Dear instructor ......

[Robert Gillcash]

Just a comment about the buddy checks. I teach all my students how to do it and they do it before every dive from Pool Dive #2. In the class I go over it and how long it can take. When you know how to do it, it can go real quick. Real quick.
I was timed by my DM at the pool last week, using an unfamiliar BC (I had only used it maybe twice by then and was still learning it) and my Buddy Check, covering all bases, showing my buddies (the students) everything they need to know about my equipment that they need to know, in order to save my life, if something goes wrong...(geez, it took me longer to write that than to do the check) took 18 seconds!
If your buddy can't spare 18 seconds to make sure you stay safe and that he stays safe, well, then, you need a new buddy.

 

[Diver0001]

So far, I've gone for 3 courses and will be due for a good few more before the end of the year. The instructors were nice people and willing to answer questions BUT (there's always a BUT ) I wish that they could have done certain things to help beginners / students understand better and become more well prepared divers so here goes.

Interestingly... these are all things that conscientious instructors do...

In fact, it would be nice if more students actually took these things to heart. There's only so much you can do. You can lead the proverbial horses to water but only a certain percentage of them can be persuaded to drink.

R..

---------- Post added April 22nd, 2013 at 04:17 PM ----------

The diving world I live in is the GUE world . . . We DO dive plans, including gas plans, and we DO head-to-toe equipment checks. It's expected and part of the culture. That, and the dive debriefs, are part of what I love about it.

After our dives together in November my friend Dave (who is not a diver) commented about this. He had been along before when I was diving with other people but this time he said, "these people are different, they don't leave anything to chance".

R..

 

[TSandM]

Yes, I've been to places were I got strange looks because of doing buddy checks. But you know after the first day others actually start doing them.

This was our experience in the South Pacific, where we spent two weeks on the boat with the same folks. After a few days, they started coming over and saying, "Hey, can we get in on your checks?"