Pre-dive routine?

[Mike Veitch]

so whats a bubble check? I am assuming looking for leaks? hehehe.. i would fail that one... my first stage has been leaking for years..

 

[hvulin]

sometimes, I don't like talking to myself

 

[jiveturkey]

so whats a bubble check? I am assuming looking for leaks? hehehe.. i would fail that one... my first stage has been leaking for years..

Sorry for the highjack, but I was about to ask this also. What do you do if you see a leaky pressure gauge or 1st stage? Do you get out of the water and take off all your gear and change the o-ring or do you just note it as a thing to fix after the dive? Do you do these checks on a dive boat?


Now back to the original topic, my check is a personal BWRAF and then we check each other out. Our dive plans are pretty simple with max depth, time and reviewing some signals. We talk about the current dive conditions, direction and what to do if low on air or cold. Since I dive with koreans and my korean sucks, we mostly stop there unless we have a specific goal for the dive.

 

[cummings66]

I always do a predive check and it's the normal BWRAF with the addition of discussion of the dive plan and air strategy's, i.e. turn pressures and air sharing.

I point out it's expected to see my first stage bubble so my bubble check is to insure it is in fact bubbling. Most first stages don't bubble but Sherwood does this in their sealed units so I point it out to make sure they don't think it's broken.

 

[TSandM]

As far as the bubble check goes, if you find bubbles (that you don't expect like Matthew does) you have to decide how much bubbling is going on and how it compares with the dive you have planned.

Sasquatch, I had the same experience you did . . . Trying to do what I was originally taught in OW irritated everybody I dove with. Now I have an excuse -- DIR people are EXPECTED to be a PITA

 

[knotical]

I always check, but since life is a series of risk/benefit decisions, many of us vary our routine depending on the dive and buddy.
For a benign, shallow reef dive with my regular buddy it can be as simple as a mostly visual check (using a memorized list) plus a few “let’s do this” comments. Only takes a few minutes.
The more aggressive the dive, the more checking and communicating.

 

[Buoyant1]

Apart from the normal BWRAF, I always pre-breathe my reg and watch the needle, then two quick bursts on the power inflator...just in case I didn't inflate... as I'm about ready to jump in.

In the water I re-adjust the straps a little and thumbs down off we go!

 

[Jason Ooi]

Pre dive check is mandatory

1. Bubble check
2. Gas analyse
3. Dive equipment check
4. Dive computer check
5. Buddy Check
6. S Drill Check

 

[Don Wray]

I was taught BWRAF also, but the most of the boats I've been on I've had a stranger for a buddy (Waterbearer is the only one I've dove with that we did the checks)...each one looked at me as if I were crazy when I went over and ask if they were ready for predive check....I still ask but usually end up double checking myself on my own and try to keep my eye on them for problems...something else I've noticed is after the briefing and getting the planned depth, I'm the only one on the boat that breaks out the RDP and to check times...I have a computer but I still like to stay fresh with the basics..I've never seen another diver check....I would think that alot of them have probably dove that site before but not all...maybe I'm just paranoid

 

[fdog]

If I'm just driving my car to the grocery store, I'll check the things that matter the most...seat belt, doors locked, gauges in the green.

For a long trip, I'll be pretty thorough, down to tire pressures, oil on the dipstick, coolant, look underneith for unusual oil, the stuff I don't do for around-town chores.

I dive the same way. Overhead-restricted, full and complete check.

Plain-vanilla recreational dive someplace we've been before? I'll check the important stuff, and turn the dive at half the limiting factor.

All the best, James