Buddy Appreciation Week

[Tangfish]

I thought I'd kick off this week with a feel-good thread. Y'know, just for the heck of it. Here's the game:

You name one dive buddy, and why you appreciate them as your dive buddy. Then, it's their turn to do the same with another buddy of theirs. (Everyone else doesn't have to wait for this person to respond; feel free to jump on in anytime)

Before you say that this sounds like a silly chain email, just remember that if you do not smile in the next 10 seconds, you will forget your weights the next time you go diving.

Ok, I'll start:

I appreciate my dive buddy Nailer99, because he's always up for a dive, he's offered more times than I can remember to go fill a tank for me while I'm at work, or loan me a piece of gear I forgot at home, *and* he's been the one to sit me down and tell me that I probably shouldn't go out partying all night long then do repetitive deep dives the next morning. Plus, he's likely the reason I'll be going CCR this Fall.

[Joshua Smith]

(Nailer reads and re- reads the post, looking for the cleverly hidden insult)

(Doesn't find insult, starts to feel badly about his suspicious nature)


Awwww, shucks, C! You're the bestest dive buddy a guy could ask for, too! But, since I'm supposed to name another diver as my favorite buddy.......


I gotta give it up for Maverick! He's always tons of fun to dive with, his enthusiasm for being underwater is infectious, he's always good at helping out with gear problems, and I always feel safe diving with him- he's just someone who I know I can count on. Plus, he's a funny, funny guy- he always makes me laugh!

[Maverick]

Thank you very much Nailer. ther pleasure is always mine.
BJ

now i guess it is my turn,

I have to say that my favorite buddy would have to be Cuppie. not becausr am her boy friend but because she always keeps me inline under water, and reminds me ther eis more to see above 80' than one would think. also has a great eye for critter to shot with the camera. It also is nice to know you have a DM at hand if needed.

cheers to a safe and happy dive buddy.

[GillyWeed]

Oh man.. I have been lucky to find quite a few good buddies and trying to pick one to single out is going to be hard. So I guess I will name the one I am pretty sure is going to read this..

Neoerik is a really great buddy. He is attentive, thoughtful and capable. He always offers to take my tanks to the shop because he lives closer. He always offers to help me carry my heavy gear and even though I try to always carry my own (girl diver golden rule) on the days when I am sore or tired he is great to have around because he would never hold it against me that I am not as strong as he is. He always says just the right thing to encourage and boost my confidence. And he also has no ego under the water and is content to let me be my control freak self and lead all the time.. Even though he is much better at finding the good creatures than I am.. I couldn't imagine diving without him...

"All for one and one for all..." Erik you are and always will be part of the 3 musketeers.. J-red E-rock & H-caust dive buddy-Z for life, boi!

[jeff98208]

well i'd have to say its good ol' h20doctor himself! much like calvin, he has offered to fill my tanks aswell. and if my bridal unit has the van, he'll swing on by and pick me up after i tell him i might need a lift to and from the dive site. and in my book he's one cool cat!

[sparky]

Man Calvin this is so hard I have been thinking and thinking

and I could go on and on about my dive buddies they all rock
I cant say enough about any of them from the ones I dive with all the time to club members I hardly ever get to see

now I could take the easy way out of this one and say lostinbrownsmead
whom is my usal dive budy and best friend but I wont

I think I will nominate DiverDoug

he and I have a shared love for our little dive sight Netarts and ways to make the diving there better and safer for the divers

Doug is one of the best guys I now to dive with he never is in a bad mood or in a hurry
Doug always knows where is dive budy is and what he/she is doing. Doug can find the little critters i usaly dont see like you have never seen in act if it was not for Dougs keen eye i would have missed out on those grate shots of the monkey Faced Eel

diving with doug is always a hoot you never know what he is going to say or do next but oyu can bank on the fact it will make you laugh and that doug is going to make sure you are haveing a good time .
for exaplpe

here is Doug after a dive at netarts for some reason there was this large amount of Eel Grass all over and being Diver Doug he just could not stop him self




when I lost my weight bely it was Doug that went out of his way to make sure I got a nother one.
diving with doug as much fun as the Scupa polise wil let you have with your dive gear on

in short I would have to say my favorite dive with Diver Doug is with out a doubt the next one .

you rock Bro.
Sparky

[LCF]

Well, I'm one of the world's luckiest divers, because I have such a great group of dive buddies it was hard to decide who to talk about.

But although I don't get to dive with him much any more, there's one person I just have to recognize. This is the person who found me on ScubaBoard and invited me to a Big Buddy dive two years ago. The person who fixed my technique of descending on my back, whomping into the bottom, and then turning over and going diving. The person who gave me my first glimpse of what horizontal and quiet in the water looked like. The person who introduced me to the long hose/bungied backup setup, and first taught me about gas management and "rock bottom". The person who was there for my 50th dive, and my 100th. The person who told me about Fundies, and lent me the gear to do it.

