the acronym START

[knotical]

I'm reading an SDI specialty book, and it uses the phrase: "…pre-dive START drill…".

Can someone tell me what it stands for?

thanks,

k

 

[AndyNZ]

Yup.... for TDI START is:

S - S drill (OOA & Bubble Check)
T - Team (Equipment Checks)
A - Air (Gas Matching)
R - Route (Entry/Exit, Underwater Plan)
T - Tables (Depth, Time)


It may be slightly different for SDI, but some variation of.

 

[Doppler]

That's it Andy... I originally penned it for the Advanced Trimix book but it sort of migrated across the whole library.

In its full form the T for team also includes stress assessment and the R for route includes deciding on Go or Go Home waypoints.

 

[TSandM]

Just curious . . . I always leave the S-drills (or even the check for long hose deployment) until after the equipment check, in case anything during the check needs to be unfastened and redone. (I've seen people undo their waist belts to change or fix something, and refasten them over the long hose.) Is there a reason you chose to start with that step, Steve?

 

[dbulmer]

TSandM,
Maybe Doppler might suggest doing a re -START in such a situation
Sorry couldn't resist

 

[knotical]

Or maybe the acronym could become TARTS ?

 

[dbulmer]

Lol

 

[AndyNZ]

Just curious . . . I always leave the S-drills (or even the check for long hose deployment) until after the equipment check, in case anything during the check needs to be unfastened and redone. (I've seen people undo their waist belts to change or fix something, and refasten them over the long hose.) Is there a reason you chose to start with that step, Steve?

I tend to shift things around to suit a particular dive rather than consider the acronym to be an inviolate rule. I see it as an "easy to remember" guide rather than a process - so tend to do S-drills and bubble checks at the end.

 

[ElBacio]

bubble checks at the end.

I do bubble checks as the first thing in the water. Gas leak usually would need to take me out of water for repair, so it is waste of time to do it at the end. A lot of other problems (i.e. cord entalgment) can be solved in water.

ElBacio

 

[AndyNZ]

I do bubble checks as the first thing in the water. Gas leak usually would need to take me out of water for repair, so it is waste of time to do it at the end. A lot of other problems (i.e. cord entalgment) can be solved in water.

I probably wasn't clear - by "at the end" I mean after all the dive planning aspects are discussed. I tend to only do S-drills and bubble checks in the water, everything else is done on the boat. S-drills tend to be a modified-S (unless it's a training dive) so done dry when possible with bubble checks done on descent. With strongish surface currents it's my preferred way..... but every dive is different, so it's not the only way.