Which skills should be practiced regularly?

Which drills should be practiced?

  • Air sharing

    Votes: 41 77.4%

  • Mask doff/don

    Votes: 33 62.3%

  • BCD doff/don

    Votes: 11 20.8%

  • Recover lost reg

    Votes: 26 49.1%

  • Breathing from free-flowing reg

    Votes: 12 22.6%

  • Surfacing with unconscious buddy

    Votes: 12 22.6%

  • Towing of unconscious buddy on surface

    Votes: 8 15.1%

  • Dropping weights (your own)

    Votes: 17 32.1%

  • Dropping weights (buddy's)

    Votes: 12 22.6%

  • Other (please specify)

    Votes: 20 37.7%
  • Total voters
    53

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Storker

Storker

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Inspired by this thread.

So, assuming you think it's a good idea to practice (emergency) skills on a regular basis, what skills do you think should be practiced? Myself, what I try to practice fairly regularly are airshare drills, doffing/donning mask, and recovery of lost reg. Less frequently I try to practice surfacing with an unconscious buddy and (simulated) ditching of my own and my buddy's weights at the surface.

What about you?
 
It depends on the person and the circumstances. I wouldn't practise any mask skills as these came very naturally for me from the start. Dropping weights depends on where you are (don't want to lose them, etc.). Reg retrieval can be done in 10 seconds. CESA is a good one to add--I do this regularly as I solo dive a lot in 20-30'. Surfacing with unconscious buddy assumes you have done a Rescue course, otherwise it can be dangerous if done incorrectly. For some of the others practicing quite regularly makes sense. Depends on how much time you want to spend on a given day and for some of them if you have a buddy.
 
I voted for air sharing and other. Many of the skills listed above are the kind of thing that make sure new divers are comfortable in the water. In the 20 or so years I've been diving, I've only needed to removed my mask underwater a handful of times not as part of training. If it isn't the cleanest, smoothest procedure....so what (as long as it is safe). However, in an out of air situation, both buddies need to know what to do and how to do it. That is the one skill that (hopefully) won't come up as part of a regular diving career and should be practiced.

Dive Safe
 
I will occasionally grab my buddies octo unexpectedly ala pink panther.... Just a 1 minute drill for for the unexpected, air share and recovery all in one..( my regular buddy only)
 
Making it back to the surface air is my number one skill i try to practice. Am i a funny guy or what…….?
Im only on dive 33 but i would never play around with someones/ buddies gear, i take things very serious while underwater.and expect others to do the same.
Most of my dives have been with insta buddies or Diving with the Blobs that backroll off the boat/Panga in Mexico so no chance of practicing skill with that bunch.We is all there to have fun and fun it will be, don't drown the buzz with wanting to do a Buddy check with a stranger on a 45" reef dive. Is OK Senior.:D
I am finding out that most of the diving i do is solo diving because i don't take a buddy with me on vacation, even if i go on a dive with 6 or 8 people at my destination with a dive shop its follow the leader and hope someone can notice one another in trouble.
So, making it back to the surface air is my number one skill that i practice.
All of these have been PADI shops.
I was certified SSI but did my referral PadI,Not that i have found it makes any difference.
 
I chose other. Whatever skills you think you need practice on. The only time I ever brought an unconscious buddy to the surface was for real. Do I need to practice that? Ask the guy I brought up, he's happy to be alive, doesn't know if I did it right or not, he doesn't care either.
 
I will say that if i had a regular Buddy i would at the end of most dives practice air share on a normal planed ascent with both of us ending the dive and ascending with an agreed upon volume in our tanks, complete with the safety stop and having to switch tanks if need be. I think that would be fun and a good learning experience. Wish i had a buddy and could dive local in warm clear water.
 
Yes, having a regular buddy means you have no excuse for not practicing ALL the 20 or so skills. For about a year my regular buddy and I, both newbies, were dopes and did nada. Then I took Rescue and reflected on that a bit....probably another reason I started the other poll.
 
All of them should be practiced, however how often is another discussion.

DSMB is on my other list.

I was surprised the Buddy Tow is running behind, it is easy to practice and your buddy likes the free ride and it will build up your stamina. If you trade off you can get a free ride as well.



Bob
---------------------
I may be old, but is not dead yet.
 
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