Whatever acronym or mnemonic you use, the idea is to instill the need to make sure everything is working and that you and your buddy are ready and willing to get in the water for the dive. All too often instructors move through this part of basic training all too quickly and wonder why their students abandon pre-dive safety checks after certification.
As a PADI Course Director I’ve been brought up using the, “Begin With Review And Friend” mnemonic to remember the touch points in the pre-dive safety check. You may use the, “Blue Whales Really Are Fun.” Whatever you use to help your students remember the steps is fine. What I see missing more than anything from the training of this important practice is the objective or reason for checking each article of your kit.
Begin or Blue has to do with the BCD. Specifically, we want to make sure it holds air and is not leaking anywhere. Emphasize checking all of the dumps to ensure they work as well. We also want to make sure the low pressure inflator hose is attached and also works and is not sticking. Once that’s certain we move to the next point in the check.
With or Whales has to do with the weight system. Not just is it on or in place, but do we have the appropriate amount of weight for the exposure suite we’re wearing and for the dive site. That is, are we diving in salt water or fresh water? I try to reinforce the need to ask how much weight their buddy is using and if they’ve recently taken steps to ensure proper weighting. Many students and certified divers get in the water with too little or too much weight only to head back for the shore or the boat to adjust. This is also a good time to make sure ankle weights are on and secure, if they are being used.
Review or Really deals with the releases on the BCD and or weight system. The emphasis is not just on where your releases are for your kit, but getting familiar with your buddies releases; where they are located and how they work is very important. This for the unlikely event an emergency requires removing the gear off of your buddy to provide emergency aid. I also like to include the location and use of alternate seconds, and or air sources at this step.
And or Are is for air. I have my students place their primary regulator in their mouth and then look at their pressure gauge or computer while taking a couple of breaths. This accomplishes several things at once; determines if the air tastes good and is not contaminated, is the cylinder valve on, partially on or off and confirms how much air I have at the start of my dive. I also instruct my students to make sure their buddy knows how much air they have as part of the dive planning process. Don’t forget to ensure that the alternate second or alternate air source is also working properly, etc.
Friend or Fun is the final check and OK. For me this is a critical last step before entering the water. In addition to making sure each diver has their mask, snorkel, if you dive with one on your mask or in your BCD pocket, fins, signaling devices and whatever else you need to bring along for the dive, I also like to emphasize that this is the opportunity for anyone to call off a dive for any reason with no peer pressure. Diving is fun and should be fun for everyone involved. If a diver has any reservations about a particular dive or is feeling at all anxious about the dive, I like to make sure they understand that calling a dive off is OK and will not be looked down on. Divers who enter the water apprehensive, anxious or unsure about the dive lose focus and are far more likely to may mistakes or errors in judgment which could lead to problems and or injury. To help divers feel more confident about the dive I also emphasize going over the dive plan during this last step in the pre-dive safety check. Quickly review what the dive objective is and the signals you’ll use to communicate vital information and what your turn around or return cue and determination will be.
The pre-dive safety check is basic and yet too many divers, especially at the professional level, skip this step all together or move through it too quickly. Many of the incident reports involving serious injury involved professional level divers who made poor decisions and or skipped procedures they teach their students to follow. We need to constantly role model good behavior to our students, and the best way to ensure you never forget or leave something out is to make it a regular habit on every dive you make with or without students present.
