I agree...!
I lost my permanent "DiveBuddy" back in April of this year. We had been diving together for a very long time. We could almost read each others mind. But now she is gone and I’m left with finding another dive buddy.
But even with this kind of familiarrity, we always..."always"... did a brief and de-brief.
Since loosing her, I have been trying to find a new dive buddy who I felt comfortable with. So far what I’ve found are "Same Ocean Buddies".
Being an instructor, I can handle just about any level of skill in a buddy, but one thing that I can not deal with is a buddy who disappears as soon as we submerge.
The benefits of having a dive buddy vanish if the buddy is not in close proximity.
During the brief phase of a dive, it should be made clear "Who is the leader" and who will follow (among other issues to be covered in the brief). I have no problem with leading or following, however I do have a problem with my dive buddy leaving me.