I have one dive buddy who gives of himself constantly -- to me, and to many other people on this board, I think. A fine diver, a good friend, and somebody I miss these days -- Bob Bailey.

[Aquanautchuck]

Not living close to the water I have over the years had many, many buddies. Some great like Bob and some bad. But even the bad ones you learn something. Be it how to teach or explain a skill a new way, how to remain calm and relaxed when everything that can go wrong with a newbie goes wrong.

That being said I must say that all the buddies I have had have been the best. I know this is a cop out but to be honest this is true. I have enjoyed everyone of them and any time you get wet is great here in the PNW.

[Grateful Diver]

Thanks Lynne ... I am very much looking forward to Monday's dive.

I, too, have had many excellent dive buddies ... some of the best. Randy Williams was one of my earliest mentors and inspirations. He probably doesn't even remember taking a newb diver on his very first boat dive ... to Possession Point Ferry of all places. I was so new I didn't even have a dive light. Randy pulls this huge, honkin' D8 out of his "spares" kit and off we go. Imagine that ... me, a freshly minted newb getting a personal tour of one of the Sound's best dives by a guy with over 8,000 dives. It was incredible.

I've since had many other terrific dive buddies from whom I've learned a great deal. Ron Sallee (Uncle Pug) is probably the most influential. John Rawlings has been a great friend and someone I always look forward to diving with.

But of all the great buddies I've dived with, the one I'd most like to thank is Valerie. We've known each other for a long time, and done some terrific dives together. We saw our first six-gill together ... along with Bob Lew (yet another great dive buddy) ... and I don't think any of us will ever forget that dive. Valerie, more than anyone, helped me learn how to SEE what was down there. Not just what I look at ... or what happens to swim before my eyes ... but how to slow down, look around, and really appreciate what's around me ... usually trying to blend in or hide so I don't really notice it. Many's the time I'd swim right past something only to have her signal and point it out to me. I'd have missed an awful lot without her. And, of course, anybody who knows Valerie understands the term "infectious enthusiasm" ... no one can recap an entire dive in one breath the way she does ... and do it with such excitement. She embodies the joy of diving ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Zen Diver]

Awww, shoot Bob... (sniff sniff...) I'm all verclempt... talk amongst yourselves....

Thank you for your very kind words Bob. I think I, as much as anyone else here, has learned volumes from you too, from techniques to gear to socializing in the Cove 2 parking lot. I was introduced to a lot of great dive buddies thro you, and thro you my circle grew enormously (not to mention my collection of gear!).

I have to mention three buddies, in no particular order (and all of them are away on vacation at the moment):

-Jackie

Jackie and I started diving years ago when we were both still pretty new divers. We've logged close to 300 dives together, in warm water and cold, day and night, weekend and weekday. We've watched each other grow and develope as divers and professionals. And laughed our respective butts of underwater (the real reason I needed a purge valve on my mask!). Thanks Jackie.

- Janna Nichols

An inspiration. I, like many others, came to know Janna on another board like this one, and was soon taking her Fish and Invert ID classes, and later an Altitude class (with Wyler Bear and Jackie). If I know anything about critters it's because of Janna, either directly from her classes or because she inspired me to learn more, and then share that love of our PNW critters with others. She's been a mentor for teaching as well as learning, and for that I am indepted to her.

-Georgia (aka Wyler Bear)

Another good buddy who's developed skills with me and shared notes as we've studied together. Georgia has been inspirational everytime I dive with her (I'll never complain about a drive, since she drives 3 hours EACH WAY whenever she dives...) and no one can find a grunt sculpin like she can (she IS the Grunt Sculpin Queen, afterall...). She's fun to dive with and hang with, smart as the dickens about our local critters and just plain fun to be with.

Here's to all my buds! :wav:

Great idea for a thread Calvin

-Valerie

[Huskychemist]

(Everyone else doesn't have to wait for this person to respond; feel free to jump on in anytime)

This sounds like a silly chain e-mail... But I can't forget my weight belt...as all of my diving right now is boat diving, and they provide the weights...hehehe...


Actually, my answer is a no-brainer.

Coachrenz has been my dive buddy from pre-certification. He was willing to take me to Redondo to go snorkeling before certification...just to give me a taste. And I haven't gotten rid of it since!

Then...my first "post-OW" dive was with him off his boat at Maury Island. He put up with me losing my weight belt (a pre-cursor to your "curse of the weight belt", Calvin?) as it slipped down to my knees... So I had to get back onto his boat (no easy feat for me...his boat at the time wasn't a "proper" dive boat...) and readjust, before going back down and using up my air in about 10 minutes...

But he kept diving with me...and kept being a great friend, even when I decided to "leave" him for another country for a while. And we kept having great dives, right until the last week before I left.

