Spencermm
Contributor
Anybody willing to share a buddy pre-dive checklist- things you and your buddy should check each other for(and don't say "ticks") before jumping in.
Thanks,
Spencer
Thanks,
Spencer
buddy pre-dive checklist
- Thread starter Spencermm
- Start date
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driftin' by
Contributor
air on
The Logic Theorist
Contributor
BWARF usually does the trick...
Dash
Contributor
everything?
CODMAN
Contributor
If it's not my usual buddy, I always go over the basic hand signs. People always think I'm silly for insisting. Up untill now, every time I've done this I discovered differences in meanings for known signs or that the new buddy had signs I didn't know...:shakehead Imagine underwater and you don't understand each other?:shakehead
Do the signs...
Do the signs...
check BCD, Weights, Releases, Air, Final Okay (inspect look for out of place equipment, dangling gauges, missing gear). BWRAF Make a habit of performing this check and not just pretending. Final should include anything you can think of.
Spencer...Did you not learn how to do a buddy checklist with your cert.
If not then your instructor did not do his or her job completely. The PADI acronym as stated above is BWRAF...BCD, Weights, Releases, Air and Final check. With the BCD make sure inflator hose and dump valves are working. Make sure the tank is secure inside the tank band, ie, not set at an angle where the tank could fall out. Check weight belt for right handed release or easy release for the integrated and that nothing is obstructing its removal. Also check to make sure your buddy has a weight belt on. This may sound funny but it does happen when someone forgets to put their weight belt on. I say this from experience...I forgot to put mine on one time. Kind of hard to get underwater and the jokes are relentless
Make sure all releases are connected and unobstructed. Of course make sure your buddy's air is on and second stages are functioning properly. In addition...make sure the pressure gauge is checked. There are other things you can add to a buddy check...It should however be a quick overview just before you enter the water. It doesn't include who will lead and follow, entry and exit points, etc...These should be done when you plan the dive.
If not then your instructor did not do his or her job completely. The PADI acronym as stated above is BWRAF...BCD, Weights, Releases, Air and Final check. With the BCD make sure inflator hose and dump valves are working. Make sure the tank is secure inside the tank band, ie, not set at an angle where the tank could fall out. Check weight belt for right handed release or easy release for the integrated and that nothing is obstructing its removal. Also check to make sure your buddy has a weight belt on. This may sound funny but it does happen when someone forgets to put their weight belt on. I say this from experience...I forgot to put mine on one time. Kind of hard to get underwater and the jokes are relentless
Make sure all releases are connected and unobstructed. Of course make sure your buddy's air is on and second stages are functioning properly. In addition...make sure the pressure gauge is checked. There are other things you can add to a buddy check...It should however be a quick overview just before you enter the water. It doesn't include who will lead and follow, entry and exit points, etc...These should be done when you plan the dive.
In addition to the BWRAF check, making sure you're on the same page regarding hand signals, the dive plan (purpose of dive, gas mixture, compass headings as appropriate, positive or negative entry, planned depth, bottom time, air state that means start your ascent, line vs free ascent, safety stops), and making sure each of you know the configuration of the other's gear... especially in the case of an insta-buddy.
I dive with a 7ft hose on my primary and my bright yellow octo is bungeed around my neck. If my buddy needs my reg, I want to make sure he or she knows which one to grab and which one not to. If I'm hunting, my buddy needs to understand he/she might not see as much of the reef as someone who's sightseeing because I'm stopping frequently to wrangle lobsters. If I'm on nitrox & they're on air, we might have different rates we blow through our gas (especially when the lobsters are wrangling ME). You get the point.
Be as clear as possible on as much as possible to avoid having to invent hand signals on the fly.
I dive with a 7ft hose on my primary and my bright yellow octo is bungeed around my neck. If my buddy needs my reg, I want to make sure he or she knows which one to grab and which one not to. If I'm hunting, my buddy needs to understand he/she might not see as much of the reef as someone who's sightseeing because I'm stopping frequently to wrangle lobsters. If I'm on nitrox & they're on air, we might have different rates we blow through our gas (especially when the lobsters are wrangling ME). You get the point.
Be as clear as possible on as much as possible to avoid having to invent hand signals on the fly.
also talk about lost buddy procedure
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