Advice on putting on gear

[Belzelbub]

A lot of this will depend on where you are diving, and what is available. If there are benches or tables (or vehicles as said above), then there is really no reason why each diver can’t don their own gear without help, or with minimal help.

If help is needed, it is a good idea for the smaller person to don last. Especially if there is a big difference in heights. I’m 6’, and it’s easier for me to hold gear at a lower height, than it would be for a shorter diver to lift up to my height.

On most dives I do, there is no need for assistance. On boat dives, I use a bench or the gunwale. On spring dives, there is a table available.

The only time I’ve had to get help was diving at an aquarium, and even then, it’s not necessary most of the time. Only one pool so far didn’t have a place to kit up easily. At that pool, the Dive Team leader had to help the divers. She is considerably shorter than me, so I had to squat a bit while she helped with my gear.

 

[Marie13]

OP has been diving at at least one OH quarry. Gilboa has too damn many stairs including one long flight I refer to as “the stairs of death.”

White Star would be a better choice. Walk in entry. No stairs at all.

There are plenty of picnic tables and gear benches available.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Good for you for wanting to get in some practice in a quarry. Some people like quarry diving, while others use it just for practice--as a means to an end, which is most often diving from a boat. Rest assured that donning your gear while it's set up in its tank holder on a boat is usually easier than on a wobbly bench or wrong-height picnic table.

 

[SlugLife]

From what we were taught, it’s better for the smallest person to help the bigger person first so the smaller person doesn’t have their gear on while trying to help the bigger person. We didn’t really stick to this. We just went back and forth. It was very difficult for me to hold up my partners tank while they latched their bcd.

For context, I'm "AOW" (Advanced Open Water) certified, not an instructor, with side-mount (another gear configuration) experience. I'm not familiar with the advice the above advice, though I guess it makes some sense.

For the vast majority of my dives, I have always donned my gear with little-to-no assistance. The primary exceptions are (1) During a class. (2) Minor assistance - such as "can you grab my fins?" (3) On a (paid) dive charter/boat. As you become more experienced, you want to be able to complete the donning (and doffing) procedure without assistance. The reason is you want your donning procedure to be consistent and reliable. Regardless whose "fault" it is, if someone makes a mistake, it is your own safety and wellbeing on the line.

On a very subjective (just me) note, I've found that when people assist me, I'm distracted, and make FAR more mistakes, including "newbie mistakes."

The "buddy checks" I consider separate from the above advice. Always go through the self-check first by yourself. 99% of divers should be more than happy doing a buddy-check on your gear (avoid the other 1%). Experienced divers may not ask for a buddy-check (whether they should is another topic), but should still be more than willing to buddy-check your gear.

I was supposed to wear a hood during my ow dives because it was early June and I live in Ohio but the hood was tight in the upper face area and loose in the chin area so I didn’t wear it. The chin piece kept going over my mouth and my upper head just felt constricted. It was what they rented to me. I just chose not to use it.

Your hood may have been one size too small. I can generally get good thermal-protection from a wetsuit hood, without it squeezing my head. Even as someone who is not very big/tall I wear a large hood.

It's entirely possible that for some hood-brands, small is too-small, and medium is too-big, so you might have to try more than one brand. It might be worth asking a shop if they'll let you try on rental hoods of various sizes and brands, until you find one that fits, and buy it. Hoods are usually not that expensive.

I greatly appreciate any tips and suggestions that anyone might have for any piece of gear, especially with putting on the bcd and helping my buddy with theirs. It was such a struggle for me to get my gear on and help my buddy and I don’t want this to discourage me from diving!

The best-case scenario for donning gear, is usually to use a bench (on a dive-boat, picnic table, etc). It can be FAR more challenging to don/doff the BCD from a standing or sitting position without assistance.

You can also don a BCD in the water, but I'd suggest only doing that in standing-height waters. Setup your tank/regs/BCD on shore, air on, BCD inflated. (Failure to have air on may result in needing to service your regulators) Walk out until the water is a little above your waist, and then slip on and secure your BCD.

I am very small, 5’2, and I weigh 120 lbs.!

If your air-consumption-rate is much lower than average, you may also consider diving with a smaller (lighter) tank, like a 63cu, instead of 80cu (standard size). You may have to call around local shops to see if any in the area rent those.

