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Shearwater is a great computer and their technical support is outstanding! Yeah insta buddy can be an issue, I know the NSS-CDS has a mentor-ship program.
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This insta- buddy thing can be a legitimate concern in technical diving. Those not in the "know" consider technical divers as snobbish, because they may not immediately accept another diver on the fly.... it is not that at all. Generally, in technical diving, there is no going to the surface at any time, so there must be a thorough understanding of teamwork or self sufficiency, depending on the divers & dynamics of the dive. As a team, the members must be able to trust each other in an unforgiving environment. To be 2,000 ft back in a cave at 100 ft of depth & discover that you & your "insta- Buddy " are not compatible, is not a good thing & potentially puts both divers at risk. I, personally will not dive with an insta- buddy. I will usually require at least 1 open water dive, & a couple very simple overhead environment dives, before doing a more intricate dive. I am just starting to get into technical instruction, as my confidence level increases & in that case will have to deal with unknown divers,... but is done in stages to build the skills, trust, awareness, confidence & teamwork abilities.
Just my $.02
BTW, Shearwater computers are awesome. I have 2 stand alone computers & one as my rebreather controller. They are easy to use & very intuitive.
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lerpy - 11/20/2015 10:11 AM 
Hey guys thanks for the advice. I did pick up the Shearwater, and am enjoying getting to know it. Going to have to get out and do a dive on it before the river freezes up. As for the insta buddy, ya it is the teamwork understanding and the understanding of anyone can call the dive for any reason. Being new to cave I want to be confident that I am not going to feel pushed and that if I want to bail out after 500 feet I can with the confidence there will be no questions until we are out. Would like to dive with divers that are full cave but are ok with doing intro level stuff. Always good to dive with experienced divers that might have tips and advice.
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Well put Tamara.
I have been accused of being a "dive snob", but I figure it was cluelessness or bravado. Very few cave / advanced diving buddies, they are developed, not invented. Will dive with _almost_ anyone simple OW, easy caverns with less, then narrow it down as logistics progress. There are some who I’d jump in with a lot quicker, basically if they are same agency / group / discipline. Being totally on the same page is critical for anything that reaches my personal limits.
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Most of those I will do technical level diving with, have been trained out of our local dive shop. We’ve all been trained by the same instructor & know his expectations. There are a couple who have come into our circle from the outside, and after some serious vetting (once again the trust & understanding thing) are let in. The instructor has been using me as a mentor for a couple of years, for his lower level students (Adv. Nitrox/ Deco, cavern & Intro to Cave), as I have a keen interest in technical instruction. I am hoping next year to earn my instructor levels in Adv. Nitrox/ Deco Procedures, Cavern & Intro to Cave,... but we shall see.
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All said, do holler when you get to FL, maybe we can try a little overhead.
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