OP
Latent organizational weakness
- Thread starter Craig Myers
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Repetition is important. I was just re-reading some of the posts about taking a few breaths off the reg before jumping in.
I don't do this on 98% of my dives because I walk in, and conditions are always that if I forgot to turn my air on or something else is amiss, I can walk out. But, this and other aspects of dropping down to 80-100' from a boat are things I have to think about quite a bit since I may do that once every year or two. You wouldn't figure that with my number of dives. Repetition.
Diving solo, there is also no buddy check, but I do know BWRAF...…. Actually, if diving solo you can still do a buddy check if you like. Just BWRAF yourself.
I don't do this on 98% of my dives because I walk in, and conditions are always that if I forgot to turn my air on or something else is amiss, I can walk out. But, this and other aspects of dropping down to 80-100' from a boat are things I have to think about quite a bit since I may do that once every year or two. You wouldn't figure that with my number of dives. Repetition.
Diving solo, there is also no buddy check, but I do know BWRAF...…. Actually, if diving solo you can still do a buddy check if you like. Just BWRAF yourself.
All true. And you can breathe off it and inflate your BCD without a problem. And you will have time to figure out a problem before there is no air to breathe.
We are kind of religious about test breathing before getting in the water. If we are walking in we test breathe and at least have the reg in our hands. It would be embarrassing to die at Sund Rock in two feet of water, but not impossible.
A good thread.
I was teaching a couple of weeks ago an intermediate course (BSAC Sports Diver).
During the discussion. I reminded them there are two things you should be absolutely sure of before you step off the boat (quay/beach).
1. You can breath.
2. You can make yourself buoyant.
Failing to confirm those to things is unforgivable.
Before I do a buddy check with a buddy, I have already done a personal buddy check.
With regular buddies, it is not unknown if we are badly positioned on the boat that a face to face buddy check may not be done. But we all do personal buddy checks. The last thing that we always do before we step up to the gate, is ask, "gas on? buoyancy ok?"
The flicking needle thing, I teach. However, you need to have the cylinder valve almost closed. i.e 1/4 turn open (rather than fully open and a 1/4 back).
I've been caught myself, on a holiday charter boat. A deck hand turned my cylinder off, then back a half turn, after I had done the full buddy check whilst we where standing on the back of the boat waiting to enter. I think he was so used to turning the cylinders on for customers. I don't like people fiddling with my kit at the best of times. As I descended I was immediately aware of the restricting gas flow. I just pulled the set up my back and fully opened the valve, no problem.
Gareth
I was teaching a couple of weeks ago an intermediate course (BSAC Sports Diver).
During the discussion. I reminded them there are two things you should be absolutely sure of before you step off the boat (quay/beach).
1. You can breath.
2. You can make yourself buoyant.
Failing to confirm those to things is unforgivable.
Before I do a buddy check with a buddy, I have already done a personal buddy check.
With regular buddies, it is not unknown if we are badly positioned on the boat that a face to face buddy check may not be done. But we all do personal buddy checks. The last thing that we always do before we step up to the gate, is ask, "gas on? buoyancy ok?"
The flicking needle thing, I teach. However, you need to have the cylinder valve almost closed. i.e 1/4 turn open (rather than fully open and a 1/4 back).
I've been caught myself, on a holiday charter boat. A deck hand turned my cylinder off, then back a half turn, after I had done the full buddy check whilst we where standing on the back of the boat waiting to enter. I think he was so used to turning the cylinders on for customers. I don't like people fiddling with my kit at the best of times. As I descended I was immediately aware of the restricting gas flow. I just pulled the set up my back and fully opened the valve, no problem.
Gareth
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Alan Browne
Contributor
Tell him to find someone willing to die for him to be his buddy.
No diver is perfect perfect, but many are really, really good and most at least have their own self interest at heart and middling concern for your life too. That breeds some basic behaviour conducive to safety of the pair or group.
I make mistakes, others point them out, I improve (yeah, slowly).
Your guy seems to be entirely negligent and not even mildly interested in safety.
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