Buddy Check

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esskar

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Messages
23
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0
Location
Dubai
# of dives
25 - 49
Hi,

when it comes to buddy check i'm always precise. i always do it - even when going to shallow dive spots.
I'm not only doing it for safety reasons but also to ensure a nice dive (nothing more stupid to stop a dive after 5 minutes because equipment is broken, tank is loose, ...)

On some dives, there are actually people snearing at me/us for doing a buddy check. I'm not sure what to think about them? Do you have experienced similar situations? What do you think about it?
 
Buddy checks are a good practice ... and it's best to ignore people who think that any short-cut is a good idea in scuba.

My buddies and I do buddy checks on every dive ... even though we've got multiple thousands of dives between us, and are very familiar with each other's gear and dive habits.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Buddy check is always a good thing particularly for new divers. However, over the years, divers tend to adopt their own ritual checks and it becomes second nature. Most of the people that I dive with are self sufficient. For myself, from a recreational standpoint, I check for air-on, I breath from both regs, check the power inflator, and once in the water verify that computer is linked and operational. All my weight is in plate or on back. You aren't going anywhere without mask, fins, weights etc so I don't become compulsive about this. If I'm with a new diver I am more attentive but encourage self-sufficiency as quickly as possible.
 
I do buddy checks before each dive.

It is a common practice in many fields and endeavors, to include law enforcement (before shifts), flying, and military (before operations). It prevents forgetting or overlooking things that may be needed during the dive (or shift or patrol/operation).

Ignore those who sneer at you or roll their eyes.

Different people do things differently. There will always be a few obnoxious folks. Don't worry about them. One day they will be distracted and will forget something.

Carry on with your routine buddy checks and they will benefit you in the long run.

Doc
 
Some divers I dive with may get offended if I request a buddy check, but by doing so, you are sending a message to your buddy you are looking out for him or her. I still do checks with certain buddies I dive regularly with as I like to instill confidence in my buddy that I will be a good buddy. I also want to instill that mindset in them also.
 
Hi,

when it comes to buddy check i'm always precise. i always do it - even when going to shallow dive spots.
I'm not only doing it for safety reasons but also to ensure a nice dive (nothing more stupid to stop a dive after 5 minutes because equipment is broken, tank is loose, ...)

On some dives, there are actually people snearing at me/us for doing a buddy check. I'm not sure what to think about them? Do you have experienced similar situations? What do you think about it?
esskar,

You have three magic words to get them to shut up.

"It's" "my" "responsibility"

end of discussion. Nobody can refute that and nobody can argue against it.

Having said that, as you get more experienced, your buddy check changes. When I gear up with my buddy what we do isn't a BWRAF type buddy check. I watch him put his gear together, he watches me. I ask him "is your air on?" he will either say "yes" or "check it". I'll notice if he doesn't have his drysuit LPI attached without say "blonde women really are....."

Like that. You learn a certain way to do it in your OW course so you're guaranteed not to miss anything. Over time you develop a radar for the problems. That's how an instructor who isn't doing the BWRAF with you can suddenly say -- even though he/she didn't seem to be paying 100% attention -- "your inflator hose isn't connected."

R..
 
First off, yes, I have had people sneer at me for doing checks. In fact, my Open Water INSTRUCTOR made fun of me and my husband on a dive trip for doing checks. (My opinion of him has never recovered from that.) I've also had DMs on boats try to get us to rush or omit our checks. Diver0001 has it right -- It's your own responsibility, and I've had some very good role models in sticking to your guns and doing it. After you have been at it a while, the checks really don't take very long, and as you say, it's always better to find a problem on land or boat, rather than trying to fix it in the water.

But I disagree with the people who are advocating that experienced divers don't need to go through a checklist. I've dived with some VERY experienced divers (some in this thread) where they've forgotten something I didn't spot in the parking lot, but something that got caught in the gear check. No matter how much experience you have, you are not immune to brain farts.

So good for you for building and maintaining good habits, and fie upon the sneerers!
 
Beanaz I seldom dive with a "buddy" since most of my diving is in a group of six or less, overseen by a DM, I have a routine that I go through, starting at my fins and going up, which encompasses all the necessary checks. Lastly, I have the captain/DM check my main valve before I jump in to be sure that I haven't screwed up. If I AM diving with a buddy I ask whether or not he/she would like for me to check their gear also. I have never had anyone sneer at me or belittle me for asking or going through the procedure. At least not to my face.
 
My wife is a non-diver, so I have done hundreds of dives with what are called insta-buddies, people you are buddying with almost immediately after meeting them. When I was a brand new diver, I saw that very few people on the boats were doing buddy checks, and the insta-buddies I found, all of whom had more experience than I, did not ever do them with me.

When I got much more experience and that experience included some screwups that should have been caught by a check, I realized that ignoring a buddy check was not a good idea. From that point on, I took control of the situation, but I did it in a very non-threatening and subtle way. I would simply start talking about my equipment to the new buddy as if it were jsut a routine and familiar process, telling him or her how I do OOA situations, how my weights release, etc. They would always respond by doing the same. Within a few seconds we would do all the parts of a buddy check without going through a mechanical checklist process step by step, name by name.

When I got even more experience and started doing technical training, I learned that buddy checks are very much a part of the routine pre-dive process. All that new equipment brought new ways to screw up, and those buddy checks identified quite a few errors that I would not have liked to discover at depth.

The more you do it, the more fluid and less mechanical it will be. You will not be so obviously checking to others, and you will draw fewer sneers.

I also suggest that you reconsider some of that precision. I don't think any of the conventional buddy check systems has it quite right. For example, I want very much to make sure that my dive instruments (whether a watch, comnputer, or bottom timer) are ready to go and properly adjusted (for nitrox, for example). Consider making your own tweaks to whatever system you were taught.

So, keep up the good work!
 
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