Diver's Tool?

[ScubaGirlJg]

Ya I definitely get what you mean! In the beginning I would tighten my mask so much but now I have learned that once your down there it stays put, but at first it would be hard to go down with a mask that "felt" loose but in reality wasn't. I will remember the whole tilting the head to the side...seems like a good solution that if you were nervous wouldn't think of lol

 

[ScubaGil]

I carry a little pouch from Zeagle that has a small knife and pair of EMT shears in it along with a slate and pencil, it is required equipment for PADI Instuctors when doing OW dives with students. I have cut alot of fishing line and anchor lines with it.

That is a great idea

 

[ScubaGil]

I think some cutting tool is always prudent. With all due respect, you can't rule out the risk simply because of your location. Granted the risk is small but it is still there.

Ever float a SMB? Ever dive with someone who might? Ever dive around a float? Ever dive around an anchor or bouy line? Ever dive where someone might fish (very rare, but divers have been hooked)? Ever dive around shipwrecks? Ever dive where some netting or line might have floated into? Ever dive near a shipwreck? Ever dive with somebody that, if they should need rescue, might need to be cut out of their gear? Ever pick up old dive gear so that it doesn't entangle birds and/or marine life?

Put another way, I have never needed my dive alert or sausage. It is very long odds that I will ever need either item. But they are basic safety equipment: when you need them you would do almost anything to have them. A cutting tool is fairly cheap, can be very unobtrusive and is easily carried.

Bonairetrip - Thanks for this perspective. I guess better safe than sorry, since I answered yes to a bunch of your questions above . I think I will look into offgasn's recommendation of what PADI instructors carry.

 

[Druid]

Like veryone else has said, carry your knife on every dive. I have mine zip tied to my inflator hose.

Throwing up through the reg - yes, been there, done that. Be warned that if you ate the pizza for lunch on the boat, then the mushrooms get stuck in the exhaust of an ATX40. I found them when I was rinsing my regs out, back at the dive centre.

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

Yes, yes, YES to the dive-tool. It doesn't have to be a samurai sword, but there's a knife out there that's compatible with where you dive and the potential hazards unique to your location. I've been entangled twice in discarded fishing-line - once on a Northeast wreck and once on a dopey reef dive. My buddy freed me the first time with his little knife, and the second time, I just moved very slowly and deliberately to free myself. But I knew that my buddy, as well as I, had the cutting tools at hand if my slow contortionist act failed to work, so it was easy to remain calm. In other cases, too, a knife can be handy...I've used my little knife to dig into sandy patches and help deal with unexpected currents, for example. That said, there are locales that forbid divers from carrying knives, so be sure to check with the author-itehs before you splash.

Dramamine is my FRIEND. Take one or two the night before, and one the morning of your dive, and you will be golden. $2 insurance from a crappy day. I'm not a fan of hurling into my regulator. (And frankly, having seen the way yellow-tailed salmon swarm to vomit-clouds, I gag every time I hear someone order it in a restaurant.)

As for bubbles hitting your mask...never been an issue for me, as I have a reg with an exceptionally wide exhaust valve. It directs the bubbles pretty far from my face. (But that's my reg's only selling point, so I'm not going to recommend it to you!)

 

[Blu Diver]

A knife or paramedic shears will work just fine. There are times I carry both, the shears are on my BC. The knife is worn on the inside of my leg in a neoprene sheath. If you decide to wear a knife on your leg, I would recommend the neoprene sheath. It's very easy to use and very comfortable.

 

[Blu Diver]

Like veryone else has said, carry your knife on every dive. I have mine zip tied to my inflator hose.

Throwing up through the reg - yes, been there, done that. Be warned that if you ate the pizza for lunch on the boat, then the mushrooms get stuck in the exhaust of an ATX40. I found them when I was rinsing my regs out, back at the dive centre.

That's a funny story! I recall being on Sombrero reef off the coast of Marathon, Florida Keys. When someone became seasick and hurled in his regulator as we were executing our buddy breathing skills. When it came time for him and his buddy to do the skill..... There was NO way his buddy would share a reg with him. Not that I would've either. However, the scene was full of Yellow Tail Snapper feeding on his vomit. There was much laughter underwater which led to all of us performing multiple mask clearings. The expression on his buddies face was priceless!

 

[dschonbrun]

If the bubbles are bothering you, it may be a trim issue. New divers are often not horizontal in the water (though they think they are) .. often a bit head up... as a result instead of the bubbles passing by your jawline, they go past your ears and mask.

A cutting device is highly recommended if you are diving unguided. For guided recreational dives in groups, I have found less use for it... but tend to make sure one of the two members of a buddy pair have one just in case.