Cheap (!) but useful

[rpodos]

Well, I think I made my cheapest purchase EVER in diving:

A $4.50 aluminum carabiner.

This ain;t about tek diving, just convenience... I saw a guy in the DR last week using one for his mask before and after going under. Thought it was a great idea, and figured out a neat way to use one of the built-in clips on my BCD so I can slip the 'biner into a pocket while not in use.

Sorta silly, but I thought I'd share.

 

[hermosadive]

http://www.gue.com/equipment/attachment6.html Your carabiner falls into this catagory. Google, SCUBA and Suicide Clips for more reading.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

So long as you do actually slip the thing into your pocket when not in use, you might not get into trouble with it. You don't want to be diving with it hanging off your BC though...

 

[Bill51]

I have a Velcro wire strap attached near the top of my inflator that lets me hang my mask from it when it’s off and it’s completely streamlined and unnoticeable otherwise.

 

[Diver0001]

Also some carabiners have steel hinge-pins that will soon rust. It may not be a problem will all of them but it's something to ask about.

And as Doc said, make sure it's tucked away when you're under water.

R..

 

[jonnythan]

If you dive in a lot of salt water, be very careful to rinse and dry it well after every dive. The gate spring in most Al biners is prone to rust, and even in the ones that aren't the aluminum tends to oxidize and get very sticky.

 

[Sideband]

When I was using my BCD I just unclipped either my sternum strap or my waist quick disconnects and ran them through the mask strap. Since they are built into the BC they were free and no added entanglement hazard.

Joe

 

[rpodos]

Errr, responding so far:

hermosadive: I didn't get your point.

Doc: Yeah, gotta be tucked in. The bar on the 'biner is aluminum and not colored, so that jumped out at me... the way I've got it configured on my BCD I can tuck it away in a pocket easily.

Bill: I hadn't been able to find a velcro strap for this purpose that I liked. I'm going to try the 'biner over the next couple weeks, and if I don;t like it I'll keep trying to find a velcro strap.

Jonny: If it rusts out, well, at $4.50 I don;t really care, and lesson learned!

Sideband: For Carib dives, I use a waaaaay low profile BCD. Seaquest... I don;t think they make them anymore... almost like nekkid. Very few clips. So I had to add one.

 

[hermosadive]

hermosadive: I didn't get your point.

You don't get it because you didn't do what I asked...read up on diving and "suicide clips". This way you can make an educated decision on whether or not using a caribiner on your dive gear is worth the risk. Many divers use them and many don't.

Basically, the caribiner can be engage with simple pressure against the gate, opening the door for potential entanglement. For instance, you could bump against a rope that is secured to a wreck. The caribiner could push open and engage around the rope which could cause you some problems if you couldn't figure out what had happened. Its all about minimalizing risk.

Read up and decide whats right for you.

 

[Bill51]

Bill: I hadn't been able to find a velcro strap for this purpose that I liked. I'm going to try the 'biner over the next couple weeks, and if I don;t like it I'll keep trying to find a velcro strap.

Home Depot and office supply stores carry Velcro One-Wrap in sizes up to 1” wide and 18” long for cable management and the things last forever plus once they’ve been attached to something for a while they stay tight and put forever.

http://cableorganizer.com/wire-wrap/