No formal safety check

[Marie13]

@Happyladydiver

Sometimes the guys won’t listen to you because you’re a gal. Speak up. If they’re rushing you just to rush you, tell them NO. Don’t be afraid to be a little loud or aggressive if needed. Take care of your own gear. If it’s too heavy, ask for help with moving it around, but otherwise set up your own gear. Get to the boat early to give you extra time to set your gear up. Better to do it while at the dock than on a rocking boat anyway.

 

[Storker]

On a recreational dive with buddies I know well, you may think no safety check was done, but it was. We just do it inconspicuously, scanning each other as we finish gearing up and waiting for the beginning of the water entry. We always breathe off of each regulator and check inflators on our own as a part of the gearing up process.

Fits very well with my experience. If I'm diving with a buddy I know well and have dived a lot with, the buddy check might well be invisible to anyone around. But it's still as comprehensive as those I did during OW class. With a new buddy, I always make sure to do a proper buddy check. As you gain experience, the way the buddy check is done (BWRAF, top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top, GUE EDGE or whatever) becomes less and less important. Just do it, even if a lot of folks seem to think they don't need need one.

And never, ever let anyone rush you. If they do, either ignore them or give them the finger. You and you alone are responsible for your dive and your safety.

Yes, I know. Easy to say, not quite as easy to do. Especially if you're new. It does get easier with time (and arrogance).

 

[Storker]

the second person I was paired with seemed very legit and stated he had done thousand of dives and had been a dive master

One of my most common SMH moments is when I read in the news about someone claimed to be "a very experienced <whatever>" getting in deep organic fertilizer because they messed up. Experience is no guarantee of ability. Some people seem unable to learn, neither from their own experience nor from others'.

Trust yourself.

 

[johndiver999]

I generally take a hard look at the other diver's gear. Saturday, I was watching three divers get ready and I checked all three of their tank valves (without their consent) after they were completely dressed. I know some people hate that.

One of the three valves was completely off - even though he (a very experienced diver) was ready to enter the water. I think he was distracted by making sure his daughter had all her gear configured properly.

 

[wheeledgoat]

+1 for not letting yourself get rushed, interrupted or distracted. I had a first hand event that highlighted this for me. I got myself to the edge of the platform, fins on, reg in mouth, and when I went to check inflation on my bcd, I hadn't hooked up my low pressure hose to my bcd inflator! In that moment, I remembered someone starting a conversation with me when I was setting up. Foolishly, I engaged in said conversation thinking I could do both at the same time.

The helpers on the boat would have had me hook up the line, inflate my bcd and splash. Of course this pointed to a larger problem in that I obviously didn't complete my full safety check (what else was missed?!?) so as awkward and embarrassing as it was, I backed up, got out of line and re-ran my check unhurried and undistracted.

Now, I have that first hand experience that I think of every single time I kit up. I quietly remind myself; What if I had strided in before that last bcd check? Weighted with 14lb to counter the 7mm wetsuit, I would have dropped like a stone. Sobering.

 

[johndiver999]

+1 for not letting yourself get rushed, interrupted or distracted. I had a first hand event that highlighted this for me. I got myself to the edge of the platform, fins on, reg in mouth, and when I went to check inflation on my bcd, I hadn't hooked up my low pressure hose to my bcd inflator! In that moment, I remembered someone starting a conversation with me when I was setting up. Foolishly, I engaged in said conversation thinking I could do both at the same time.

The helpers on the boat would have had me hook up the line, inflate my bcd and splash. Of course this pointed to a larger problem in that I obviously didn't complete my full safety check (what else was missed?!?) so as awkward and embarrassing as it was, I backed up, got out of line and re-ran my check unhurried and undistracted.

Now, I have that first hand experience that I think of every single time I kit up. I quietly remind myself; What if I had strided in before that last bcd check? Weighted with 14lb to counter the 7mm wetsuit, I would have dropped like a stone. Sobering.

If you are weighted properly, then NOTHING would have happened! You would be neutral or close to it at the surface.

If you jumped and THEN realized you forgot to connect, you would probably just remove your regulator, blow a puff of air in the BC and then worked to fix the oversight. If you think otherwise, then you need to adjust your weight, your thinking or practice your basic skills.

 

[maj2]

For gear setup, I often have the tank, BC and weights already set up before leaving home and wear the kit onto the boat or to the site already set up. If I don't have them pre-rigged, that is the first thing I do upon boarding. The only thing I do after the boat is in motion is to don my exposure protection, check things over and turn on my air. Heck-- if it is particularly cold out, I may be wearing the drysuit prior to boarding as well.
As for "safety" checks... I always do one myself, but it is rarely formal. My buddy may not even realize I have done it. If I am uncertain of where something is on his/her kit, I will ask. If I see it, and am familiar with it, I consider the check done. Within the first few feet underwater, there is another check to make sure everything is still in place, no unexpected bubbles, etc. Again... my buddy may not even realize that this has been done.
If I know I am diving with a new diver, I do generally give them a heads up as to all of this though.

 

[scubadada]

If you are weighted properly, then NOTHING would have happened! You would be neutral or close to it at the surface.

If you jumped and THEN realized you forgot to connect, you would probably just remove your regulator, blow a puff of air in the BC and then worked to fix the oversight. If you think otherwise, then you need to adjust your weight, your thinking or practice your basic skills.

You would be overweighted by at least the weight of air you will consume during the dive. This is not a lot, a little over 5 lbs for an AL80. If there is no air in your BC, you will sink. Regardless, this should not be a problem, just reattach the hose, A breath of air, manually, will slow your descent. If you jump with your air off, you will likely have to swim your rig to the surface to turn on your air, a good reason to be correctly weighted.

Not that either of these errors should occur. In 2000 dives, I have done each, twice, not for quite a while now

 

[wheeledgoat]

If you are weighted properly, then NOTHING would have happened! You would be neutral or close to it at the surface.

Yes, I do realize it likely wouldn't have been life-threatening and a quick puff into my manual inflator would have brought things back to stasis, but all that is only a pedantic distraction from the point I was making.

 

[EFX]

Hi @HappyladydiverThe last thing you do is take a couple of breaths off your regulator while watching your SPG. Dive, dive, dive.

This is very important. When diving from a dive operator's boat I'm in the habit of assembling my equipment as soon as I get on the boat. More often than not I'm done before the boat even leaves the dock. The last thing I do is breathe from both regulators and watch the SPG. Then, I leave the air on, sit down, and relax for the trip out. I remember on one trip, just prior to the dive briefing, the DM was going around turning on, or making sure, that everyone's air was on. I usually always breathe from the regs again while watching my SPG and discovered that my air was off! So, yes, breathing from the regs should be the last thing you do before entering the water.