Advice on putting on gear

[Thunder Struck]

I’ve used a sturdy cooler as an improvised bench for easily donning and doffing BCDs. Doesn’t need to be super large.

 

[Tripp]

I’ve used a sturdy cooler as an improvised bench for easily donning and doffing BCDs. Doesn’t need to be super large.

Great idea, and ripe for other uses!

 

[TMHeimer]

Nope, everyone was qualified divers.

Must have been a club then. But fines for leaving tanks standing seem silly to me. In Canada a round of beers would cost a small fortune.

 

[Searcaigh]

Must have been a club then. But fines for leaving tanks standing seem silly to me. In Canada a round of beers would cost a small fortune.

Wasn't a club, dive centre rules, and you only do it once

 

[Meghan Powers]

What some people do is sit down in front of the scuba kit, slip into it, then role over onto their hands and knees then stand up.

A lot of places that allow shore diving have no issues with people putting on their gear while in the water so long as the conditions are reasonable.

The challenging part of diving in cool / cold water is all the weight along with thick garments to keep warm. In the tropics where the water is warm you will not have to use so much weight.

Hopefully this helps.

Sorry I haven't replied sooner. I usually only have my mobile throughout the day and I prefer using my computer to type. I'm hoping that I won't need to dive in really cold water. I do want to take a dry suit class but I'd prefer to not dive cold. Unfortunately in Ohio, the water is cold almost the full year and is still cold at around 30 feet even in the summer. I guess once I take a dry suit class it would be preferable to dive with a dry suit instead of a wetsuit. I want to gain a little more experience diving locally before I dive in the tropics. I would prefer diving in the tropics but I'll need to travel for that so I want to do a few more dives to work on buoyancy and trim first.

The suggestion of slipping into the kit then rolling onto hands and knees to stand up sounds like a good idea. It would make standing up a little easier. I might also try sitting the tank on a bench and slipping into it that way. I appreciate the tips! I prefer to be as organized as possible so I will write these tips down on a note in my phone and try them on my next dive.

 

[Marie13]

It comes down to how badly you want to dive. If you want to dive more, embrace the cold. If conditions have to be perfect aka warm, then you will dive less. People who dive more frequently are usually better divers because they don’t get rusty and don’t have to essentially start from scratch at the start of each once a year trip.

 

[Meghan Powers]

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

Thanks for this suggestion

Since I will be diving at a quarry until I gain more experience, I think using a bench will be ideal. The quarry I was certified at had a picnic table near the entryway. Unfortunately I didn't take advantage of it because my buddy and I were newbie divers and we were trained to help each other with our gear. I just don't see this as the best thing for me. I'm very short and small and lifting isn't ideal for me. Even with my gear on, I feel like I'm being weighted down a lot. Once I'm in the water I'm fine but on shore, it's agonizing after I've strapped in. I think that putting my mask and fins on the table and standing the tank on the bench (while holding the strap) then slipping into it might be best. This way I can stand up fairly easily.

 

[Meghan Powers]

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.

The open trunk of my car might definitely be a good idea. I could stand the tank in it and sit down on the bumper to slip into it. I will keep this suggestion noted for my next dive. I also liked the idea of using a bench to sit it on while slipping into it. Both of these ideas might be good for me.

I haven't dove with a backplate wing so I'm not sure what it is but I will research it. We were trained in class to help our buddy with their gear (which I have no problem with if they need it). I'm just very short and small so it's difficult for me. I will have to discuss with my future dive buddies how they put on their gear. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Meghan Powers]

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.

There are a few different docks from which to dive at Gilboa quarry. The one I did my ow dives at had an entryway to the dock that was a small little dirt path that was steep and hard to walk up and down with dive gear on. There was a small staircase to get to the dock but after the steep path, this didn't bother me.

Diving in Florida is on my list for sure! I want to gain some experience locally though before I travel. I don't want to travel to dive and not have good buoyancy and trim. That would be a wasted dive to me. I had issues with my fins coming off during my ow dives (my feet are size 5 in kids) so it was difficult for me to work on my buoyancy and trim because I kept turning around to slip my fins back on. Sometimes I would sink and the dive master would have to help me put them back on. I was sure he hated me lol. I bought my fins online because they were cheap and I got the smallest pair but I'm going to go to a dive shop to look for another pair. There are kids who dive so I'm sure I can get a smaller pair of fins.

I aim on doing some dives in my local quarry and once I'm satisfied that my buoyancy and trim are at least better, I plan to travel to Florida and Tennessee as well as the Great Lakes to dive. I would eventually love to become a cave diver but that's going to take some time. I'm hoping that diving in a quarry will better prepare me for diving elsewhere.

 

[Meghan Powers]

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.

Thanks for the suggestion! I will look this up. Anything that will help make putting gear on easier, I'm all for!