The best buddy is one who is familiar with your diving abilities. Excellent examples are close friends and spouses. If you are taking up diving alone and do not know any other divers, you'll meet other divers in your class or local dive clubs.

Most dive operators require that you dive with a buddy, and pairing available divers is part of their pre-dive process. So if you are participating in a boat dive by yourself, the divemaster will help you find a buddy for your dive.