{"id":11270,"date":"2025-03-02T20:10:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-02T20:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/punkfish-academy.com\/buddy-check\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T15:48:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T15:48:34","slug":"buddy-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/punkfish-academy.com\/en\/buddy-check\/","title":{"rendered":"Buddy Check"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The sun is hot, you’re all worked up – fiddling with each other again? Better not.
But you should still do a buddy check. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Buddy check when diving – essential, not just theory<\/h3>\n

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The buddy check, or more generally: the safety check in the team before the dive, is actually a standard. It is taught by all associations, in all courses and at all levels. Nevertheless, the reality at the dive site is often different. <\/p>\n

Why? Because it supposedly takes too long. Because it’s hot, you want to get into the water quickly, or because you’re convinced you’ve already thoroughly checked your equipment. Because you always dive with the same people and think you can rely on them blindly. Or because the guide is pushing, the group gets impatient and the check simply goes under. <\/p>\n

But what can happen if you skip this step? In harmless cases, it’s just an inconvenience – for example, if the lead is missing and you can’t dive down in the first place. Annoying, but not life-threatening. The situation is different if the bottle is only turned half a turn. In shallow areas, you won’t notice anything, but at a depth of 30 meters, suddenly there is hardly any air. Or if the bottle strap is not positioned correctly and the bottle slips down at the worst possible moment. This is exactly what the Buddy Check is designed to prevent. <\/p>\n

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My approach for the buddy check<\/h4>\n

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I don’t like excessive fiddling with others. For me, it has to be quick, clearly structured and so simple that it really is done every time – and doesn’t fall asleep again after a few dives. <\/p>\n

Everyone checks their own equipment first and foremost, but shows it to the others. This way, the team can see at a glance that everything is in order without anyone turning buckles or valves without being asked. Everyone does this at the same time and the job is done within one or two minutes. <\/p>\n

The core elements look like this:<\/p>\n