Do you check your pressure gauge BEFORE getting in the water?

[Tool Belt]

Serious question?

 

[Randy43068]

I always look at the PG immediately before hitting the water, it's my last check before splashing. I watch it while taking several breaths making sure the indicator doesn't move about. I don't go in if I don't do it. It's part of my ritual and so far I have never forgotten it. I always check the tank valve just before donning gear as well. I insist that no one else "check" it for me.

Also I always check to make sure wing inflation is good, too. It's ritual for me.

 

[RonFrank]

Its difficult to not check it. Once when you attach the reg to the tank at a minimum. I always check the pressure as I have no idea what I have for a fill until I look and checking for a good seal/ leaks is a must. I always check my tank and PSI before I splash as I need to make sure my wireless hookup is transmitting and my tank is on. The one thing that is more important than All Else is your air. Don't be the idiot that dies because you splashed with the air off. Yes it has happened more than once.

If you are righty tighty challenged ask a buddy for help, just make sure they know what ON means. I had a clueless DM turn my air off. I knew he had as the check was a sanity check but he cranked away and I thought he may have turned it off.... he had. :doh:

 

[Griffo]

I once went close to jumping in with the old "almost off" tank. That was close enough for me.
Always breath off both regs while watching guage.
Always turn the tank ALL the way on (none of this quarter turn BS).

My wife loves the little pre-dive mnemonic's so we now go through head to toe before getting wet.

 

[Dsix36]

Checking the SPG is something that will follow you all the way through technical and rebreather diving. I still check my pressure when setting up the equipment and again as part of my pre-jump check.

I can only hope that I will never get too stupid or too lazy to do it. It can very easily mean the difference between a nice enjoyable dive and the end of my life. I do not consider the latter to be a viable option.

 

[gcarter]

I am an air hog. That makes me positively anal about checking pressure. The last surface check is while watching the spg before descent, but it is not the first by far.

 

[supergaijin]

I am in the camp that always, without fail, 100% of the time, check my air when opening the tank. I have a steady routine of changing tanks immediately after surfacing, before I start to do anything else.

So how did I run out of gas, one dive a few years back? To err is human.

Did I learn from it- surely. Will it ever happen again? Possibly.

 

[buddhasummer]

In my early diving days (younger and falsely over confident) I was a bit slack with the buddy checks, usually in my haste to get in the water, jumped off a boat and had not turned my air on and no buddy check, gave me bit of a fright, have never omitted a buddy check since...ever.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I check my air upon setting up gear, and then just before entry I check it again after taking two breaths from the reg. Sometimes air can be turned off and you can get a breath from the hose. I also always check my buddy's air. I don't ask. I do it , and show them mine. When I am working as a DM on the dive deck, I check everyone's air before they enter, by looking or having them look. In Hawaii I find it hard to imagine a crew member on a dive deck not doing this. We dive there alot.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Randy43068]

You mentioned checking the spg of your buddy which is good. This is probably the wrong mindset for me to have (I KNOW it's the wrong mindset) but oftentimes I feel like it's a little of an insult to have someone checking my stuff before I get in. Wrongly, I suppose, I usually want to say "look twit, I'm not incompetent" but I never say it, I'm polite, believe it or not.

I'll admit that the crew I dive with are mostly tech divers and what I consider very, very good ones at that. Rarely do we do buddy checks. We kit up, jump in, figure out if everyone is squared away then down we go. However, I usually give a good visual for everyone in my general vicinity for bubbles or any other anomalous situation as we descend.

If I'm diving with someone other than the usual crew I check a few things on them like hoses connected, air on, and check inflation and regs to be working. Sorry for being off topic.. END OF HIJACK.

But again, as far as me, I always, always check breathing things, spg, and inflation at waters edge or on the back of the boat, and always immediately prior to entering the water. If I have air and inflation then I can handle anything else I may have forgotten. (like zipping drysuit closed fully! LoL)

I check my air upon setting up gear, and then just before entry I check it again after taking two breaths from the reg. Sometimes air can be turned off and you can get a breath from the hose. I also always check my buddy's air. I don't ask. I do it , and show them mine. When I am working as a DM on the dive deck, I check everyone's air before they enter, by looking or having them look. In Hawaii I find it hard to imagine a crew member on a dive deck not doing this. We dive there alot.
DivemasterDennis