What spares to carry?

[btw2459]

19 Cuft Pony bottl, spare mask, SMB/ finger spool, lift bag and two cutting devices. Other stuff I take with me in my dive bag include; spare "o" rings, lp inflater hose, 2nd stage and lubricant grease.

 

[TSandM]

What I carry depends on the dive I am going to do.

I ALWAYS have enough gas to get to the surface if I lose all of mine -- my buddy is carrying it. We know how much it needs to be, and I carry his; we respect those limits.

I always dive with a compass. For shore dives, it's awfully nice to know which way the shore lies. For boat dives, it's nice to know what the outbound course was, in case you get separated from your group (or in our case, because we don't have guided dives in Puget Sound).

For boat dives, I carry mechanisms for signaling a boat. How much and which depends on where we are diving. I always carry a surface marker buoy and spool. If we are never far from a shore where I can exit, that may be all I carry. If I'm more worried about getting separated from the boat, I carry a DiveAlert and a mirror. If we're way the heck in the middle of nowhere, as we were in the Socorros, I carry a Nautilus Lifeline.

You will rarely find me in the water anywhere without some kind of light, unless it is forbidden. If I have a light, I have a backup light, because lights underwater just plain fail sometimes.

I have a knife on my belt. I often have wetnotes to write on, in case we have to have some kind of discussion underwater that can't be managed with hand signals.

I don't carry a lot of stuff. Plan your dives and sites carefully, and select your boat captains well, and you can obviate the necessity for a lot of extras.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I terms of spares (redundant), air is the only essential I have duplicate sources for (pony or buddy). On night dives, I carry a backup light in addition to my primary.

I find maintaining fewer pieces of gear properly is more reliable than having a bunch of poorly maintained or neglected spares hoping that one of them works. Less is more.

I do carry SMB, knife, signal mirror, compass, light, etc... as a safety precaution, but I don't generally duplicate. If I was diving in an overhead environment, that would change but for OW, one deep is enough IMHO.

 

[NAM001]

spare mask strap, mask, fin strap, variety of tank orings, batteries for lights computers, ect.

 

[Lefty Writer]

spare mask strap, mask, fin strap, variety of tank orings, batteries for lights computers, ect.

And if you're on a road trip, enough tanks to make a minivan squat like a low rider....

:hehheh:

 

[rivers]

spare mask, spare dsmb and spool, 2x back-up torches. i think that's it...

 

[Bob DBF]

I keep my spares in the truck.

I believe that redundant gear is not necessary unless the dive calls for it, or I want to carry it for whatever reason. I do not recommend this for others as their choices reflect what they deem necessary. The grey matter between your ears is what will insure your safety, not the amount of "spare" items you carry.

As PfcAJ said "Spare brain. My buddy carries it for me. I carry his spare brain for him."

In solo you have to be both brains, that's the real trick, not the gear you use.



Bob
---------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

 

[TMHeimer]

I keep my spares in the truck.

I believe that redundant gear is not necessary unless the dive calls for it, or I want to carry it for whatever reason. I do not recommend this for others as their choices reflect what they deem necessary. The grey matter between your ears is what will insure your safety, not the amount of "spare" items you carry.

As PfcAJ said "Spare brain. My buddy carries it for me. I carry his spare brain for him."

In solo you have to be both brains, that's the real trick, not the gear you use.



Bob
---------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

Agree. I also keep a lot of that spare stuff in the car.

 

[iluvtheocean]

a good first aid kit in the truck is a must, never know when might need something, even for something as simple as tripping over somebody's gear and scraping your knees -- it didn't happen but that was an example that came to my head. point is most spare stuff can be left in the vehicle, depending on what you're doing, where, when, and with whom.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Agree. I also keep a lot of that spare stuff in the car.

Same here. If you have a car, bringing some spares cost you nothing. Carrying it on a plane or dive boat is a bit more work, but still reasonable. Carrying on your dive is the most cumbersome. So we really have 3 different questions.