My buddy and I are about to head to Curacao for our first experience with shore diving. We will be driving to various dive sites and are unsure about what to do with car keys, drivers license, credit card or cash (enough for a beer or two after the dive) while we are diving. Can't leave it in the car, so I assume it has to go in the water with me. Can anyone recommend a dry case or bag just big enough for the essentials that is actually waterproof? Or is there a better approach? Thanks!
Dry Bag or Case?
- Thread starter JW13
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Advice is take as little as possible with you.
Dont take more than the minimum cash with you and leave that in the car. Dont take a card. If you have to take a driving licence (check local laws) hide it somewhere in the car. All i'd take on a dive with me is the car key.
Waterproof boxes or dry bags are bulky, heavy and not really designed to be submerged to more than a few feet.
My advice is get a non electronic car key and take only that with you.
Another option maybe what we do in Malta. If theres a local bar/cafe near the place leave everything with them (tip them for this) and take nothing in the water with you.
Dont take more than the minimum cash with you and leave that in the car. Dont take a card. If you have to take a driving licence (check local laws) hide it somewhere in the car. All i'd take on a dive with me is the car key.
Waterproof boxes or dry bags are bulky, heavy and not really designed to be submerged to more than a few feet.
My advice is get a non electronic car key and take only that with you.
Another option maybe what we do in Malta. If theres a local bar/cafe near the place leave everything with them (tip them for this) and take nothing in the water with you.
shoturtle
Contributor
You can get a small otter box 3000 series, they are rated for 110ft. they are pretty small, just a little bigger then an ipod. You can clip it to your bc's d-ring.
Saltwater Junky
Contributor
Agree take just a key. Its less to get in the way or to be concerned about during the dive. Make sure the key you take is the one that'll unlock the car. I once had taken the ignition key by mistake and luckily my buddy was an expert car thief.
Bubbletrubble
Contributor
A cheap alternative to an otterbox is...an empty handheld dive light. A 4-C battery light could be used for this purpose. I've used the UK SL4 light for this. There's plenty of room for keys and paper money but probably not a driver's license. The O-ring keeps everything dry inside. It's easily mountable to a D-ring. Just make sure that it's securely anchored with a metal clip or split-ring, since things shoved inside a BCD pocket can "float away" if the pocket isn't closed properly.
I've never been to Curacao, but I have been to nearby Bonaire. Petty theft is a pretty big deal there, and most car rental companies ask that you leave no valuables in your car and keep the doors unlocked during dives. At least this will save you/them from the hassle of getting the insurance company to pay for a smashed window (or two).
While in Bonaire, we just put the non-electronic car key on a split-ring. I generally stash a few guilders in my swimtrunk pocket, knowing that everyone on the island accepts wet bills.
Have a great vacation.
I've never been to Curacao, but I have been to nearby Bonaire. Petty theft is a pretty big deal there, and most car rental companies ask that you leave no valuables in your car and keep the doors unlocked during dives. At least this will save you/them from the hassle of getting the insurance company to pay for a smashed window (or two).
While in Bonaire, we just put the non-electronic car key on a split-ring. I generally stash a few guilders in my swimtrunk pocket, knowing that everyone on the island accepts wet bills.
Have a great vacation.
seaducer
Contributor
To take some cash, a rental car key and possibly a drivers license, you can either get a waterproof box, they make some super small ones, I found one at a surf shop, or just use a zplock bag! Put the stuff in, stuff it in a pocket. Problem solved.
BTW all the shops and snacks in the NA take wet money so no worries if you don't want to waterproof...
BTW all the shops and snacks in the NA take wet money so no worries if you don't want to waterproof...
Great advice everyone, I do appreciate it!
I believe my plan will be to take only a car key, a couple of guilders and maybe a drivers license (if I conclude I need it for driving around the island) and put them in a ziplock bag in my BCD pocket. Skip the credit card. Leave the car unlocked. If the bag leaks, it's not the end of the world. I can still pay for a beer!!
I wonder if I really need that drivers license anyway....
I believe my plan will be to take only a car key, a couple of guilders and maybe a drivers license (if I conclude I need it for driving around the island) and put them in a ziplock bag in my BCD pocket. Skip the credit card. Leave the car unlocked. If the bag leaks, it's not the end of the world. I can still pay for a beer!!
I wonder if I really need that drivers license anyway....
seaducer
Contributor
Well, 15 days on Bonaire and I only saw the cops out driving once. I left mine behind but that is a risk you should consider on your own. My only other advice is to leave the windows down unless it happens to be raining. Theives might be more likely to smash a window than try the door...
emttim
Contributor
Usually, I just take the clicker off my key ring so nothing electronic is on it, then I attach my keyring with my carkey onto one of the D-rings of my BCD. The keyring gets rusted but it doesn't go anywhere; it's worked great so far. I leave everything else in the car which I doublecheck to make sure it's locked.
Disclaimer: I have never personally used one of these but I have heard that they work....
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