Buddycheck

Buddy check

  • Always for both divers

    Votes: 76 58.5%
  • Only for myself

    Votes: 11 8.5%
  • Never

    Votes: 7 5.4%
  • Sometimes

    Votes: 18 13.8%
  • Only if i dont know my buddy and/or the buddys gear.

    Votes: 18 13.8%

  • Total voters
    130

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There are two things that I check meticulously and repeatedly before each and every dive:

1) my breathing apparatus(es)
2) my buoyancy devices

I have two priorities only: to breathe and to resurface. Everything else is secondary.
 
I chose the last option - but I want to add that my buddy is my husband (and my only buddy) and we're generally walking through all of our gear verbally as we get ready for the dive. "Is your air on?" "Hey, your air's not on" - but it's no longer a 'formal' process for us. We might even grab one another's computer to see what it says to 'make sure' we understood what the other said on the noisy boat. So ... a little bit the first answer and a little bit the last answer.
 
I chose the last option - but I want to add that my buddy is my husband (and my only buddy) and we're generally walking through all of our gear verbally as we get ready for the dive. "Is your air on?" "Hey, your air's not on" - but it's no longer a 'formal' process for us. We might even grab one another's computer to see what it says to 'make sure' we understood what the other said on the noisy boat. So ... a little bit the first answer and a little bit the last answer.


Ok doing a verbal check is also a buddy check in my opinion. But one problem would not be detected: turning air on and then off. Gauge/computer reads air on and after 3 breaths..
Also if the IP has a problem, you are able to see it(moving needle while breathing).

But jeah, checking the reg and boyancy is the important part of the buddy check in my opinion.
 
I couldn't vote as almost all of my dives in recent years have been solo. I will say that when I was taking charters in past years I would have a chat with my instabuddy and review a bit, especially how to drop each other's weights and a general dive plan. I can't say that I've ever seen a buddy team do the "official" buddy check. Of course if they are familiar buddies, we know that they are very familiar with each other's equipment and a thorough check can be done without "BWRAF", etc.
There was one time-- At the conclusion of the Rescue Course I took in 2006 there was a buddy team facing each other at the shore going through the motions. Our Instructor (a Course Director now) told us that as Rescue Divers we should take note, as these two were probably very new divers. Don't know what that says.
 
I only dive with a close group of friends and we never do a "buddy check".
We go through our own gear right before we descend and then we do a bubble check and apart from that there is no checking of buddies or their equipment.
 
I think if you do a good Bubblecheck it covers all aspects of the buddy check.
If something would leak or is turned off it would be noticed.
 
I dive solo most of the time. I do a limited buddy check when diving with others to make sure they know about my primary donate and weights and to check out their donate and weights.
 
I only dive with a close group of friends and we never do a "buddy check".
We go through our own gear right before we descend and then we do a bubble check and apart from that there is no checking of buddies or their equipment.
Not protocol, but I agree. A buddy check is for something you (or both of you) should do with precision. Do it twice yourself I guess is just the same? All this is way more important if you're boat diving or jumping into a deep drop off onshore. I was very paranoid about air being on when boat diving (the old "divemaster may have turned it off" thing). Yet, I probably have forgotten to turn it on 4-5 times shore diving, to my embarassment.
 
Not protocol, but I agree. A buddy check is for something you (or both of you) should do with precision. Do it twice yourself I guess is just the same? All this is way more important if you're boat diving or jumping into a deep drop off onshore. I was very paranoid about air being on when boat diving (the old "divemaster may have turned it off" thing). Yet, I probably have forgotten to turn it on 4-5 times shore diving, to my embarassment.

If it is protocol or not depends on where you got your certs from.
My gear is my responsibility, and I have enough trust in the people I dive with that they will spend the same amount of attention to making sure their gear is okay before heading down.
I absolutely think a buddy check is a good idea if you're on a boat and get paired up with someone you don't know though.
 
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