I’ll reiterate some of the above comments. If you are paired with someone you don’t know, you should discuss the dive and both be comfortable with the plan. This is necessary for both the more experienced, as well as the less experienced, diver. If the two dive plans are incompatible, you both should know it ahead of time, and pick another buddy. This also applies if one person wants to circle the reef and the other wants to stay in one spot, taking macro photos.