Yes, I have a "dive buddy" here in Thailand that I got to dive with on Sunday, and he'll probably be a somewhat regular dive buddy. But he will never replace Coachrenz as my real dive buddy.

Happy Diving!

Lowell

[neoerik]

oh wow - thanks so much gillyweed! It really means a lot to me

Since we are the three amigos I'll go ahead and pick Jared, even though he'll probably never see this. Jared is a really good buddy, and as I've recently learned he's a very skilled instructor (assistant at the moment). He also has some mad skillz with the compass and can get gillyweed and myself out of anywhere. When I first met Jared he was really quiet and didn't say much, but now I know it's because he's constantly thinking how improve his already masterful diving skills!

So here's to you, Jared!

[Diver_C]

I appreciate the following dive buddies, and why I do:

BbbleMkr/Delaina - because she got me into this racket, and we always have a fun time, even in the worst conditions!

RSDancey/Ryan - because he's as steady and dependable as a rock.

Sergeant Pepper/Adron - because it's all good diving with him.

Penopolypants/Penelope - because she's easy to dive with.

Grateful Bob & Tom Nic - because they always finds cool stuff to take pictures of.

Sounder/Doug - because he's entertaining.

Maverick/BJ & Bassman/Keith - because they're always enthusiastic about whatever and wherever we're diving.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Rich

[BbbleMkr]

Well, I gotta give it up for Diver C. Although sometimes it takes him forrrrrrrrrever to get his act together above water, he's got it going on underwater. He's also SUPER EXCITED about the sport and gets me diving more often than I would otherwise and would be there to save my bacon (if I couldn't save it myself).

And, RSDancey is a real treat. He is smart, solid and dependable under the water. I hope to dive with him for years and years to come. K!

dd

[BASSMAN]

I agree , this would be too dificult to name just one "Buddy"

My first and bestest dive buddy is, ofcourse,
Tom Nic!
He and I have done so many "first" together, He is always ready to talk about what went right and what went wrong with each dive.
Here's to many more dives :occasion5:
And he takes great photos!

Diver-C has been a great buddy and we just seem to dive well together I look fwd to many more dives with him!
Yeah he may take a little longer on the surface to get ready,
but he seems to get it right under the water. So I'll gladly wait for him on any dive! Thanks buddy!

Cardiver, thanks for being ready, willing and almost available for our dives. .
Between the two of us we always have a good dive when we get our scheduals to match up.
I think we have both "bailed out" ](*,) on our fair share of dives, but when we get together...Always a "Good Dive!"

DiverDave Up in Sitka, Alaska! You rock dude! I cant wait to get back up there! I will make it back one day , I promise!!!
Dave is a great guy and a blast to dive with.

[Sergeant Pepper]

I have only had a few dives with people that I wanted to bail on, but we just connect with some dive buddies don't we.

I've got to include first:

Diver_C: Half of my dives have been with him, and we have built a strong dive relationship. Underwater, I feel comfortable communicating with him and we have a good feel for each others abilities. Oh, and he takes some pretty good pictures.

RSDancey: I appreciate the professionalsm that Ryan brings to a dive. I should try incorporating a little more of that myself.

[H20doctor]

my best and only dive buddy is jef 98208... allthough he can never out breath me on a tank.. he is quite matched with me on air... he is always there to dive the mulkilteo, and crappy lakes with terrible vis.. we allways see octo's on our dives.... and he broke his drysuit that i am now fixing on my kitchen table.. jeff is a perfect dive buddy and we always have great dives together, whether we are in 5 feet of water or at a 100... and yes i will pay for air to dive with him anytime and come and pick his sorry butt up too... to go diving.. hears to you oh dive buddy.. cause no one can do it like you....anheiser bush...drink responsibly

[LCF]

but we just connect with some dive buddies don't we.

This is so true.

My favorite buddy unfortunately doesn't read this board. He and I hooked up after we both took Fundies. One of my classmates is one of his friends, and both of us were hassling Leigh about getting out and doing practice dives. Leigh finally said, "Why don't you two get together, because you're both driving me nuts!" It was a splendid suggestion.

Kirk and I have been out there working, struggling, sometimes failing and sometimes succeeding, mostly laughing but propping each other up when we get discouraged. We also go diving for fun, and we're so on the same wavelength that diving with him is just pure joy for me. He's always THERE -- I just turn my head a little, and there's a light or a blue glove. He's got a great sense of humor underwater, too, and he takes beautiful pictures, when his camera's working :-( What can you say about a buddy so attentive that he suggests ending a dive early because he knows I'm cold -- My LIGHT was moving enough that he knew I was starting to shiver!

He's a beautiful diver, much more skilled than I am (although we started at about the same place . . . sigh) and I don't know why he puts up with me. But we're teammates.