Every Dive Carry - what gear do you bring on every dive?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Rearviewmirror

ScubaBoard Supporter
ScubaBoard Supporter
Messages
170
Reaction score
193
Location
Washington DC
# of dives
25 - 49
I've been reflecting a bit on what I take into the water (and also on how I can pare down what I bring so I can use my travel BCD more often which doesn't have anywhere near as much space in it) and I thought it might be interesting to see what folks bring with them on dives. I couldn't see a similar thread, but happy for this to be merged if my search skills failed.

The goal here is to exclude all gear without which a dive wouldn't typically be carried out (regulator, mask, fins, BCD, exposure protection, dive computer, save a dive kit) and only list off what could be considered supplemental gear - cutting devices, lights, emergency signalling equipment etc.

I'm not really sure where this thread will go, hopefully not into a flame war, but I would be interested to get a sense of what divers bring in the water every time. I'm going to split my own list into "always" and "sometimes" and list out the conditions for the sometimes. and before I get accused of being a Christmas tree diver, all of this fits in my BCD pockets, with the exception of the primary dive light which I have on my left shoulder D-ring snugged down with some bungee). That said, happy to take critique if people think this is overkill - I tend to subscribe to the "better to have it and not need it" approach.

Always:
  • Spare mask
  • DSMB, spool w/ 50ft of line, double-ender
  • Primary light (Kraken NR-1500)
  • Tiny backup light (XTAR D20) - in case of emergency for signalling or if primary fails/someone needs a light
  • Signal mirror and storm whistle
  • Wetnotes and pencil
  • PLB (ACR ResQLink)
  • Eezycut trilobyte
  • Trauma shears
  • GoPro (only take it out if something rare or interesting happens)
Sometimes:
  • Wide-angle video light Big Blue AL2600 (nice to have for night dives or fill in light for shooting)
 
I don't do any diving that requires decompression stops.

If I did, I might take more stuff.


  • DSMB, spool w/ 50ft of line, double-ender
  • Primary light (Orca Torch)
  • Storm whistle
  • inReach Mini
  • Eezycut trilobyte
  • Fox Technoreef dive knife
  • SeaLife camera
 
This is for simple rec diving, in various conditions

- 2x dive lights, one on each shoulder strap (thinking about picking up a video light for night dives)
- DIR-style steak knife on the waist strap, tip rounded off with a Dremel
- Trauma shears on the waist strap
- Pre-assembled DSMB with a small finger spool and double-ender, in a mesh bag attached to backplate
- One extra double-ender in a suit pocket (sometimes useful for things like beer cans)
- A second extra double-ender to clip my fins together (shore diving only)
- Storm whistle in a suit pocket
- Signalling mirror in a suit pocket (high current / navigation risk only)
- An eezycut trilobte (cold water only, it's attached to my drysuit)
- My lucky fork in a suit pocket (warm water only)

When shore diving, I keep a bottle of O2 set up and ready to use in the bed of my truck. That is an AL40 with an O2-clean 1st stage hooked up to a RescuEAN pod. Next to it are two pairs of latex gloves, a breathing mask for a conscious victim, a breathing mask for an unconscious victim, O2-clean hoses, and simple instructions.

I keep a spare mask with a snorkel in the truck / boat. I used to take it with me, but it's never come up, and my silicone mask strap just doesn't seem like they will ever break, so I stopped bringing it on every dive. If I'm diving in conditions where I think the snorkel might be useful (choppy surface, very long surface swim, high winds, high current), I bring it in a suit pocket.

I also have a save-a-dive kit with spare reg parts, spare regs, spare hoses, spare o-rings, spare computer, spare compass, spare dryglove parts, spare drysuit neck seal, spare mask strap, hand tools, zip ties, cave line, bungee, various boltsnaps, dramamine, pseudoephedrine, tylenol, various bandages, triple antibiotic, etc. This doesn't take up much space, and is enough to fix just about every issue I've encountered. I bring it on boats, or leave it in the cab of my truck. Just about any fin strap on the market can be replaced by a mask strap + zip ties. I've fixed 2 other divers' fins this way on dive boats. Thick bungee also works for a lot of fins.
 
Apart from training dives, my dives are always in the ocean/gulf or in an aquarium.

For the aquarium dives, it depends on the job. Mostly it’s cleaning tools of some sort. Other times, I’m wearing a costume and part of a show. The only extra gear required is a Spare Air.

For fun dives, I’m usually hunting. So apart from the standard including computer I also bring the following:
  • SMB and reel
  • Knife
  • EMT shears
  • Light
  • GoPro
  • VHF radio
  • Shark Shield
  • Backup computer
The following will vary based on what I’m targeting (Lionfish or other)

Other
  • Speargun
  • Spare shafts
  • Light mounted on gun
  • Fish dispatcher (short sharpened poker)
  • Stringer
Lionfish
  • Polespear
  • Lionfish container
 
My EDC List:
  • one forty-five caliber automatic
  • two boxes of ammunition
  • four days' concentrated emergency rations
  • one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills
  • one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible
  • one hundred dollars in rubles
  • one hundred dollars in gold
  • nine packs of chewing gum
  • one issue of prophylactics
  • three lipsticks
  • three pair of nylons stockings
🤠
 
In the US I mostly do solo drift diving in SE Florida. I take a flag in Boynton Beach, start the dive with the guide and flag in Palm Beach and Jupiter. I dive with a primary computer, backup computer, compass, SPG.
  • DSMB and finger spool
  • One light
  • Dive Alert
  • Trilobite
  • Titanium multi-knife
  • Nautilus Lifeline
  • Extra double ender
  • Camera
 

Back
Top Bottom