Advice on putting on gear

[Jimchris]

Many divers I know either drive midsize trucks (my wife and I both have trucks for this reason) or pack a folding table/workbench to set their kit on if they drive a car.

 

[Marie13]

Many divers I know either drive midsize trucks (my wife and I both have trucks for this reason) or pack a folding table/workbench to set their kit on if they drive a car.

An SUV works just as well. I have an Escape.

 

[TMHeimer]

We've had two cars and our present van recently. I have been able to gear up sitting on the trunk of each vehicle. The van is best of course, with more room for stuff to spread out a bit.

 

[Meghan Powers]

I agree with what's been suggested above.

However don't leave a tank with gear attached standing upright alone. If it falls over the first stage of the regulator could get damaged.

I am replying to a lot of these really late after the initial post but I wanted to say that our instructor mentioned this quite often. It can damage the other equipment, get knocked overboard of a boat or cause harm to others. When doing my dives I didn’t leave it standing by itself unless it was pressed against something.

 

[Meghan Powers]

Congrats on your new certification!,

The above suggestions are great.

Bring a tarp and put the gear on while sitting down. You can also put the gear on while in the water.

My apologies for replying to this late; I work weird hours and I forgot I even posted.

I think both of your suggestions are great. I don’t know about standing up after putting gear on while sitting down but someone may be able to help pull me up. Putting the gear on in the water would be also be ideal for me. It seems like it would be easier overall. We did the skill where we had to take if off and put it back on and it was easier since it wasn’t heavy in the water.

Do most places have a problem with allowing gear assembly in the water instead of on the surface? I didn’t know if there was an unspoken rule about it. I’m hoping to do a dive locally before the end of this month and I’ll have to find someone I don’t know to be my buddy so I’ll have to discuss gear assembly with them and what they prefer.

 

[Meghan Powers]

Hi @Meghan Powers,

Congratulations, when you get into the sea you’ll see all the marine life, and the reason you learned to dive. Welcome to the underwater world.

We teach buddy pairs to lift their own tank etc and hand it the the buddy, prep the straps, than get into it. That means if you’re wearing your tank you don’t bend down to lift a second one.

However, if there is a bench or any other shelf/ledge (as mentioned above) use it.

Thanks! I remember we prepped everything and then put one arm in while our buddy lifted the tank. Even without my gear on, it was difficult for me to lift the tank for them. I will look for something to prop the tank against while putting it on so the tanks don’t have to be lifted. A lot of people have great suggestions!

 

[Meghan Powers]

Lift the kit on to the boot of a car; a table, a chair, on the bench of a boat. Do not try to pick it up and throw it on your back unless you enjoy back pain. (edit) Use a work step to get it up to sitting height.

If you have to put the kit on from the ground, it's easiest to get in it on the ground, roll over on to all fours and stand up (easier on a single, impossible on a twinset).

Arrange the kit - hoses, straps, etc. Face the kit. Turn the gas on. BREATHE from it. Check the gas.

Put your computer and compass on your wrists. Put stuff in your pockets (spare SMB, reel, spare mask, etc.)

Put on your fins. Untie the kit from the boat (normally tied on).

Turn around and put your arms through the straps and do up the waist band and crotch strap (if fitted). Connect drysuit, check it inflates. Undo drysuit dump. Connect suit heater cable. Pull round the regulator; BREATHE from it. Ensure the backup/octopus is WORKING and stowed correctly. Check the gas. Check your BCD/wing by inflating it a little.

Ensure hood, mask, gloves are on. Ensure SMB + reel is attached.


When ready to jump, stand up and BREATHE from the regulator. Check the remaining gas. Put more gas in the BCD/wing.

(Note there's three places where you BREATHE from the reg and you twice put in gas into your BCD/wing -- if you don't, you can die. Everything else can be dealt with in the water.)


Go diving. Enjoy the dive.

Thank you for this detailed list of steps. I appreciate the thoroughness of it. I will go over these steps the next dive I do. What are your thoughts about putting gear on while in the water and then doing buddy checks? It can’t be done in cold water but I wondered if it is considered safe if buddy checks are done before descending. Someone else mentioned it and I wanted to know others thoughts on it.

 

[Meghan Powers]

In the last few years, I’ve noticed far more people using small, foldable work tables, to set up gear at various dive sites — especially, older folks and / or those of slighter builds . . .

I didn’t know foldable tables existed. That’s a good idea. Someone suggested putting gear on in the water which I’m wanting to try but not all situations will call for that. Propping gear up on something is a good way to take some of the lifting away.

 

[Meghan Powers]

It was mentioned above, but I will say it again. Getting your kit on in the water is much easier imo if the situation warrants it (not off a boat, nice entry). Did my rescue a few weeks ago and after taking it off like 20 times, it was so nice putting it on in some water.

I think it’s easier putting it on in the water as well. We did the skill where we had to remove it and put it back on and it was much easier. I think it’s safe as long as buddy checks are still done. I guess the only issue is how to put the gear in the water. I guess just inflate the bcd and then throw it in?

 

[Meghan Powers]

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.

When we did our dives in the pool there were tables around but I don’t think our instructor would have allowed us to use them. She told us that we needed to help each other and it was difficult for me to do because my buddy was taller than me and it’s definitely hard to lift a heavy tank higher than my myself and wait for them to strap themselves in before releasing the tank. When I did the ow dives we had a picnic table but everting was still so new so I didn’t really use it to my advantage. I guess I need to get used to putting it on while trying different things. I think I’ll try sitting down and putting it on with the tank sitting on something or while on the ground. In the water would be ideal but I don’t know if most places would say something about it. Thank you for the advice!