The Buddy Check Mnemonic Revisited

[endurodog]

Big Women Really Are Fun
or
Blond Women Really Are Fun

 

[claymore]

Big White Rabbits Are Fluffy.

 

[supergaijin]

British Women Really Are Incredibly Filthy

('I' for Instruments)

 

[BluEye Diver]

I think the biggest problem with this is the "R". Tons of students thinks it means regulator (which is covered under air).

Yep. This is precisely back to the semantic hook problem, and the reason most other examples mentioned in this thread are no better than the PADI standard. For instance, Babies With Rabies Are Fun (the very first one I encountered as a new diver--and will never forget even if I try) and all those Bangkok and Bruce Willis variants contain zero semantic hooks.

The purpose of the phrase is simply to remember the letters; but when students then try to execute each letter during the pre-dive check, therein lies the test.

To put it more simply, the phrase that each diver adopts is only HALF of the process. No magic is created by introducing new divers to a memorable phrase. See Knotical's post (#5) in this thread; he gets it exactly

 

[Tortuga68]

To take a glass half empty view on the OP, how about Buddies Without Reserve Are Finished!

 

[Doc]

I dive with Bruce Willis all the time.

So- that version really helps me out quite a bit.

 

[PsyWulf]

Meh,i've always been good at memorizing purely series of letters/numbers so the mnemonics never really stuck with me,BWRAIF and done

 

[The Chairman]

After we discuss limits (air, depth, time, etc) I have my students look at each other and determine if their buddy looks like a diver. Two breaths while looking at the SPG and we're good to go. I simply hate/distrust mnemonics.

 

[PfcAJ]

Here's the one diving nmenoic I remember

Bangkok Women Rarely Make Friends...

Bangkok - BC (inflator hose connected, tank properly strapped, bc properly adjusted and fastened, holds air when inflated)

Women - Weights (properly weight, weights are properly secured/positioned)

Rarely - Regulator (Primary, backup, spg, inflator hose is working (tank is turned on) and positioned properly)

Make - Mask (in place ready to go)

Friends - Fins (in place, ready to go)

Easy to remember

Bangkok women really are fellas. Makes me chuckle every time.

 

[Skittl1321]

Here's something better to remember from that story:

The instructor is clearly not using it before he actually dives. He is using something else (so he should be teaching something else. But then again most instructors are in love with the sound of their own voices even if they are spouting nonsense.)

I agree- I don't think the instructor uses it in his actual dives. He's been instructing for at least a decade and still had a trip up on it. I do wonder what he does use, but I'm wondering if he can't tell us, because the standard is to teach BWRAF.

I know for a fact he also doesn't use the equipment he teaches in. (The instructors wear the same gear as the student, the DM wears backplate and wing, and the instructors are clear that is what they all dive in too.) That isn't a 'standard' though, so they are all happy to tell us how wonderful the BP/W setups are- it's just not what the shop has available to rent.