Don and Doff Gear underwater

[tomfcrist]

Assuming this is a PADI course (based on your profile) you didn’t mention that it’s not only doff & don, but actually an equipment exchange with a buddy while sharing a single second stage. Some respondents may not have been aware of this.

I still don't understand the learning value of this event. Why in gods name would you ever swap gear with your buddy during a dive?
I can understand removal and replacement to untangle, modify configuration, solve a problem etc, but just to swap gear with a buddy?
There is no educational value in this task(as I refuse to call it a skill), and I don't see why it is still around...it's as stupid as fin pivots.

 

[beanojones]

Here's the deal with the "skill":

We are supposed to throw it at DMs largely without warning, and certainly with no more than 5 minutes pre-planning. (That no more than 5 minutes is written into standards in fact.)

Then it becomes what it is, a problem solving team work stress test.

I love the fact that it tends to shut overenthusastic people up, so they remember they have much to learn. Also since buddy breathing is no longer taught in OW, this is for many the first time they learn to think about how that works?

Or from the times I have had Navy Divers doing DM stuff to be impressed by the level of their poise developed through their training. No mask, no reg, having to wait a full minute to get the reg back from the other candidate? No problem. I kept offering an octo, and he just kept saying he was fine and could wait so the other guy would not have to feel bad.

Awesome poise there.

(That said, I have had OW students randomly trade the scuba units while swimming around underwater. Granted, they are not doing it while buddy breathing, but it's not really that hard to do trade gear underwater, and for someone who wants to become a DM, this should be (in the end) a ridiculously simple exercise).

 

[tomfcrist]

So basically it's hazing...

 

[beanojones]

Well, not really, because the instrcutor is standing by to help not hinder.

Like I said, OW students should be able to handle everything but the Buddy breathing aspect of it anyway, so I am not sure how hard this should be for people who are getting a 'professional' rating.

I am in general kind of appalled by the average open water divers over reliance on gear in general. I wish we could do a hand-held tank dive for lots of different levels of training to break some ideas about what exactly the function of the gear is.

I certainly display a lot of what essentially is no mount diving to my students throughout a typical 2-day OW course, though of course they are not necessarily always doing it themselves outside of the CW gear R&R.

(Although I never have students change fins for the DM test because I encourage it to be done in motion anyway, OW students do swap fins fairly often as well.)

 

[redacted]

I still don't understand the learning value of this event. Why in gods name would you ever swap gear with your buddy during a dive?
I can understand removal and replacement to untangle, modify configuration, solve a problem etc, but just to swap gear with a buddy?
There is no educational value in this task(as I refuse to call it a skill), and I don't see why it is still around...it's as stupid as fin pivots.

Think of it as a demonstration of comfort and familiarity with diver's and buddy's gear. like the military having soldiers disassemble and assemble weapons while blindfolded. Does Maui do nothing like that?

 

[TigerDiver8]

Assuming this is a PADI course (based on your profile) you didn’t mention that it’s not only doff & don, but actually an equipment exchange with a buddy while sharing a single second stage. Some respondents may not have been aware of this.

Thank you I didn't realize I didn't state that. I'm gonna add an extra couple pounds on my belt just to assure I do the skill correctly and receive all points.

 

[Aguablanco1]

Here is a tip that my buddy and I used. Start off with your buddies gear on, that way it will be easier underwater to put your own gear on.

This is what I did and it works great.
RichH

 

[tomfcrist]

Think of it as a demonstration of comfort and familiarity with diver's and buddy's gear. like the military having soldiers disassemble and assemble weapons while blindfolded. Does Maui do nothing like that?

Assembling and disassembling weapons blindfolded has a real world training value...or kinesthetic memory.

Naui does have a variant of that skill still in the S&P, however I don't believe it is attached as a requirement for any course. It's one of those. Skills that is still there because some dinosaur won't let it go. Like I said, there is no real world training value or application. When am I ever going to exchange gear with someone underwater and then buddy breath? Never...under any circumstance...ever. It's a bull**** "skill" and should be thrown out with last weeks garbage. If you want to task load someone or re-enforce comfort with your gear, find a way to do it that could actually happen on a real dive...

 

[raftingtigger]

The posts above have good info. Key thing is GO SLOW and plan it out ahead of time. If you have never done buddy breathing, then practice that until you are really comfortable with it. I had the good fortune to learn that skill when I started diving.

Question: why are you wearing a thick wetsuit for this skill? If you are doing it in a pool, use the least buoyant and least restrictive garment you can (eg swimsuit).

Remember: There is NO time limit.

 

[oldschoolto]

Stop trying to figure out how to slip passed the skill test and learn to do it right... Any diver worth his weight , Should be able to ditch and don his gear and also put on any gear at any time and perform... The ditch and don was taught in basic scuba as was buddy breathing... Than we wonder why divers are getting their ZERO TO HERO cards...

And at a added point... Making two divers work as a team and communicate well buddy breathing and given the task of total gear swap... Is a VERY GOOD training tool.... The diver learns to work and buddy breath and deal with another diver all at the same time... A VERY GOOD SKILL TO HAVE... It's like the kid washing and waxing cars in Karate Kid.... It's not always obvious.....

Jim....