Equipment Swap w/ Buddy while Buddy-Breathing for DM

[staticcornflake]

Hey Everyone:

For my DM class (a problem solving excersise), my instructor requires me to get in the pool with a buddy, begin buddy-breathing, swap both of our sets of gear with each other, and ascend while still buddy breathing.

Is there some secret to doing this or do we just take it slow and work through it? Any suggestions would be a big help.

 

[M_Bipartitus]

Use the same equipment as your buddy, possibly some of those simple rental style BCs. As similar as you can helps. Me (XXL) getting buddies' BC (L) was difficult. Also if you have the option, anything easy to get in and out of.

Use a weight belt with a few pounds too much in it (It's easier if you can kneel on the bottom than if you are floating around)

Finally, there is no hurry. Take your time.

Just my thoughts from my attempts of this skill

 

[do it easy]

Definitely take your time- I took about 20 minutes to do this. I've heard of longer- it's not a timed exercise, so why rush it?

I also started wearing my buddies gear to make it easier to get into mine! Talk about it first to get the order right, and also make you get into a rhythm with the breathing first before you start taking things off.

 

[surfbummer]

Man, does that bring back memories....

There's really nothing to it. The rationale is to get you to think under a somewhat stressful environment. My instructor gave us 5 minutes to discuss strategy with my buddy, and we went for it. The key is to TAKE YOUR TIME. This is not a timed exercise, and the only limit is the air in your tank. Go slow. Start with just buddy breathing, back and forth, until both you and your buddy are comfortable. Go slow and methodical. It's best for the donor to get his BC off and between the two of you first, so there won't be any tangling. Remember, breathe, unclip a buckle, breathe, get one arm out of the BC, breathe, etc. Take it slow. Different ways may work better for different people; regardless of how you and your buddy decide to do the exchange, just keep your cool.

The hardest part for me was the mask exchange. Spend some time discussing strategy with your buddy ahead of time. Remember, you can buddy breathe for a long time with a flooded mask. If you don't clear on the first try, keep buddy breathing and get try again. Once you get the BC and mask, everything else is easy.

I too had the "jitters" before my gear exchange. I spent about a month beforehand just visualizing the process in my head, trying to anticipate and plan. In the end, it was MUCH easier than it sounded before we did it.

Good luck to ya!

 

[Divmstr223]

I did this skill about 10 yrs ago when I got certified DM / DIVECON. Very simple skill if you don't try to rush it. First of all, pick who's Reg you are going to utilize, and as you are passing it back and forth, the person with the reg not in use can take his B.C. completely off and make sure to loosen all the adjustments to make it easier for the other guy. Then the second B.C. can come off and exchanged with your partner. The funny thing is, you get so focused on doing the drill, you almost forget to breath or pass the Reg to your partner....(guilty) lol....Anyway, Make sure the Reg that is being shared is on the B.C. that is first to be put back on..... makes it easier if you someone has full control of the Reg that is being shared......Anyhow, that task took me and my buddy about 10 mins, and that was including the swap of fins, weights, mask, booties, and everything we were wearing except for my shorts, HE WAS NOT GETTING THOSE!!!!!

We practiced this drill several times in the pool before we actually did it....it became clock work, I suggest you do the same before it's time for the big show....

 

[Paco]

Use the reg with the longest hose and if one of you wears a prescription mask, remember to bring a non-prescription one along. I forgot to do this and my buddy spent the first few minutes getting rather dizzy from trying to see through my mask. Originally we planned to exchange masks last, but we changed that as soon as we realized that problem. Our CD timed us. We did it in 6 minutes, but I agree with others above: don't hurry, relax and take your time. I had heard other DMs say what a challenge this exercise was, but my buddy and I sailed right through it, even with the dizzying effects of a strong prescription.

 

[staticcornflake]

It's my understanding that I will be randomly paired with one of four other people five minutes before the task, and we will be told which regulator to share.

I'm also a little nervous becuase I have an awesome instuctor, (he likes to demonstrate the fact that that anything can happen anytime), so he may have my buddy hold the reg longer than usual or panic or something like that. (In my rescue course, he had the unresponsive diver spring to life and attack me.)

I guess I'll just practice buddy-breathing and equipment donning/removal, and take my time.

Thanks for the comments!

 

[Double_D]

When I did mine, there really wasn't a rehearsal or much prior planning. Had about five minutes notice. I led and my buddy mirrored my actions. I skipped the booties and went with the strap fins barefoot, otherwise no difference. The comment about the weight belt is spot on. Purge all the gas from your BCD too. I think the funniest part was the mask - we just nonchalantly ditched them and handed them to each other. Reg went last. Took about six to eight minutes total, but there is no rush whatsoever - we just ran out of stuff to swap.

I'd not anticipate any suprises during the drill - unlike the rescue scenarios, this is a pretty straighforward affair and the key is to go slow and keep a rhythm.

 

[adjuster-jd]

The first time I attempted this exercise, both of us removed our BCs on the bottom. My buddy who was the air donor panicked, dropped everything, and bolted for the surface. Here I was on the bottom thinking about how I was going to get both BCs to the surface. After pondering that for a while I realized that I had not taken a breath for a while and that the regs were now in a heap on the bottom of the pool. Then I started scrambling trying to find a reg to breathe from. This provided some entertainment for the open water students in the pool with us. I must have looked panicked for a moment as I saw the OW instructor (not the one supervising my DM class) come shooting across the pool towards me. Eventually, I managed to find a reg in the heap and get some air and then ascended.

Ultimately, I ended up completing this task with an instructor as my buddy freaked whenever he had to combine buddy breathing with any other task.

One thing that made this easier was the instructor had a 7 foot hose to donate air.
Also, as stated earlier, its easier to trade gear before you begin the task - it's easier to don your own gear than someone else's..

Keep your calm, breathe as much as needed and take your time. Just exchange one piece at a time and you'll be fine.

 

[matts1w]

At the risk of ticking everyone off- stop telling how to do it!!

The entire point of the exercise is to address stress, task loading, and problem solving.

When I did it we had NO idea it was coming, NO time to prep, and did it with a young woman about fifty pound less than my 155 lbs. frame who I was just starting to date. She and I are both very competitive and hate not doing things perfect the first time.

Talk about stress!!!

Needless to say we blew it the first time. We both went to the shallow end, talked and prepped, then blew it again 3/4 of the way through the second exchange.

So now add more stress and more time planning at the shallow end.

Then we got it done.

When we debriefed with the instructor I found I had, for the first time, truly felt task loaded, had to fight the urge to bolt to the surface, and maybe even felt a little afraid underwater. Most importantly I got to stop, breath, and think with real meaning. It was a great experience- and the lessons I came away with really help me working with students- especially those are feeling the urge to bolt.

If I had all the answers and tricks before I started I would have never had the same experience.

Have fun with it, but dont try to find the easier way.