People embarrassed to do pre dive buddy check?

[RobPNW]

It's easy to say a bad attitude is on the other guy, but that other guy may be the one YOU need to rely on if you get in trouble. So I would either push the needle on his give-a-damn-o-meter, or find another "buddy".

 

[Roy_W]

My wife and myself perform a systematic buddy check, the most basic being

1 : Announce to each other how much gas we have
2 : 2 or 3 breaths is both regulators whilst watching the pressure gauge,
3 : Inflate / deflate a little our stabs....

It literally takes 1 minute and it is reassuring to know that the absolute basics are in order.

Yesterday I forgot to attach my low pressure hose to the stab.
3 days ago we caught that I had only opened one tank ( I dive 2 * 10).

Neither of these 2 small problems are a problem, on th eurface ;-)

If we have an insta-buddy we explain calmly before hand that we will be doing these checks and will be happy to do it together with them too. We have never seen a case where someone refused.

It's just part of our personal controls/procedures. I would be wary of someone that didn't want to do the checks....

It's always the same principle, : try and reduce the accumulation of incidents where possible.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

What you need to do is start diving with like minded people that believe in BWRAF pre dive checks. Forget about complacent divers that think all that stuff is stupid, let them go dive with others that think like they do.
You need to make sure you’re comfortable with your buddy. Both buddies need to be comfortable with each other and be like minded otherwise it’s lopsided and not really a buddy team.
There’s nothing wrong with being thorough. Everyone has reasons for their mindset and it shouldn’t be ridiculed.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I created a mnemonic for PSAI called PLANS SAVE.

PLANS was the planning stage: People, Logistics, Air/Gas Rule, Navigation, Signals.

SAVE was the in-water or pre-dive checks: S-Drill, Air Leak/Bubble Check, Valve Drill, Equipment Matching.

I told them if they ever got lazy at least do the SAVE because it might save their lives, and change Equipment to Emergency plan.

 

[mcohen1021]

It seems that almost every dive location I go to, whether it’s a chartered boat, dive at quarry with locals, etc, people don’t do this buddy check

At that time, they cease to be dive buddies. I ALWAYS 100% of the time check my wifes gear before she gets in. Tank strap, air on - even help her in the gear, get her fins on, etc. I make it super easy for her so she'll still dive with me, while ensuring a safe dive.

I don’t check his gear and he giant strides with tank valve closed… his bc had air, so I simply opened his valve when he said his reg didn’t breathe but that could’ve easily ended in drowning if he didn’t fill his bc. I take full responsibility for this. I should’ve checked his gear.

Not your responsibility! Who DOESN'T take a test breath prior to the plunge? WOW!

During that same dive, I’m on air, others are on 32%.

Scenario I had never considered, but I have to ask, why werent you on 32?

 

[60plus]

What would you do with a buddy trained under, SDI, for example, that uses ABCD, etc.? Recreational buddies who were PADI trained are just baffled by the ABCD. I’ve found a tech style check (I’m cave trained) - where you name each piece of gear out loud and the other person responds OK - works well regardless of the other person’s diving level/experience. Work head to toe.

I would probably tell them what BWRAF means and ask what ABCD meant, and still do the full checks. I do dive with people who do not use BWRAF and sometimes the rest of the divers I am with are on much different equipment. I am usually in a 3 mm wetsuit with 15L air open circuit, whilst the other divers are on trimix via CCRs and in drysuits. It makes the buddy checks quite a long process. The main thing is that I have a logical and consistent approach to checking my own equipment.

 

[Nick_Radov]

I think some posters are forgetting that this is the basic scuba section and therefore would not expect it to include 200ft dives etc. To me basic scuba is 18 or perhaps 30m and at those depths and typical basic recreational dive duration being on the wrong gas for a few minutes to ascend is not going to matter. I generally take part in a buddy check but not if others are not doing so.

We're not forgetting. It doesn't matter how basic the dive is. A diver can drown in 3 m of water. Better to follow the identical pre-dive sequence on every dive regardless of the planned profile. This way it becomes a habit and you're less likely to miss something.

The GUE Pre-dive Sequence

As you’d expect, Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) has a standardized approach to prepare your equipment for the dive, and its own pre-dive checklist: the GUE EDGE. Here explorer and filmmaker Dimitris Fifis preps you to take the plunge, GUE-style.

gue.com

 

[Edward3c]

During yesterday’s pre dive check (after a month out of the water), two things were identified 1. My drysuit direct feed wasn’t connected, 2. My secondary reg hose was trapped by the SPG hose.
I would have corrected both in the water, but so much less stressful before getting in.

Cause, talking about the dive plan, and other divers arriving on site. It’s easy to get distracted,

 

[60plus]

Like to add to my previous post that if a buddy check is not being done I still go through bwraf by myself and ask someone to glance at my back for twisted hoses etc. I have a very methodical check that involves inflating the bcd from both cylinder ad orally. I have seen people jump off the boat with drysuit unzipped, cylinder not turned on or bcd not inflated and I do not want to experience it myself.

 

[Tracy]

Yeah...... Good point. I guess I just always figured that if PADI gave a 5 Star designation to a shop, along with all the promotions and fees, memberships, con-ed, etc.....that they were somehow involved...

The five star rating mostly just means that they don't teach for any other agencies. PADI is their go-to training organization. It isn't a rating of quality.