Diving with way too much gear

[Jasonmh]

...Due to the constant rolling, balancing of equipment, and my observation of extreme agitation, I decided to take a break at the surface with my buddy and allow him to relax so we didn't need to call the dive. He kept on fighting with his gear and I did not see any sign of him calming down so I was about to call the dive when suddenly I noticed that his automatic surface sausage inflated. That really caused more anger and then put him into a near panic state due to the stress which then caused his mask strap to break off of his head and sink. The gear he had in his right pocket was one large and one small flashlight, his compass which was needed, a surface sausage, and a large dive knife. In his opposite pocket, he had a pair of 5mm gloves which he had not put on yet which were very buoyant.

I kept my distance and talked him down from panic and told him that we were not going to dive now and it was ok for us to just relax and figure out a better way to fix what was going on.

...

Well, I would say that regardless of the "unbalanced" problem being real or imagined, you did good to notice the escalating agitation and recommending a break to try and sort things out. The auto inflate SMB does not sound like a very good idea at all. Not having seen one, what happens if he accidentally inflates it underwater? Is it easy to deflate and re-stow without much fuss or help?

 

[scubadude79]

Seeing all of your ideas and thoughts of the unbalanced issue, it is possible that he could have been imagining it since he was building up stress. The equipment always seem to be the easiest to blame.

Happy to say, since that incident he has taken the time to go diving with one of the instructors to just be more comfortable with the aspects of diving and is much more calm now and not so easily stressed.

Thanks All!

 

[under water]

tank
harness for tank
twin hose single stage regulator, Voit 50 Fathom or USD Mistral
flippers
mask
knife, large and sharp
watch/dg/computer/compass as required
spg
swimsuit/exposure gear/weight belt as required

Why complicate things with all that extra fluff?

....

What is missing, well for starters, no BC, no back plate, no snorkel, no bouy or sausage, no reel, no gloves, no, octopus, no Spare Air, no pony, no redundancy, no transmitters, no extra mask, no extra knife, no tank clacker, no flashlight or can light, no slate, no retractors, no flare gun, no kitchen sink, no training wheels. All of that simply is not needed for most dives.

But Nemrod ..
.. what are you going to take pictures with????

To the OP .. Like others, I do not think the whole issue was gloves in one pocket and extra weight in the other. To compensate for that with most bc's you can swing the tank slightly to one side. I'm glad you were there for him.

 

[TSandM]

Happy to say, since that incident he has taken the time to go diving with one of the instructors to just be more comfortable with the aspects of diving and is much more calm now and not so easily stressed.

Well, this is the happy ending.

 

[FritzCat66]

Why complicate things with all that extra fluff?

Dude... don't I see TWO cam bands on that tank???

 

[DevonDiver]

Interesting. Of the 6 items that you list here I (and just about every other diver I regularly encounter) have none, except perhaps for the whistle which comes standard with many BC's.

Sure, the DM will have a buoy and a reel which marks the groups position throughout the dive and on night dives divers will have torches (and cylumes etc.) but on the standard dives I don't see any of those items being carried. I think I've seen a slate once.

I guess it all depends on where and how you dive.

Apart from exposure protction, I have dived with that kit across the globe, in tropical and temperate waters.

ALL that kit looks THIS cluttered....

 

[AbyssalPlains]

What your buddy had in his pockets isn't enough to make anybody significantly unbalanced, and how being unbalanced caused his mask strap to break is a total mystery to me.

Either this person is operating with way too much anxiety on such simple dives, or there's something not quite right about this story.

Yep, exactly. It sounds to me that more than anything, your buddy may simply not be comfortable enough in the water yet. I found it especially troubling that he freaked out on the surface, before you had even started your dive. At least that's what I understood from your report. Before jumping to conclusions and blaming it on "excessive gear", I would obtain more confidence by diving more and diving often. I'm a terrible gear hog and when I'm diving, usually I'm carrying around a pony bottle, tons of accessories (notebook, spool, two SMBs, whistle, signaling mirror, two computers, a compass, an add-on camera lens, a spare mask, a backup light and sometimes a primary light, four - yes, four - cutting devices), and on top of it, I'm hauling around a 15-pound camera rig, and I have no problems with balance. Certainly a pair of 5mm gloves is not buoyant enough to throw someone off-kilter who is even moderately comfortable in the water.

I love gear as much as you guys do, but you're right, there is a place for everything. Get comfortable first and then start playing with the gear. It's much more fun that way.

 

[Steve50]

Yep, exactly. It sounds to me that more than anything, your buddy may simply not be comfortable enough in the water yet. I found it especially troubling that he freaked out on the surface, before you had even started your dive. At least that's what I understood from your report. Before jumping to conclusions and blaming it on "excessive gear", I would obtain more confidence by diving more and diving often. I'm a terrible gear hog and when I'm diving, usually I'm carrying around a pony bottle, tons of accessories (notebook, spool, two SMBs, whistle, signaling mirror, two computers, a compass, an add-on camera lens, a spare mask, four - yes, four - cutting devices), and on top of it, I'm hauling around a 15-pound camera rig, and I have no problems with balance. Certainly a pair of 5mm gloves is not buoyant enough to throw someone off-kilter who is even moderately comfortable in the water.

I love gear as much as you guys do, but you're right, there is a place for everything. Get comfortable first and then start playing with the gear. It's much more fun that way.

Where the heck do you keep the magazines?

 

[Deefstes]

ALL that kit looks THIS cluttered....

I'm not saying all that gear clutters you up. I was just commenting that I find it interesting how some people consider certain items essential while around here where I dive very few people carry any of it. I'm not even commenting on how sensible / unnecessary the items might be. In fact, it just makes sense to me that you should have some of those items (SMB for instance).

 

[DevonDiver]

I'm not saying all that gear clutters you up. I was just commenting that I find it interesting how some people consider certain items essential while around here where I dive very few people carry any of it. I'm not even commenting on how sensible / unnecessary the items might be. In fact, it just makes sense to me that you should have some of those items (SMB for instance).

For me, in my experience, the gear I carry does represent a minimum. It also allows me to deal with virtually any problem that arises.

For instance, I have used the reel for impromptu searches (far easier and quicker than using a compass). I have used the reel and DSMB to rapidly surface my friends leaking camera housing from 26m (and saved her DSLR in the process). I have used the knife a thousand times on the dive boat (much less in the water). I've used the whistle to wake sleeping boatmen when we needed picking up on many occasions. Of course, I've used the reel for gentle wreck penetrations and the reel/dsmb for ascents on hundreds of occasions also.

The slate isn't critical, I suppose. However, I instruct - so my waterproof notebook contains all the notes I need to run lessons. I can also use it to jot down maps for unfamiliar sites...and when I dive tech, it contains my back-up deco plan/s. Underwater, it is good for conveying difficult information, taking notes and making sketches of sites etc etc.

The torch isn't critical either, but the modern LED torches are so small and reliable, it is no hassle to carry one. I dive in an area with many wrecks, so it is useful for illumination (it does not replace a proper primary light for penetrations). I've used the torch to help sight photos in dark conditions..and for signaling in bad viz or light (above and below water). At the very basic level, it is great for looking inside nooks and crannies on reefs.

I would not dive without the knife, reel, whistle and dsmb. The torch and slate are optional, but of such little distraction that I carry them as routine.