Buddycheck

[Panther1880]

I'm going through my complete "GUE EDGE" procedure for every dive. So that's an full head to toe equipment check including a dive plan that discusses things like time, depth, gas and surroundings. The times that I shorten this are rare and I'll check the vital stuff as a minimal besides a basic dive plan.
I think repeating these procedures during easy dives help me on the more challenging dives where consequences are more costly. I think it helps getting the whole team into the right mindset too.

 

[BlueTrin]

Thanks. That is an excellent presentation.

Prof Mitchell talked more about rebreathers than open circuit. He wants checklists reduced to what he called the "Killer Four" items that, if forgot, could kill someone and that are in fact implicated in a lot of deaths. Short enough that people really will use them. Focused on things that do get forgot and do kill people.

He included a brief shot of a recreational dive checklist that was used in a study he cited, but he said that that checklist was too detailed and needed refining.

Not long ago on another thread related to safety, I said I would embrace a good checklist for recreational divers but had never seen one. I asked if anyone had one to share, but no one responded. So what are the Killer Four for open circuit recreational dives within no decompression limits? My guess would start with making sure the air valve is open. What else needs to be there?

A proposal:

• Valve is fully open (to prevent almost closed)
• Can breathe from primary and octo
• Can inflate BCD, up until the auto-release let the air excess and the BCD keeps the air in (to prevent sinking after jumping)
• Gas has been analysed (prevent bad mixes)

Edit: actually the best way would be to get statistics and address the most frequent issues rather than guessing.

 

[TMHeimer]

I voted sometimes because the answer is "it's complicated".

Much of my diving is teaching. I don't have my students check my gear because they are not my buddy, but I am watching them put the gear together, making sure they do their checks properly, and while I don't touch their gear to check it, I'm still checking it.
If diving with a buddy, I don't touch their gear unless they ask me to or to move the valve assembly down into the water for a bubble check if they don't lean far enough back.

I have never been taught to actually check other divers regulators. We teach primary donate which negates all of that.

I am bad about doing formal buddy checks in the water unless I'm teaching, but it is because my buddies all dive solo/teach very often so we are used to being incredibly diligent about our own checks

All understandable. I think there are 3 reasons why "never" gets the fewest votes:
1. Folks that are in a situation like yourself. In my short years as an assistant I can't recall seeing an instructor or DM doing any buddy checks themselves.
2. Many experienced divers have familiar buddies, so their "quickie" checks seem like they just didn't do anything.
3. We must remember that SB members tend to be those dive regularly and take it more seriously than very occasional divers, thus they do perform some sort of a buddy check. If SB has about 200,000 members, that still leaves a vast majority of divers, I would presume (I don't think there is a true count of divers worldwide, though I guess one could get statistics from all the agencies regarding OW certifications to get a ball park figure).

Above probably explains my only seeing an "official" looking buddy check once all these years.

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

I dive with the same couple of guys pretty much every weekend off our boat (weather and sea conditions permitting) and have been doing so with these same guys for over 40 years (through a succession of boats). The conditions have not been great here over the past several months so aside from a few beach dives I've made, we haven't had the boat out until last weekend. Our "buddy check" usually consists of looking to see whether someone is off the boat or on the boat.
Anyway, I see one buddy (a spry 73 year old) getting ready to backroll off and for some reason I asked him if he had remembered to fill his tank since it had been a few months. He looked at me kind of funny and checked his air integrated computer and responded he didn't know because his computer battery was dead. So yeah, even us old farts get complacent but some form of buddy check can't hurt. My unsolicited 2 psi.

 

[dead dog]

I dive with the same couple of guys pretty much every weekend off our boat (weather and sea conditions permitting) and have been doing so with these same guys for over 40 years (through a succession of boats). The conditions have not been great here over the past several months so aside from a few beach dives I've made, we haven't had the boat out until last weekend. Our "buddy check" usually consists of looking to see whether someone is off the boat or on the boat.
Anyway, I see one buddy (a spry 73 year old) getting ready to backroll off and for some reason I asked him if he had remembered to fill his tank since it had been a few months. He looked at me kind of funny and checked his air integrated computer and responded he didn't know because his computer battery was dead. So yeah, even us old farts get complacent but some form of buddy check can't hurt. My unsolicited 2 psi.

Yeah, those boats will drive you to the poor house. I know I've been there done that. It was either live on the boat or in a house, you can bet which way my wife voted. O well, that's the way it goes.

 

[AdivingBel]

Depends on what you call a buddy check. Do I stand in front of people reciting nursery rhymes while touching myself?...nah. If someone else insists, as long as they socially distance, I try not to judge.

No really...if diving with a new/insta buddy, I check out their rig, try to discretely watch them setup, and watch how they comport themselves (tells me a lot). If I have questions I'll ask. I'll ask if they have questions. We'll talk about the dive/make a plan though it will be pretty minimal. We're talking about a reef bimble, anything more advanced and I'll have to dive with them a few times. I do appreciate if they have their reg in their mouth when they splash.

If I'm diving with my usual travel group or my wife, I'll ask if the have their weights as they splash (the equivalent of asking if they turned off the stove before they left the house). I do watch and pay attention, but I've dived with them a lot and know they know what they are doing. As long as their air is on there isn't really much they can't sort out. That's after lots of dives and several years of diving with them. That's all "tidy bowl" diving, IMHO, YMMV.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I clicked never, although I check as I'm gearing up. I do the same routine every time so I know if I've forgotten anything.

 

[scubadada]

I clicked never, although I check as I'm gearing up. I do the same routine every time so I know if I've forgotten anything.

I pack my dive bag the same way, in the same order, every time, at home and on the boat. I never forget anything. I do my set up on the boat the same way, I don't forget anything. Despite that, the last thing I do before I jump, is to breathe my reg and watch my SPG. It's been a long time since I jumped with my air off I usually dive by myself, but not always. When I have a buddy other than my family, I make sure we know the donation strategy and weights

 

[TMHeimer]

I clicked never, although I check as I'm gearing up. I do the same routine every time so I know if I've forgotten anything.

Same here. Believe it or not, I can get distracted from my routine even after 15 years if someone starts talking to me. You'd think it would be so ingrained. So after they depart, I go over exactly what I've done and where I am in the "process".
Of course unlike my wife, I don't like watching TV and playing on the computer at the same time.....