Hello Insta Buddy ...

[TSandM]

Well, mine are no art form.

I just made a decision at some point as to what I needed to feel comfortable in the water. And I just get mulish and insist that it get done. I want a plan, I want a buddy, and I want a gear check before we dive. If someone is uncomfortable with doing that, they can dive with somebody else for the next dive . . . but if they are diving with ME for this dive, this is what I need to feel comfortable. It doesn't take very much time, and although some of my buddies (yes, Bob, and Kathydee) roll their eyes at me, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

One of the best ways to have things like this go well is to go find some folks to dive with who like to dive the way you do. I'm sure if I were on a Hawaiian dive boat by myself, I'd have a hard time finding someone who would put up with me.

 

[fisheater]

. . .

One of the best ways to have things like this go well is to go find some folks to dive with who like to dive the way you do. I'm sure if I were on a Hawaiian dive boat by myself, I'd have a hard time finding someone who would put up with me.

If you'll be diving in Kauai next week and the week thereafter, I'll dive with you and do full buddy checks.




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[elan]

A nice way to do a non intrusive buddy check is to first check each other's tank valves to make sure they're on.

Thats a very intrusive way. Noone touches my valves unless I ask. I had two cases at the time I began diving when the buddy actually closed the valve that was open.

At the time when my instabuddy touches my valve with no permission i will walk away.

 

[Avonthediver]

I have had bad and good with the insta-buddy thing. But I seem to have some of my best dives without a buddy..maby try this and see if you like it. And then your at your own mercy as far as setting a time table for your diving.

 

[k ellis]

When it comes to insta-buddies I usually ask the dive master in advance as we are departing if there are any newer divers who are solo and if so I want the least experienced diver who needs an insta-buddy. This usually proves to be the least painful headache one can obtain as they actually listen to you and are willing to work with you as opposed to alot of veteran divers who think that they wrote the bible of scuba diving.

With the newer divers buddy checks tend to be a sench because they will usually tell you they are not very experienced and occasionally ask you if they are set up correctly.

The few times I get experienced dive buddies I have got 1 really good dive partner one time and other then that I usually tend to ask them jokingly if they are scuba board veterans (No pun intended as there are really good veterans on here but its more a kick against the ones who seem to only look to make fun of other divers or that want to argue excessively about minor things)

 

[freewillie]

I know the PADI buddy check BWRAF thing that is the template, but is it okay to just check the SPG for PSI and then hit the LPI (or purge the reg's briefly) on the BC to ensure the tank is on? That way you don't mess with a stranger's tank valve and if the hoses are pressurized then the valve should be on, or is there something that can be missed?

 

[fisheater]

I know the PADI buddy check BWRAF thing that is the template, but is it okay to just check the SPG for PSI and then hit the LPI (or purge the reg's briefly) on the BC to ensure the tank is on? That way you don't mess with a stranger's tank valve and if the hoses are pressurized then the valve should be on, or is there something that can be missed?

Yes. You can miss a valve that's been turned all the way off after an earlier pressurization or a valve that's only been cracked open and will fail to deliver adequate pressure at depth.

Simply having pressure in your lines isn't enough.


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[Jaydubya]

I know you've got a lot more experience than I do, but I'm gonna respectfully disagree with you on this point. Yes, we were taught to "buddy check" during OW class and it is something that I absolutely insist on doing. IMO it's not about being responsible for your buddy's safety, or him/her for yours. It's about another set of eyes possibly catching a potential problem you or your buddy may have overlooked. Afterall, while you may not be responsible for his safety, you may have to deal with his life threatening problem that could have been avoided if it were caught pre-dive.

I'm glad you disagree. It shows that you are thinking. Usually a good thing.

FWIW, I'm just telling you what I do, not necessarily what I *should* do or what you should do but honesty requires saying what I actually do and not just giving you the party line. Be clear that just because I am not doing a formal check does not mean that I am not observing things. I occasionally notice problems with my buddy. I can't think of a single problem I missed at the surface that was not correctable underwater and only one problem that would have been caught with a rigorous check up on the boat (BC buckle not fastened). If you want me to check you formally on the boat and do the same with me I have no problem with that at all and I won't be offended. I draw the line at your touching my valves though. You can ask me if my gas is on, but don't touch my valves. I'm sure I do a lot more buddy checking under the water than on the boat. Sometimes gear comes unclipped on entry, line snakes off reels and sppols, octos get snagged and start dangling, backup lights are accidentally activated, etc. When my buddy gets down to the hang line at about 15 feet I always give him the once over, check my pressure, we give OK signs and then we descend the anchor line to the wreck.

I can also be retentive about checking gear before the dive when I think it is called for. Basically when the surface is not an option. In fact, when cave diving we go through a meticulous head to toe check - checking each reg in the water, inflators and exhausts, all lights, reels and spools, cutting devices, computer settings, etc. We do this in sequence and parallel with each person checking his own gear and announcing the status to the team. We check our gauges, determine turn pressures. We verify that each team member knows the dive plan and his role and is feeling good about the dive. Then we descend, get neutral and do air sharing drills to make sure the long hose is not trapped, and also do bubble checks. The bubble check is really the only check that requires a buddy at all.

Good buddies are always observing things that are out of place. Before, during, and after the dive. My buddy noticed a problem with my wing after a recent cave dive when we were doing a "surface decompression" and debriefing/bull session. It turned out to be a cracked bladder flange. It did not bubble in the horizontal position but did when vertical. I replaced it that evening and we made some more cave dives the next day. So this problem was caught by a buddy in a post dive observation when the rigorous checks we had done pre-dive had completely missed it.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I know the PADI buddy check BWRAF thing that is the template, but is it okay to just check the SPG for PSI and then hit the LPI (or purge the reg's briefly) on the BC to ensure the tank is on? That way you don't mess with a stranger's tank valve and if the hoses are pressurized then the valve should be on, or is there something that can be missed?

As fisheater pointed out, your check would miss a partially open tank valve or a situation in which the tank valve is off yet the reg hoses remain pressurized.

I'd recommend going a step beyond just purging a buddy's regs. I'd ask to breathe off of whatever reg he'll be donating to me in a LOA/OOA situation. I want to know whether the subjective breathing performance of the second stage is "good enough" for me or not. I don't want to find out that the octo mouthpiece is torn, there's a crack in the plastic housing, or the cracking pressure is unreasonably high when I need air from that reg underwater. I also verify that I can release the octo from whatever contraption my buddy has rigged for BCD attachment.

One of the reasons I insist on breathing from my buddy's donated reg is that I've seen many, many divers not even bother to check the function of their octos during pre-dive checks. Octos tend to see very little use, and they get dragged through the sand a lot. If a functional breathing test is done with the primary reg, there's no reason why a functional test shouldn't be done on the octo/alternative air source.

I suppose one could extend such functional checks to all aspects of a buddy's dive gear. However, I won't do such tests on my buddy's gear unless he asks me to. During a buddy check, I'll look at my buddy from head to toe. I look for trapped reg hoses or BCD pull-dump cords twisted/trapped under shoulder straps. If he hasn't attached his LP inflater hose to the power inflater then I'll remind him to do that (even though this isn't a "critical" issue since oral inflation should be perfectly adequate).

FWIW, I don't have to physically look at my buddy's SPG to verify his starting pressure. I just ask him.

 

[TMHeimer]

I do a lot of the stuff mentioned so far. But most important to me are two things: We each know how to release weight and we agree on general course, bottom time and when to turn the dive.