How the buddy check works
- 1Pair everyone by ability — assign each person a buddy in their same ability group; adults buddy up too.
- 2Set up tracking — buddy tags on the buddy board so the count reflects exactly who's in the water; whistles and a timer ready.
- 3Brief the rules — buddies stay together, within their area, and watch each other.
- 4Run buddy checks every 10 minutes — a whistle blast and a call of "Buddies," and each pair raises each other's hand before a count to 10.
- 5Count by area — compare the paired count to the number known to be in the water; investigate immediately if it doesn't match.
- 6Resume on signal — only after the count is confirmed.
- 7Keep it up for boating too — under Safety Afloat, make sure each member is accounted for, especially in the water.
Remember it as
Whistle, "Buddies," hands up by ten.
When to use it
- Every Scout swimming and boating activity — a required point of Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat.
- Waterfronts and pools, where a buddy board and tags manage a large group.
- Teaching young scouts responsibility — your buddy's safety is your job.
Common mistakes & safety
- The buddy check catches a missing swimmer in seconds. The 10-minute interval and the raise-hands-by-10 count mean a separation is noticed almost immediately.
- Buddies must be ability-matched and stay in their area. Pairing a nonswimmer with a swimmer who wanders into deep water defeats the purpose.
- The count must reconcile. A paired count that doesn't match the number known in the water means someone is unaccounted for — stop everything and search immediately.
- Adults have buddies too. The system covers everyone; no one, youth or adult, swims unpaired or unwatched.
- Never swim without the full system. The buddy system is one point of Safe Swim Defense — it works alongside qualified supervision, a lookout, and trained rescuers, not instead of them.
Going deeper
- Whistle, "Buddies," hands up by ten. The whole buddy check in one line — memorize the drill and a large group stays accountable.
- Buddy tags don't lie. The board shows exactly who's in the water; when the count doesn't match, the tags tell you who to look for.
- Your buddy is your responsibility. The point isn't the ritual — it's that someone is always watching each specific person.
Official source
Buddies in swimming — Scouting America →The buddy system is a required point of both Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat.