The assumption is everyone has been trained to a minimum standard (sounds bad) and that each diver dives within, not their limits, but they’re training. Being an experienced diver doesn’t qualify you as being the better of the dive buddy. Proficiency, number of recent dives, and familiarity with the dive location plays into ones true value of a good dive buddy. So ask the questions before you dive with someone. I do, I also do what I was trained to do…brief and debrief every dive with my dive buddy.
Dive Safe.