Check your gear the day before

[fookisan]

Was reminded of the importance of checking my gear out the day before the dive twice in the last 2 weeks. One time, I found a ripped and leaking O-ring on the low pressure port. Another time, was about to take a tank for a quick dive and it turned out to be empty, even though I could have sworn it was full. Anyway, don't forget to check it out before the trip is ruined.

Dan

 

[spectrum]

I'll add to check your tank fills for pressures. So far my wife is the user of more air so now I make sure she gets the best fills of our 4 cylinders if they vary. That we get the longest bottom times together.


Pete

 

[Tanked Monkey]

Totally agree. Once I picked up my tanks after they were supposed to be filled. I analyzed them, but didn't check the pressure until I was about to dive. Bummer, they only had 1000psi in them. Luckily is was only a quarry dive, and I didn't miss out on something spectacular.

Mike

 

[Spoon]

aside for checking your gear, make a checklist on what gear you need to bring and check it again before packing. i know people, including myself who swore the mask or one of the fins was there only to find out the next day that they were left behind

 

[pasley]

If you own more than one tank, I have found it useful to have a system for telling the full from the empty tanks. When I get a tank filled, I put a blue (water) dust cover on the valve to keep the dirt out. Then when I dive the tank, I place a yellow (caution)dust cover on the tank valve to again keep the dirt out and signal caution, empty (or partially empty) tank.

I have found that superior to picking up each tank and trying to determine which is lighter when one has 3000 PSI and the other 1900 PSI, an a lot faster than checking the pressure. Mind you, I make the LDS gauge each tank before I leave as I have grown tired of the fills to only 2700 or 2800 PSI.

 

[MichaelBaranows]

Rather than using to caps. If the tank is full it has a dust cover if it has been used it doesn't have dust cover on it.

 

[fookisan]

If you own more than one tank, I have found it useful to have a system for telling the full from the empty tanks. When I get a tank filled, I put a blue (water) dust cover on the valve to keep the dirt out. Then when I dive the tank, I place a yellow (caution)dust cover on the tank valve to again keep the dirt out and signal caution, empty (or partially empty) tank.

I have found that superior to picking up each tank and trying to determine which is lighter when one has 3000 PSI and the other 1900 PSI, an a lot faster than checking the pressure. Mind you, I make the LDS gauge each tank before I leave as I have grown tired of the fills to only 2700 or 2800 PSI.

Thank for all the tips...from everyone.

On a sad note, I just read in an old issue of Outside mag, about a husband and wife freedive team where the wife died doing a 500+ foot freedive. It appears as though after the rocket sled dropped her to that depth, she found here air tank that was suspended to use on her ascent was empty. She blacked out after going up a hundred feet or so and died without the use of her ascent tank. No one, the article said, checked the ascent tank for air pressure. Checking gear properly really means life or death sometimes.

Take Care,

Dan

 

[espantoon]

Another cheap, easy way to know "just filled" from "empty" is a small piece of masking tape across the port of the tank meaning a fresh fill. Just make sure everyone is on the same page though, or some well meaning dive buddy may tear it off ahead of time!

 

[JRScuba]

Went on a dive and thought both tanks were filled. That was after it was VIPed. Salt got under the gasket and when I went to do my second dive, NO AIR.

Going to put that on my TO DO list.

Thanks

Joe

 

[bisonduquebec]

Another lesson learned.... after servicing any piece of equipment, do a small test dive. Servicing means palying with a lot of components. Someting will go wrong eventually and equipment testing should be on the todo list as well.