 

[James79]

All good stuff above. Just to add, when using a picnic table or bench, make sure you lay out all the "other stuff" (mask, fins, anything else you'll need) next to your rig so you don't have to bend down. At the springs, I'll put my fins and mask on the table, put assembled rig standing up on the table, turn and put the rig on, grab fins and mask and walk to the entry. Keeps you from risking back issues bending down with a tank on.

Respectfully,

James

 

[formernuke]

The easiest way to put on gear is if there is something you can rest it on. Like a picnic table, bench, or boot of your car (works best with a pickup or wagon). But even with the open boot of a sedan or hatch, you can balance the tank on the edge, then all you need to do is hold it still without having to take the full weight of the tank.

If you're using a BC with integrated weights, keep the weight pockets out until you have your BC on and clipped. Here again it's helpful to have the weight pockets on a bench or in the boot so you don't need to bend or crouch to pick them up off the ground.

As for the hood, I agree they can be uncomfortable. Rentals are often stretched around the edges. My first suggestion is that you get your own. It's a pretty cheap purchase as far as scuba equipment goes, and with your own, you can trim around the face opening to suit your own comfort level.

All good stuff above. Just to add, when using a picnic table or bench, make sure you lay out all the "other stuff" (mask, fins, anything else you'll need) next to your rig so you don't have to bend down. At the springs, I'll put my fins and mask on the table, put assembled rig standing up on the table, turn and put the rig on, grab fins and mask and walk to the entry. Keeps you from risking back issues bending down with a tank on.

Respectfully,

James

These two. If nothing else I use the open trunk of my car for donning and doffing. I usually dive a backplate wing where the shoulder straps can't be adjusted even in a drysuit I can get my gear on and off with little or no help by setting the bc/tank on a bench table or my trunk.

 

[Belzelbub]

OP has been diving at at least one OH quarry. Gilboa has too damn many stairs including one long flight I refer to as “the stairs of death.”

I’ve never been to any OH quarries, but that description reminds me of Devil’s Den in Florida. DD is a freshwater spring dive site near FL cave country. The dive site is actually underground, but there is a hole in the ceiling that lets some light in. I’ve gone along on both my daughters’ checkout dives here.

There are tables and benches for gear setup topside. Each diver is supposed to gear up at the tables and walk to the site. Access to the site is a small cave that leads to a stairway. Shorter divers have an advantage here as the opening is significantly less than 6’ high. The next part has been improved in the past several years, but it used to be a small rickety wooden staircase to get to the platform at the center. There are signs stating one diver at a time, and the old staircase would creak and sway under one diver’s weight. Newer staircase is better, but it can still be a bit scary for a new diver.

 

[lexvil]

Get one of these, “keeter (damn spell check) folding work table” best dive table I’ve used. For some reason I can’t post a link, they make a simple one and one with more features, simple one does everything.

 

[Wibble]

Donning & doffing: independence

All diving should be with a mind to be self reliant. Sure, there's times when someone else's help is gratefully received -- climbing into your kit on a boat and forgetting to untie the rope/bungees; d'Oh. Or the mask/gloves flies across the boat as it rolls.

The point is to always try to be self sufficient. There is a buddy check; you should aim to do that with zero "discoveries".

 

[Outbound]

OP has been diving at at least one OH quarry. Gilboa has too damn many stairs including one long flight I refer to as “the stairs of death.”

White Star would be a better choice. Walk in entry. No stairs at all.

There are plenty of picnic tables and gear benches available.

I agree that Gilboa has a lot of stairs. But it's a bit better now with the new ownership. They've done a ton of work to the stairs, the gearing-up area below, and the docks. No offense to Mike, but there were times when I was afraid that one of the planks would crack beneath the weight of me and my gear. Not any longer. All new planking. The area at the bottom of the stairs has new table-top areas for donning, plus the benches have been bolstered and now have bungees for tanks. You still have to carry your equipment down the stairs, but you can at least do that in as many trips as you like. For me, I still gear up at the top and just walk down the stairs with my rig on. But it's easier and safer than it was before to gear up down by the water.

As you say, White Star is definitely overall easier, though. Even on busy weekends when the tables are all taken by instructors and cert divers, gearing up out of your car is easy and it's just a short walk to the shore-entry area. On the downside, the viz at White Star is currently pretty bad. The viz at Gilboa is still really good, despite the hot summer. That's the benefit of having a much deeper and colder body of water compared to White Star.