How often do you check remaining gas supplies? You vs. regular buddy vs. insta-buddy

[Bubbletrubble]

How often do you check your own gas supply during a dive?
(Every minute, 5 min, 10 min, during safety stop, other intervals)
For simplicity's sake, let's restrict the discussion to back gas (no pony bottles/stages/deco bottles).

I check mine at the surface, once I arrive at operating depth, and then about every 5 min thereafter with a couple of extra gas checks near turn pressure.

How often do you check your buddy's remaining gas supply...
...if your buddy is an insta-buddy who told you on the boat that he's "experienced" and has "great" air consumption?
...if your buddy is an insta-buddy who says he "sucks air like there's no tomorrow"?
...if you know your buddy very well -- let's say you've done hundreds of dives with said buddy -- and you can estimate her remaining gas supply based on your own?

I'm spoiled. With my regular buddy (200+ dives together), I only ask for her SPG reading during our pre-dive check. We usually have a default agreed upon turn pressure at our regular local dive site. We agree to monitor our own gas supplies and know not to violate the turn pressure or NDLs. If either of us hits any of the specified limits or just wants to head in for whatever reason, that diver will give the "turn-around" signal, the buddy will confirm, and we'll head back to shore.
Bad habit? What do you guys think?

When I'm buddied up with a beginner diver with unknown (possibly high) SAC rate, I'm far more attentive and will do a few random spot-checks on gas supply during the course of the dive. During pre-dive checks, I'll ask him/her to let me know when half a tank is left, and we'll talk about Rock Bottom limits for the planned depth profile.

 

[crowleyW]

Really depends about the dive im doing, in shallow dives checking my gauge at start and after that few times during the dive. If going under 60feet then checking my gauge every 10mins.
About same goes with my buddys.

 

[Gerbs]

I do the following:

1. Check own before dive (including spg-working-drill)
2. Check own and buddies after ~5 minutes
3. Check own and buddies after another 5-10 minutes (depending on last reading)

Now I now how much my buddy breaths for how much I breathe. I will time my asking accordingly. I check my own every 5-10 minutes or so.

Someone who goes through air quickly is asked more often. Someone who breathes like a hibernating fish gets asked a not much more often than the two times listed above, unless they suddenly actually start moving. Divers in wet suits get asked more often, as their air consumption tends to increase as they get colder.

Gerbs

 

[herman]

A lot depends on the dive. At the surface for sure, a few minutes into the dive, the rest depends on the dive and the buddy. An insta buddy is checked every 10 minutes or so. On the other hand, a buddy that I dive with often it's about every 1000 psi. I see no need for more than that as long as we are tracking at the rate I expect. Shallow dives are checked less, deep dives more so.

 

[RJP]

How often do you check your buddy's remaining gas supply...

My regular buddy?

An "OK" signal to each other is a question "Everything OK - including gas?" A return "OK" means "Yup. Everything's OK, including gas."

An instabuddy on recreational dives?

Always discuss signals and air checks during pre-dive planning. I will ask if they have a "way of doing" that they like and are used to. If so - and it seems reasonable - I'll go with that. Would rather have it be something they remember/understand. If they don't have one - or it doesn't seem reasonable - I'll recommend one based on the feel I got for the person and the overall dive plan. Whatever the plan is, I'll suggest we each check our own at certain points during the dive: after initial descent, max depth, at key features, geographic turn points, etc. If there's anything worth notifying your buddy about at that time, then do so. For instance, I can think of three situations worth notifying your buddy about any time you check your air:

1. You have less air than you'd have thought?
2. You have more air than you'd have thought?
3. You have pretty much how much air you thought you'd have

Any of those three situations are worth notifying your buddy about. In case #1 you'd notify your buddy how much air you have. In case #2 and #3 a simple "point to computer, signal OK" is sufficient.

For sure, we will notify each other of 1/2tank, and any turn-pressure we have agreed to on plan. We would also have a plan for what that meant. Does turn mean "begin ascent now" or "come shallower and start heading back."

As with everything, "the plan" itself doesn't matter any where nears as much as "having a plan" does.

 

[battles2a5]

I really don't have to check at all anymore with the rebreather .

On OC dives w/ a square profile, I'll check during my predive checks, I do another check on the bottom, then I might check once or twice during a 60-70 BT to make sure my consumption is going to plan.

OC cave diving in high flow, I'll check every 2-300 feet to make sure my consumption is on target and I'm not working too hard. Low flow is less often

Never check deco bottles except at the surface.

I tend to dive with the same guys and we all dive pretty much the same way. Nobody breaks turn pressure so we don't really monitor eachother's gas. First one to hit turn pressure turns the dive and that's about it.

 

[Rick Inman]

I really don't have to check at all anymore with the rebreather .

On OC, I like the mindset of checking my SPG simply to confirm what my brain is already constantly tracking. After a while of thinking that way, most people discover that they really can know how much gas they have on most dives at any given time without even looking. A check of the SPG is simply to verify that there are no malfunctions and confirm what you already know.

As to insta buddies, most of the time you can sneak a glance at their gauge a few times without them even knowing.

 

[Garrobo]

Shallow reef dive: Just before jumping in and maybe once or twice during dive. Really don't need much checking since I'll use less than half a tank anyway. Deep wreck dives down to 130 feet: Before jumping in, when on the wreck and about every five minuters during dive. As far as buddy goes, I figure that he/she is an adult and can check their own air.

 

[battles2a5]

oops, misread prior post.

 

[BabyDuck]

i check mine. you check yours. i trust you to turn the dive when your gas warrants, and so will i. i'm not your gas babysitter.