Hi again, I just noted the "what to bring" on Explorer's website and it says there Tank Marker Lights for night dives, but when I look at the rental pricing list it states light sticks for 3 dollars each. I assume that's the same as tank marker lights? Are these similar light sticks as you would use for glow in the dark parties etc? If so, that doesn't seem to good for the environment and we would prefer to buy something else that you can use several times. Or are light sticks something different?
Any general tips for first time liveaboard trip?
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tarponchik
Contributor
Same or not, you can use these (and lots of people do). Just buy a couple at your hardware store. You need short thick sticks with a hole at one end so you can tie them to your tanks.
Nitty gritty: My daughter & I very much like this change: we take along a pack of paper towels (the compact, folded kind, like for drying hands) for our cabin's bathroom and use 1/2 a towel to dry off after using the head. In the head all paper must go in the trash and since you wash up after using the head by spraying water on your nether regions, it's nicer to dry off with paper that does not disintigrate in your hands like TP. Men may be indifferent but women seem to like this.
General travel: I always keep ear plugs in my overnight bag. I would very much prefer to have my ears air out overnight, but if engine noise/snoring neighbors are a problem, it's nice to have options.
A small quik-dry towel is always nice to have. Cheesecloth works great too and weights virtually nothing.
A compact baggage scale is a wonderful thing to own, never more so than on dive travel.
Always carry a SMB any time you are in anything larger than a pond. Write your name on the top of it too. On my last trip I twice spent a little time waiting on the surface and learned that my open-bottom SMB is far too difficult to keep fully inflated at the surface - has now been replaced w/ a sealed model. I always carry a flashlight too so that if I'm still out there and night falls, at least I will be more, not less visible.
I use moisturizing hand disinfectant to rinse my ears every night. It's also useful on land to disinfect hands after touching money, using washrooms, extensively toughing any surface many hands are likely to have been (handrails, etc).
Tablets are wonderful. At 300-800g a tablet lets you carry even 1,000 books as well as magazines and photos. When/if you have WiFi it's also quite nice to have. Take a USB stick too in case anyone wants to give/receive photos or other files; it's easier and since you can carry 32+ GB in something the size and weight of a house key, no reason not to.
If you can, do borrow a spare computer, preferably for each of you. Many operations require you to have a computer so don't risk this problem. On our last trip my daughter's mask and computer went overboard overnight => BTW never leave belonging where they can bounce /bang to damage themselves or other items and even jump overboard when the boat is moving. Never leave your belongings in the rinse tank exactly beacsue of this bouncing/banging. On one trip an entire rinse tank came free and fell overboard (with a few items that should never have been left in it). We each take an 1 extra compter and 1 extra mask (ours cannot be shared: mine has optics, hers does not).
People hawking stuff for sale seem to leave you alone best if you act as though they were invisible and you are deaf.
If you make a night dive, carry a backup light and know exactly how to lay your hands on it as quiclöy as you might wish (w/o dropping it BTW). Check that the backup also still works after getting wet.
Rollerbags with stiff pole handles that pull out and extend are much easier to drag for any significant distance.
Plan in advance how to package batteries for a safe and legal trip home. You need to keep the ends from accidentally touching, preferably while leaving it possible for safety guys to see exactly what is in the package. Maybe a roll of seran wrap or plastic bags and clear packaging tape? If the crew will happily take your leftover disposable batteries, IMO there is no reason to fly home 1/2-dead batteries.
Seasickness: Doc Vikingo's Sea Sickness Remedies
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BTW many stores may have Black Friday sales this coming Friday. Yes, even in Europe they now have "Black Friday" sales.
I found this new product Orbiloc Outdoor Dual Safety Light. The original outdoor safety light
Tested waterproof to 100m. 25 euros in our area, presumably cheaper in NL.
Flash Light Seac
unfortunately is a strobe. But maybe you don't dislike them as much as I do.
Lots of good-priced stores in the Netherlands and amazing service. One shop even airmailed me 2 books without having received any credit info or money, apparently just assuming I would eventually pay him for them (his online shop didn't do Finland). I did pay BTW.
I've also order many things from here
https://www.mikesdivestore.com/collections/dive-torches/products/mares-marker-beam
and you may be able to find the same product/similar products in NL.
Also, some of our basic dive lights have worked for 3-5 years and cost only 15-20 euros apiece. They are waterproof to 30m according to the packaging and sold at big hardware/farm supply/automotive/sporting goods stores as all-weather flashlights. Have been to and below 30m quite few times too. They look like this
LED flashlight / work / waterproof - StealthLite™ 2410 - Peli Products
A cheapo primary but fine for backups, very easy to afford even 2 backups.
For your primary light, a hand sock or other holder so you don't have to grip the light with your fingers is really nice, and fairly important in cold water.
I just bought 2 of these on our last trip & like them very much. Not entirely cheap, but IMO for a fairly nice light i was inexpensive (paid 70 euros/lamp for package that included light, charger and hand sock). Hand socks alone usually cost 25-45 euros.
D520 Every diver deserves one
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scbaNE2179
Contributor
This is true for for the TCEX and all livaboard with night dives-most or all of them will mandate all divers have a tank light and if not they will rent you one. But since this first trip may be just a starting point for future trips, I would recommend you just get a true tank light. This is the tank light that I use.
When choosing the light, I would stay clear from anything white-strobed as some livaboards do not allow white strobe lights as your tank lights-this is due to the fact that all livaboard boats uses white blinking strobes so this may confuse divers.
I agree, a real tank light is worth getting rather than using the glow sticks. Some LOBs and dive ops won't allow glow sticks for fear that someone may throw them overboard and add to the pollution and hazards for sea creatures. My husband and I have identical lights in different colors so it is easy to find each other at night.
I was on an LOB once where several divers were using their pulsating emergency strobes as tank lights and it was awful! They were flashing all around me and the ship had lowered a pulsating strobe as a location beacon. The poor fish! I am glad to hear that dive ops are not allowing them as tank lights.
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Don't know, you'll have to ask the operator.
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