As divers, we get to know each other in ways our other friends would never understand, says Yo-Han Cha
YO-HANCHA
In praise of dive buddies
As divers, we get to know each other in ways our other friends would never understand, says Yo-Han Cha
I
love meeting people that I’ ve met through diving, whether it be recently or many years ago. Even if it’ s someone that I’ ve not seen in years, there’ s always a warm hug or handshake exchanged before spending some time catching up. For that reason, I do love going to a Dive Show, where there’ s usually lots of hugs and handshakes going around.
I always feel like there’ s a deeper connection between old dive buddies. It could be due to the shared experiences underwater. There is also the element of trust that’ s required to dive together successfully. And by‘ successfully’ it doesn’ t necessarily follow that the dive has to follow exactly to the plan.
There’ s always lots of fun to be had remembering dives, even if it’ s particularly memorable due to me getting everyone lost! I bumped into three such friends recently from Reading BSAC:
“ I feel like it’ s not just people we’ ve dived with where there’ s a deeper connection”
Ian Donaldson, Tanya and Mike Godley, who were all very keen to bring up my lack of navigation skills in Vobster last year when I was leading the dive, got lost and accidentally took them to see‘ Jester Henge’. We ended the dive with a very long surface swim. Well... we had Christmas calories to burn off … or at least Ian, Mike and I did. Tanya of course, did not.
I feel like it’ s not just people we’ ve dived with where there’ s a deeper connection. It could be with those that were on the same dive trip. It could also be with skippers and crew members. When I go diving, I feel like I’ m disconnected from the outside world and I enter a place where I can get away from it all and share that with the people on the boat or shore. Even if I’ ve not dived with them specifically, there’ s a level of trust with other members of the group that’ s required for a dive trip to happen.
There’ s also a level of honesty on a dive trip. Before and after dives, there’ s usually activities going that aren’ t accepted in normal polite society. There’ s all that spitting before a dive and afterwards there’ s usually plenty of snot to get rid of, or at least there always is with me!
It’ s not just being able to look past leaking bodily fluids; we’ ve all needed help at some point in our diving career. It doesn’ t matter whether it’ s help needed to fully tuck in a neck seal or needing your buddy’ s alternate source because your first stage has blown up( thanks again, Rick Ayrton!) diving is much easier and safer with your friends around you.
Outside of a situation that involves a free flowing first stage, asking for help can be difficult, especially for stubbornly independent people like me, but it’ s worth it in the end. Life’ s just easier when we’ ve got each other’ s backs.
So when I meet up with people that have seen me looking my worst and going in the completely wrong direction, but still accept me for who I am, how can I not love seeing them again? �
Yo-Han( right) with his friends from Reading BSAC( l-r) Ian Donaldson, Mike Godley and Tanya Godley
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