Most divers learn a pre-dive checklist during their initial certification. They practice an acronym, inspect their buddy's equipment, and demonstrate that they can identify the important components before entering the water. It is a sensible exercise, particularly when the equipment and procedures are unfamiliar.
What happens afterward is less encouraging. On recreational dive boats, formal buddy checks can be surprisingly uncommon. Divers assemble their equipment, exchange a few words with their buddies, and enter the water without systematically checking one another. Familiarity with the procedure does not necessarily translate into using it.
I think the problem is partly how we approach pre-dive checks. We teach divers to remember a sequence of letters, but the real objective is to discover problems while they are still easy to correct. A good check should verify that the equipment is functioning, identify anything unusual about the configuration, and establish enough shared understanding that two divers can help one another if something goes wrong.
There are several ways to accomplish that. Three commonly discussed approaches are BWARF, ABCDE, and GUE-EDGE. They differ in complexity, but understanding what each contributes is more useful than arguing over which acronym is best.
BWARF: The Familiar Buddy Check
BWARF is one of the best-known recreational buddy-check sequences. It provides a structured way to inspect the equipment most likely to matter immediately before entering the water.
- Buoyancy: Confirm the BCD inflates and deflates, the inflator is connected, and the equipment is functioning.
- Weights: Check that ballast is installed correctly, secured, and that both divers understand the release arrangement.
- Air: Confirm the cylinder valve is open, the available pressure is appropriate, and both primary and backup regulators function.
- Releases: Identify and verify the important buckles and releases, including how to remove a buddy's equipment in an emergency.
- Final OK: Confirm the remaining equipment is ready and both divers agree to enter the water.
The value of BWARF is its simplicity. It is short enough to remember, covers important equipment functions, and gives two divers a common sequence even when they have never met before.
Its limitation is that completing the checklist does not necessarily establish a shared dive plan. Both divers might have functioning equipment but disagree about the route, turn pressure, ascent procedure, or what to do if they become separated.
BWARF is an equipment-readiness check. It should not be mistaken for the entire pre-dive briefing.
ABCDE: A Different Way to Organize the Same Checks
ABCDE approaches much of the same equipment inspection through a different sequence. Variations exist, but the version used here emphasizes gas supply, buoyancy equipment, instruments, remaining equipment, and readiness to enter.
- Air: Verify the gas supply, cylinder pressure, and regulator function.
- BCD: Check inflation, deflation, secure connections, and releases.
- Computer: Confirm the computer is functioning and configured for the intended dive.
- Dive Equipment: Inspect the remaining equipment, including mask, fins, and accessories.
- Enter the Water: Confirm that the divers and their equipment are ready for entry.
I appreciate that ABCDE makes the dive computer explicit. A regulator and BCD can function perfectly while a computer is configured for the wrong breathing gas or otherwise not ready for the dive. Including the computer in the routine makes it less likely to be overlooked.
Otherwise, the distinction between BWARF and ABCDE is not particularly important. Both provide a sequence for checking equipment, and both depend on the diver performing the checks rather than simply reciting the letters.
Whichever version you use, make the checks physical. Looking at a BCD inflator is not the same as confirming that it works. Seeing a regulator connected to an open cylinder is not the same as breathing from it and verifying the gas supply. The value comes from testing the actual equipment.
GUE-EDGE: Checking the Dive, Not Just the Gear
GUE-EDGE takes a broader approach. Rather than treating the pre-dive process primarily as an equipment inspection, it organizes the entire team's preparation around a shared dive plan.
The sequence covers seven areas:
- Goals: What are we trying to accomplish?
- Unified Team: Who is doing what, and how will we work together?
- Equipment: Is everyone's equipment functioning and ready?
- Exposure: What are our depth and time limits?
- Decompression: What is our ascent plan?
- Gas: What is our gas-management strategy and turn pressure?
- Environment: What conditions and hazards must we account for?
The difference is substantial. BWARF and ABCDE concentrate on equipment readiness, while GUE-EDGE also addresses the decisions the team will make underwater.
Consider two divers preparing to explore a wreck. Their equipment might pass every check, but that does not tell us who is leading, whether they intend to swim back to the descent line, how much gas they will reserve, or what happens if visibility deteriorates. Those questions belong in the plan, and the answers should be agreed upon before the dive begins.
GUE-EDGE also includes an equipment inspection, so it is not a substitute for checking regulators, inflators, and releases. Instead, it places those checks within a larger process that considers the equipment, the divers, and the environment together.
This is the approach I prefer. It is more comprehensive, and its structure encourages the team to resolve important questions before entering the water. Not every recreational buddy will want to perform the entire sequence, particularly on a straightforward guided dive, but the underlying considerations remain valuable.
For the complete process, including the equipment sequence and team-planning questions, see GUE-EDGE Pre-Dive Planning.
Why the Checklist Alone Is Not Enough
A checklist can establish a reliable sequence, but only if the diver treats each item as a verification rather than a formality. There is a meaningful difference between saying that your gas is on and checking the actual supply while breathing from the regulator.
The buddy aspect deserves equal attention. If your teammate wears unfamiliar equipment, you should understand where their alternate gas supply is located, how they donate gas, and how their weights and releases operate. That knowledge may be far more important during an emergency than whether both of you remembered the same acronym.
Checks also need to account for what happens between preparation and entry. Equipment can be moved, a valve can be disturbed, or a hose can become disconnected while gearing up. A check performed before everything was assembled and secured may need to be repeated if something subsequently changes.
The objective is not to create an elaborate ritual that becomes burdensome. It is to develop a consistent method that catches important problems without relying on memory or assuming that familiar equipment must be functioning correctly.
Once in the water, a bubble check provides another opportunity to detect leaks before committing to the descent. It complements the checks made on the surface rather than replacing them.
The Reality of Diving With Someone You Just Met
The difficulty with formal buddy checks becomes particularly apparent when diving with an unfamiliar recreational buddy. You may have only a few minutes together before entering the water, and the other diver may not be accustomed to a structured procedure.
Attempting to impose an unfamiliar checklist can become awkward, especially when everyone else is already preparing to enter. That does not make the checks unnecessary, but it does mean the way you approach them matters.
I prefer to incorporate the most important questions into ordinary conversation while we prepare our equipment. Asking about a buddy's regulator configuration, gas supply, BCD releases, or preferred ascent procedure can reveal the same information without turning the interaction into an examination.
There are limits to a conversational approach. A friendly exchange does not prove that the equipment works, and understanding the plan does not eliminate the need to verify critical components. Both are necessary, even when the process is informal.
I've written separately about this approach in My Insta-Buddy Pre-Dive Check, including the 4G method I use when diving with someone unfamiliar.
Build a Routine You Will Actually Use
There is little value in adopting the most comprehensive checking system if it becomes something you routinely skip. Likewise, a simple equipment check is useful but should not give you false confidence that the entire dive has been planned.
With a regular team, I prefer the structure of GUE-EDGE because everyone understands the process and can move through it efficiently. With an unfamiliar buddy, the discussion may be less formal, but the same essential information still needs to be established. The circumstances affect how the conversation happens, not whether equipment and readiness should be verified.
The best pre-dive check is one that becomes a normal part of preparation. You confirm what is working, identify what is different, and make sure everyone understands the plan. By the time you enter the water, there should be no uncertainty about the equipment or procedures that could reasonably have been resolved on the surface.