Do people lose gear all the time?

[Atomic_Diver]

What did the jump have to do with it? Finish the story!

I jumped off a 20' high fishing pier w/o my hand on my mask, and it flew off...

 

[El Dude]

I too believe in Covediver's steady state theory of lost dive gear. I always called it take a penny. leave a penny with dive gear. I lost an abalone gauge and bar then the next week found a weight belt with 35 lbs in the same bay. I one time lost my mask on a newbie stride ten feet down into the water. I decided to dive around the entry without the mask and found it later in 30 fsw. Fun dive and I got my mask back. I've lended a knife to a friend and had it lost.

I'm lucky in that I double strap everything and it stays. I don't know how I ended up withdrawing from the steady state but I found an entire set of freedive gear in a dive bag at the exact same moment somebody else in the world lost their gear. Also knives, fins, oakley sunglasses, a computer and at the surface I found the owner! So I guess I'm in good with the bank! And oh yeah, the Casino Point Dive Park is a crazy swap meet! Also Shaw's in Laguna and Van Damme in Mendocino!

 

[Diver Tim]

As I said in a different thread... 10 dives, three snorkels. I'm going to try to lose #4 this weekend.

 

[pelagic_by_nature]

2 week ago, in Cozumel I lost my computer. I was wearing it up high on my forearm (never again). I took my BP/W off in the water and assume that is when the 'puter came off my arm because I remember looking at it just as my head broke the surface at the end of the dive. Then when I got on the boat - no computer. :depressed: my only consolation was that I didn't like it in the first place and I had planned on replacing it. So, anybody diving Santa Rosa wall, keep your eyes peeled. The Dm said, though, that the current would probably carry it down to 3000 FSW. It just now dawned on me that perhaps he was trying to prevent me from asking him to go look for it. Oh well. A more user friendly 'puter is on it's way.

 

[Big John]

I have lost knives, a strobe, compass and my computer. The lucky thing was my computer was picked up by a diver on another boat. They radioed my boat to pick it back up when we got back to port.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I've lost a bunch of gear over the years ... usually by forgetting who I loaned it to ... :depressed:

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[redacted]

I have lost 2 collection bags in a local river and one backup light in Cozumel. All three were attached to a D-ring with a BRASS double ender. Another diver retrieved my light for me.

 

[Ana]

I would be severely cut to lose some items of my dive kit, but yea it is a risk you take, and just try to be as careful as you can. I was adding up what I wear for doubles diving the other day after a guy I was getting fills from (a non-diver) was talking about how crazy it is that the other day he heard that for cave diving some of the guys have $8000 of kit with them on a dive (probably a big under estimate in many cases ). It works out to about $5600AUD (and I still need to buy proper lights, thermals and a stage)... if I lost all that OUCH. But yea, no point in spending that cash if they're just going to sit at home. This attitude seems to be shared by a lot of my buddies too as I don't know any buddy who leaves kit at home because it is "too expensive".

I agree, the risk is there for sure, almost 20 years ago coming home from work I encounter an empty house. While I was working, others decided to take my stuff, they cleaned me out, about 90% of the dive gear, left me the kayak but took the kayak bag with almost as much $ as the cost of the kayak itself on accessories.
I cursed the fins to never swim to the surface, the masks to remain fogged forever and all the regulators to fail closed, along with a few choice of curses to body parts.

From there I just started over from zero, insurance helped but there was so much lost it was difficult to justify replacing EVERY piece of dive gear.

Maybe that's why I decided that whatever I have, I use. The chances of loosing things are always present, I feel I can help improving my odds only a little.

I've not lost anything for a long time but the items I did lose weren't due to newbie mistakes. A ratfish bumped the bungee mounted compass on a night dive and unbeknown to me at the time knocked it off my arm. I took my gear off in the water to get back into a RIB and a bungee mounted computer popped off. The dive knife came off due to a broken sheath. The dive light had to do with a night dive and a change in how I carried the light and I let go of it by mistake. I lost (and found the next day) my dive fins while walking out of the water due to cold hands and not realizing that I was only holding one fiin.

Well, that was my question.... I was wondering if it is what happens to newbies, to some people in general, or just to some people during some phases in their lives. Like I said before, for a few years I lost 10-20% of my stuff on a daily basis, specially while diving. Then one day I stopped. Maybe there is something to the...

Coverdiver's steady state theory of lost dive gear

...and I just lost all the stuff I was supposed to during my life time all in a couple of years.

As I said in a different thread... 10 dives, three snorkels. I'm going to try to lose #4 this weekend.

It is nice to have goals !!!! Hopefully you'll enjoy the weekend in spite the mising snorkel

 

[Guba]

I think my count goes something like this...

Lost: 1 dive slate with small (and very inexpensive) light attached
1 custom mouthpiece (yes, it came off the reg and I unthinkingly spit the darned thing out while reaching for my octo. I'm more careful with my ziptying now)
1 inexpensive camera (not really "lost"...more like "jettisoned" during a rescue attempt)

Found: probably not a complete list, but some of the more notable finds
2 masks
7 snorkels
1 twin lamp, C-6 dive light (underwater for a considerable time...still works!)
1 pair booties (someone explain how THAT happened)
lots of clips and attachments (I thought those things were supposed to be secure so that OTHER things didn't get lost. Does NOT inspire confidence)

So far, I'm ahead of the "steady-state" theory, I think, but I hate to say that with upcoming dives looming on the horizon.

 

[mongodives]

found several lights, fins, clips and weights. So far been lucky haven't lost anything in the water but somehow end up not having everything when I get ready to pack the car to go diving. I think my garage eats dive gear.