team diving skills

[DRE]

One other thing about team diving that is obvious but maybe not taught during most classes (and definitely difficul to accomplish on most dive trips) is to dive with a select group of divers to create the team awareness - especially when it comes to more advanced dives. Finding one or two good dive partners who are at about the same skill level and who are willing to advance their diving in the same direction as yourself is very important. Feeling comfortable with these people on-land, sharing more time with them than just in the water, etc. will all make the team much more cohesive.
Case in point, my dive partner for most of our deeper trimix dives has the exact same consumption rate as I do. We usually hook up transfill whips between our tanks after the dive to equalize the pressure between them (we always dive the same mix) in order to remix the gas, and 75% of the time there even will be no transfer from one set of doubles to the other, which means we use EXACTLY the same amount of gas.

This doesn't mean you can never dive with any other people - I have several friends I do soke serious diving with and I will dive with much less experienced divers as well, but always within the limitations of the dive plan and the other person's skill level.