Equipment swap

[mogwai]

It's not just a gear swap.... but a complete removal of all gear (even mask, fins) then donning the gear while buddy breathing.

We did not swap each individual piece..

So after we doffed ALL the gear, swapped masks, we still needed to [find] collect the gear and don. While buddy breathing....

From some of the posts it seems like you swapped items one at a time... Just wanted to clarify.

Had a bash at this in the pool as part of my DM training. Is a stress test designed to make you think, control your breathing and basically see how you do in the water while buddy breathing at the bottom of the pool. Was an eye opener, managed it first time but it was getting 'interesting' towards getting all the kit back on. Am gonna try it again some time soon. Good experience.

 

[DBailey]

I was a DM candidate's buddy for this a few weeks ago. It was hilarious. First, we were in open water. Second, we were in Cozumel, so there was a current. Third, we were both conscience about our location in relation to small growths of reef and we avoided them. It added a little bit to the task loading.

It took three tries.

Attepmt #1 was aborted since we forgot about the weight issue and I didn't have enough weight while in his gear.

Attempt #2 was a current issue (even a 7' hose wouldn't have fixed this, would have needed about 17').

Attempt #3 was described to us by the certifying instructor as the most hilarious and effective equipment exchange she had ever seen.

 

[MB]

Most folks are describing the importance of planning this before practicing. I'll take the opposite approach. You and your buddy go get in the water with NO advanced prep other than the knowledge that you'll exchange your gear. Now - work it out UW. Since you are working for a professional rating you're probably already quite comfortable in the water, so go test, try, and experiment until you establish a dozen variations that work, and some that don't. Too many people try to make this a mental exercise; it should be a motor exercise, with a demonstration of confidence and patience in the water. Have fun with it, but let the debriefing be the place where you talk about what works and what doesn't.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I have my students do it in their OW course. It's a great confidence building excercise. The key to success is to discuss each step in advance. If you know exactly what you are going to do and when and you know exactly what your buddy will do and when, it becomes easy. At the DM level, you should be able to accomplish it without letting go of the regulator.

PADI doesn't intend for the excersize to be discussed much or practiced at all. My instructor took me down and started throwing gear at me and taking mine for herselfe.

I never minded students discussing it but most of the time I'd surprise them with a new buddy...who ever told them they could do it with who they chose in the first place?

 

[Paco]

My buddy and I performed the skill in six minutes in spite of the fact that he had to wear my mask with rather strong bifocal lenses in it. He did it with good humor but did say that he was getting a bit dizzy before we were able to swap back to our own mask. The breathing part was the toughest part. There were times that I was getting rather anxious to have the reg back. Great exercise though.

 

[DaFireMedic]

It's not just a gear swap.... but a complete removal of all gear (even mask, fins) then donning the gear while buddy breathing.

We did not swap each individual piece..

So after we doffed ALL the gear, swapped masks, we still needed to [find] collect the gear and don. While buddy breathing....

From some of the posts it seems like you swapped items one at a time... Just wanted to clarify.

Sounds like fun. How is this done when all the gear comes off and something was positively buoyant, such as fins? I assume you just put something negative on them to hold them down.

 

[ddown]

Had a Police Diving course 8 divers gear taken to deep end and all mixed up, tangled and intertwined. Everyone dives in at once and finds a reg or shares, finds a mask , continues to share air and sort out gear until everyone has there own on this includes. Mask, Fins Weights, BCs, all on the right person. It took 2 try's but quite an adventure in task loading and working together.

 

[DBailey]

Sounds like fun. How is this done when all the gear comes off and something was positively buoyant, such as fins? I assume you just put something negative on them to hold them down.

Don't let go tends to help.

 

[subaquaman]

Had a Police Diving course 8 divers gear taken to deep end and all mixed up, tangled and intertwined. Everyone dives in at once and finds a reg or shares, finds a mask , continues to share air and sort out gear until everyone has there own on this includes. Mask, Fins Weights, BCs, all on the right person. It took 2 try's but quite an adventure in task loading and working together.

Yeah, while a PADI diver myself (and completed this skill for my DM) Id heard talk of a similar exercise run by CFT (The Irish Underwater Council - another certifying agency). This involved throwing all your gear in the deep end and jumping in after it, assembling after it. You have to choose whether to go after the mask or the reg first! I tried it in the pool last year but didn't count on other pesky DM's floating by and taking mask and fins with them (oh and turning off the air).

You and your buddy go get in the water with NO advanced prep other than the knowledge that you'll exchange your gear. Now - work it out UW.

I like MB's approach. This exercise does have a funny way of working itself out if you're both competent and relaxed with the breathing!

 

[Diver0001]

I am currently in DM class and have an equipment swap coming up. My buddy and I think it would be easier to start by wearing each other's gear and then swapping into our own. We have wrestled with several other ideas and have come to one conclusion. We love to wrestle.

Anyone else have any thoughts or stories concerning their experiences with the equipment swap?

All my partner and I did to prepare was try on each other's masks before getting in the water.

If you ask me, this excercise is more interesting if you don't prepare for it. I liked it so much that I volunteerd to do it with the odd man out too.

R..