Dive briefing

[Hoag]

The shortest one that I have ever witnessed was on a trip to Nassau. There were only 3 divers in our group and we had been diving with Stuart Cove all week so the crew got to know us. Because there were only 3 of us, we always got added to another group. As we approached one dive site, the DM looked at the 3 of us and said "You 3 have been here before right? Nothing has changed in the last couple days. The Pool is open for you guys as soon as the boat stops. Enjoy the dive before the site fills up when everybody else jumps in." I think we were in the water before the anchor hit the bottom.

As for what I want to see/hear in a Dive Brief:
Dive Site name
Dive Site layout / map (including depths)
Notable features (things to look for)
Wildlife that may be found here
Is a DM going in the water & what will they be doing?

There are however certain dive briefings that are "worth their weight in gold". If anyone has been on the Turks & Caicos Explorer and heard a dive briefing from Pippa or her sister Bunjee Jo, then you have seen the funniest and the best in the business.

 

[IDCBali]

Hi Man Read this article.. for awnswer your questions
Divemaster Internship: Doing Briefing Efficiently as Dive Leader - PADI IDC in Bali

 

[Fdzzaigl]

I'm no PADI diver, that said: I find it really important to know who I'm diving with. So please mention your name and possibly tell a little bit about your experience.

I'm just back from a vacation in Lanzarote where the first dive we did had a super short briefing, which was really not sufficient for everyone to feel at ease. I had to ask the name of the guide myself for the second dive with him. Personally I make it a point to get to know everyone I'm diving with by name as well, just to make sure you get a feel for people. If you're guiding lots of tourists and the like I guess that's pretty hard however.

A good briefing is indeed short and concise. But diving shouldn't be a stressy afair, take your time as well.

Important for me, but seldom mentioned by many dive center guides, is the procedure you're going to use in case you lose eachother. Obviously this is usually less important in clear waters, so I understand why most guides skip it.

However (storytime):

Also in the Lanzarote vacation we were doing a boat dive, after everyone had jumped into the water a rope got tangled in the propellor of the RIB we'd used. The instructor guiding us had to cut it loose, but boat and instructor were swept away hundreds of meters in a matter of minutes by the wind. Leaving the divers in the water alone.

I took it upon myself to inflate an SMB and gather everyone around, but as the skipper and instructor were too busy with the engine problem it took a very long time for the skipper to notice us. Eventually the boat came back to find us without the instructor. Apparently she had assumed we had started the dive already. So then it was a matter of looking around and asking: "Alrighty then, who's going to lead, who's going to buddy up, who's closing up the group?"

Luckily it was an easy dive with experienced people aplenty, but the confusion could've been avoided if it had been mentioned in the briefing what procedure we'd follow upon losing one another.​

Lastly ask if there's anything the people you'll be diving with want to share with you, like trouble with ears etc. Aside from that it's the usual stuff you probably already know.