Jim, Keyword there is trained; it sounds, for all the rec.scubi-doos go on about it, that it isn't a serious part of US dive training. Now I can't speak for clubs outside my experience, but those I have had the chance to dive with (Mainly CUUEG and EUSAC, two BSAC branches) have trained *buddy diving*. This does not mean saying - you stick together, it means explaining and practicing the whole two-man responsibility trip; including correct response to emergencies - assessing the situation, and returning to start a body search if neccessary. The clubs do it because *we* *will* be diving with you. No ifs or buts, so you do it our way to keep us happy and thankfully, BSAC a long time ago worked out a good way of doing most things, and one BSAC diver knows mostly the same ways of doing things as any other. This is why UK divers don't blink when George goes on about pulling your weight, doing it right and acting as a team; it's what we try to teach novices. Converting PADI divers is sometimes harder because they can't get their heads this communist conspiracy. Note I'm not even talking about Sport diving, here, this starts with recreational and is taken all the way through. At no stage are SOBs appreciated. Buddy lines are just one more tool in the divers arsenal in dealing with ambient conditions. Easy to use with a little briefing, practice and general good dive practice. Marvellous when doing simple underwater work, or more complex work in shitty conditions. 3m of 5mm line tied off to two krabs and (IME) best tied off to the BC and kept taught by hand, don't bother with the buoy. Back to culture shock mode. Jason
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