 5 Warm-Water Sidemount Fins
      apeks rk3 sidemount fins
    • The $1200 Budget Sidemount Diver
      budget sidemount diver
  • Tech Diving Articles

    • Performance Development for Technical Divers
      observe-analyse-adapt technical diving performance development
    • The Biggest Risk in Technical Diving (and how to avoid it)
      technical diving risks
    • A Fatal Attempt: Psychological Factors in the Failed World Depth Record Attempt 2015
      doc deep garman fatal world depth record attempt scuba diving accident
    • How to Tie a Regulator Bungee Necklace
      how to tie a regulator bungee necklace 1
    • Sheck Exley’s Razor – The Nature of Limits
      sheck exley
  • Wreck Diving Articles

    • Technical Wreck Penetration – A Question Of Experience
      technical wreck penetration training course
    • Top Ten Wreck Diving Tips For Safer Wreck Penetration Dives
      technical wreck diving tips
    • Sheck Exley’s Razor – The Nature of Limits
      sheck exley
    • Advanced Sidemount Wreck Diving: Passing Extreme Restrictions
      Advanced Sidemount Wreck Restrictions
    • DIY Sidemount Wreck Diving Helmet
      DIY Sidemount Wreck Diving Helmet
  • Beginners Articles

    • Balanced Weighting For Scuba Divers
      technical-diving-courses-subic-philippines
    • How to Scuba Dive with ‘Insta-Buddies’
      Sidemount Technical Wreck Diving Subic Bay Philippines
    • Choosing and Using a SCUBA Redundant Air Source
      Sidemount Technical Wreck Diving Subic Bay Philippines
    • ‘Putting Another Dollar In’ – The Value of Progressive Scuba Training
    • Ten Pro Tips For A Better Horizontal Hover
      technical diving subic bay philipines
  • Dive Industry Analysis

    • An Evaluation of the Modern Scuba Diving Training Industry
      Diving Commitment Retention Demographics Scuba Diving Industry
    • The Changing Tech Community Landscape
    • The Desperate Dive Shop
      Desperate Dive Shop
  • Subscribe

    Subscribe posts via RSS
    Subscribe posts via Atom
    Subscribe posts via RDF
Copyright by Scuba Tech Philippines ©2011 & Site Map & Blog Site Map
[ Back to top ]
If you are finding this site interesting.........
Please like my page on Facebook!
Subscribe!