Diving with new people

[LCF]

In the last couple of weeks, I have had kind of a new experience for me. I have set up cave diving with several people I not only hadn't ever met, but really knew nothing about. Although it makes me feel awkward and not very friendly, I have asked them about who they trained with and what their experience is, and in some cases, I have checked with the instructor to verify. I have had one past experience of ending up diving with someone who made me feel uncomfortable, and I really don't want to do that again, especially right now, since I just passed Full Cave and don't at all feel like I have the experience to make up for somebody else's deficiencies in cave that is new to me and above my prior pay grade.

If you dive with strangers, what do you ask them before you do it? Do you feel awkward about it? If other people ask you for your bonafides, does it irritate you?

[Arctic Mike]

I think this type of conversation should always take place when diving with new people. But I don't think it needs to be awkward or irritating. These conversations go best when they are approached in the same way as when you and your good buddies are rehashing old "war stories". You can learn alot from people by really listening to the stories they tell!

[NWGratefulDiver]

I set up my recent trip with someone I had never met before. We talked about each other's training and experience (he knew up front I was brand new at caving), and I did check with his instructor ... who also happens to be my instructor. And I'm fairly certain he did likewise.

Turned out great ... I have found a buddy I can enjoy diving with for years to come.

I get the impression that most folks who dive caves are less casual about "pick up buddies" than your typical recreational diver might be ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[MORGAN]

I've dove with a number of people shortly after meeting them for the first time. Usually it's when we're at Dive Outpost and there's someone who needs a buddy. In October a South African cave diver who had never been to Florida before joined Tracy & I on 5 dives in three days, and we also did several dives with an apprentice cave diver we'd never met before. Great dives, nice people, no problems.

I don't investigate qualifications in any kind of formal way - just chat about level of certification, what we're planning to do, etc. I make it clear that we are very safety oriented and conservative. We do an extra thorough job of dive planning when diving with someone we haven't dove with before. We also make sure we have compatible gear for sharing air, especially since we're backmount and some of our buddies have been sidemount. Haven't had a bad experience yet - and a few of the people who we've met this way have become regular dive buddies.

We've dove with less experienced people as well as some with vastly more experience. At one end of the scale was a girl who was doing her first dives after full cave certification. Her instructor, who had also been our instructor, hooked her up with us. We did quite a few dives together and had a great time. At the other end of the experience scale is FW, who, as he says, will dive with anybody!

I think it's reasonable to check out a new buddy to whatever extent you need to be comfortable, and to be willing to be checked out as well. I would have no objection to being vetted by a new buddy - you can read my logbook if you like, or call up my instructor, or whatever! As Arctic Mike says above, you can tell a lot about people by the stories they tell, as well as by their demeanor. I tend to like calm, competent, low maintenence, easy to get along with people, and it seems like a lot of cave divers fit that description.

Mike

[BabyDuck]

larry & i had a pick-up dive at ginnie last spring - an experienced guy we didn't know from adam who said he'd help us set up the white room circuit - because these were our first full-cave dives at ginnie.

had it been either one of us by ourselves, i bet we'd have been more questioning & less quickly satisfied, but since we were a team of three some quick q&a was enough & we had a great dive.

anyway, i say 'ask away!' if someone's gonna get snotty about it, you likely don't want to dive with them anyway.

[sdenney]

Questions are always a good way to introduce yourself to new dive buddies. Having said that, for a first dive with someone new I would set things up as two solo divers diving with each other. That way if the other guy wigs out, you're not left without a backup (Al).

[sskasser]

anyway, i say 'ask away!' if someone's gonna get snotty about it, you likely don't want to dive with them anyway.

Amen, sistah!

[Jason B.]

Personally I don't cave dive with strangers. I show up with team in tow (or else I don't show up).

[LiteHedded]

Personally I don't cave dive with strangers. I show up with team in tow (or else I don't show up).

that's how I approach it as well.

[FW]

While I *will* dive with anyone, I do ask a few questions. At the very least, level of certification, and I usually ask for number of dives. I don't want to take someone too much farther than they have been before. I know some horror stories of good divers that have taken less experienced divers too far, and gotten in trouble. I have done the same thing myself (and I expect to get a little "flack" when some of them read this)

On the other hand, I often run into new divers that don't know who I am, and are leery to dive with me

I have even been shunned because I don't dive DIR