I dove in Hawaiian, Californian and Australian waters for over 25 years. Having the dive tables memorized well enough to remember them even when slightly Narced is a good idea. I learned over many years, especially when night diving, that "buddies" can be a liability. I learned to choose them carefully or go alone. I noticed, when diving at night on the Big Island and Kauai, that a lot of "dive instructors" were diving alone because I met them while under water and they were alone, when I asked them why, they would say that sometimes it is a lot less complicated to go alone. They also have a rule that, when you are on the surface, that having your mask pushed to your forehead is supposed to be a distress signal...that is BS. The divers that I helped, floundered on the surface with their masks filled with water, and flailed around and I was forced to rip their masks off. Pushing your mask back on your forehead allows you to visually see what is going on around you...like where a good place to come ashore might be, (because the ocean changes rapidly, and bubbling, white-water exits can give you a headache or kill you. Finding the dive boat or your buddy is also much easier also. It is a stupid rule.
