The Importance of Buddy Checks

[Harlequin]

OK, for newly qualified divers with a few dives under their belts this may be a given. Check the old inflator works, that the weight releases are easily accessible, that the air is turned on (quite important that one and I'll post about it in another thread as I did indeed witness what happened) and that the BCD/WING can be easily ditched if required.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy going down with new buddies and new divers. I know my buddies kit, know where to look and know what they should have attached and where. However, we all become complacent, perhaps even over-confident (I don't know).

I personally have experienced a few minor issues and can confidently say (with the notable exception of my freeflows during training) that all the issues I have experienced have been down to bad judgement on my part, not checking my kit properly and not insisting that I do a full buddy check because when I have done them I have no issues relating to kit at all.

[Mal Bridgeman]

You raise a really important point here.....and I know I was guilty of it. When people first learn to dive they do them by rote and feel no embarrassment in doing them. Then there is almost a "newbie" stigma attached so people stop doing them....which is a shame.

I was guilty of this myself but I now do buddy checks before every dive .... I actually feel more embarrassed about the period when I didn't do them now.

Mal

[GLOC]

Yep, one thing on a recent course we did was to do buddy checks of everything, including hose deployment, valve positions, lights including backups, working from head to toe and following a set pattern (that way you know should be covered each time). These were done on the surface before descending but could have easily be done on the boat.

You also need to make sure that you do the checks in the final configuration of your dive as I have trapped the long hose under the drysuit connection before when I realised that I hadn't connected the drysuit bottle. In addition, make sure you do the check once you have connected the stage bottles as these might also trap some piece of equipment including the long hose.

[CotoChris]

I'm very guilty of this. I only tend to do a Buddy check when the buddy is my wife. the reality is that almost all the people I dive with in this neck of the woods don't do buddy checks. Saying this I am exta cautious when kitting up and always to my own check. I also tend to do a visual check of my buddy and if I have any questions I let him know. I always do tell the about ny 'Buddy' inflator so they don't get it wrong.
No it's not correct but it's the reality of where I live and I got used to it. for 2007 I'll stand out of the crowd and work on the buddy checks.
I admit I did let my buddy in roll over knowing full well he didn't have his mask and fins on

[Steve S]

A salient point H,

as there are a couple of threads already on this subject I'll tag mine onto yours.

The incident pit is often quoted and not given the importance it should be IME but here is my experience of it.

I teach divers and always instruct the BSAC acronym BAR, bouyancy air and releases. Last year in Mallorca a couple of regular buddies prepared for a 20m dive with the rest of us. The brief was to enter the water with a 7m ledge beneath us then make our way down to 20m, being careful to avoid an 80m drop off.

On entering the water it became apparent that there was no 7m ledge and that we were in the blue. As we were a mixed qualification group paired accordingly I was not unduly worried and we carried on with the dive plan, we found a small ledge at 22m where we paused to check for stragglers.

All were accounted for except for one of the regular buddies, when I asked were his mate was he shrugged. The 80m drop off was periously close by so fearing the worst I asked the rest to mark our position with an smb then ascend together. I went over the drop off on my own to search for the missing diver.

The speed and clarity of thought in that situation was astounding, I was working out the deepest I dare go on my mix, whether I dare go any deeper than that if I saw him, and how could I live with myself if I didn't, and also the fact that he had brought his Son up to the pool to snorkel 3 days before.

I could see no bubbles and I searched as long as I could, until with a heavy heart I started my ascent, when I surfaced I found him on the boat unharmed. It transpired that what had happend was that they had not done a buddy check and had entered the water, one had forgotten his weight pouches while the other had not inflated his bc. The negative one unaware that his buddy could not descend dropped like a stone assuming his mate was right behind him, and the rest as they say is history.

It was a shot across the bows to us and I can honestly say that our proceedures have improved as a result and the regular buddies in particular have become much less blase.

Safe diving,
Steve