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

[Celt]

Just packing everything I need for tomorrow mornings dive.
Tank and reg with suit inflation and spg.
Mask, fins, snorkel and knife.
Suit, hood, gloves and weights.
Scooter with compass and camera.
Uwatec bottom timer.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Lots of good info so far on what gear to bring on every dive so I don't really have much to add to that. But I will mention some important items that I bring TO every dive since almost all of my dives here in the PNW are from my boat.. These items are on my boat........ (or in my truck if shore diving).

• AL-80CF Tank of 100% O2
• 100% O2 cleaned regset with optional 25ft LP hose to hang a weighted 2nd stage at 18ft.
• Rescue EAN POD 2 with Pocket Mask and High Concentration Mask

 

[Jimchris]

Wet notes with the DAN # along with my personal DAN info written in permanent ink on a page visible without having to open the notes.

 

[Beau Holden]

Always
Cave:
2 computers
line cutter attached to computer
line cutter on left side of harness
line cutter on right side of harness
shear on right waist webbing (also for storing long hose)
Primary light & two backups on harness & one in left dry suit pocket.
Wet notes in right pocket
spare mask in left pocket
2 jump / reels and markers
1 double ender on right D ring
1 double ender in right pocket
(if leading - one 200-ft reel)

Inland waters:
Same as cave
Delete - jump reels and markers

Ocean:
Same as cave and add DSMB - signal device & whistle)

Ocean / Great Lakes (wrecks):
Same as cave and ocean

 

[Catito]

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)

Mostly dive Florida or Caribbean drift or shore dives:

DSMB and reel
TG-6 (now on tray with Kraken 4000)
Slate and pencil
Flashlight
Compass

after reading comments, adding back in a whistle and cutter

 

[happy-diver]

These days shore

it's really

all about scooters

 

[GF99/99]

Here are the results so far:

View attachment 784334

I'm actually very surprised at how few people dive with a backup computer (or you could say do not dive with a backup computer). IMO this is a absolute must. Maybe even debatably #1 (unless were talking cave then potentially line cutter)

If you think about it if you were to loose any of the kit listed the only one that would really need to get out of the water safely is a backup computer. lets say worst case scenario your in an overhead environment it all goes to s**t your primary computer dies, you have 1hr. of deco left, you loose your buddy, break one mask and loose the other, all you lights die even your backups, etc. etc. etc. on the list but if you have you have a back up computer you can still safely exit. Follow the line out (even with no mask, no lights, etc this can be done) yes even with no mask you can still follow your computer deco plan, flashing yellow means your starting to brake your ceiling, red means your braking it so when you see yellow you know to stop and periodically you can test when to move up next (sorry speaking for Shearwater platforms, never dove with anything else but I am assuming other computers are similar).

 

[James79]

I'm actually very surprised at how few people dive with a backup computer (or you could say do not dive with a backup computer). IMO this is a absolute must. Maybe even debatably #1 (unless were talking cave then potentially line cutter)

If you think about it if you were to loose any of the kit listed the only one that would really need to get out of the water safely is a backup computer. lets say worst case scenario your in an overhead environment it all goes to s**t your primary computer dies, you have 1hr. of deco left, you loose your buddy, break one mask and loose the other, all you lights die even your backups, etc. etc. etc. on the list but if you have you have a back up computer you can still safely exit. Follow the line out (even with no mask, no lights, etc this can be done) yes even with no mask you can still follow your computer deco plan, flashing yellow means your starting to brake your ceiling, red means your braking it so when you see yellow you know to stop and periodically you can test when to move up next (sorry speaking for Shearwater platforms, never dove with anything else but I am assuming other computers are similar).

Most of us don't do deco dives... If my computer dies, I can just surface. I think most divers are in the same position.

Respectfully,

James

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I'm actually very surprised at how few people dive with a backup computer (or you could say do not dive with a backup computer). IMO this is a absolute must. Maybe even debatably #1 (unless were talking cave then potentially line cutter)

If you think about it if you were to loose any of the kit listed the only one that would really need to get out of the water safely is a backup computer. lets say worst case scenario your in an overhead environment it all goes to s**t your primary computer dies, you have 1hr. of deco left, you loose your buddy, break one mask and loose the other, all you lights die even your backups, etc. etc. etc. on the list but if you have you have a back up computer you can still safely exit. Follow the line out (even with no mask, no lights, etc this can be done) yes even with no mask you can still follow your computer deco plan, flashing yellow means your starting to brake your ceiling, red means your braking it so when you see yellow you know to stop and periodically you can test when to move up next (sorry speaking for Shearwater platforms, never dove with anything else but I am assuming other computers are similar).

Sometimes on my shore dives I don’t even have a computer. Max of 40’ cruising around the rocks, my time spent underwater is dictated by my air supply not by NDL.
At most I’m using an old bottom timer and sometimes not even that. As long as I have an SPG and a compass diving in a familiar spot not much else is needed.

 

[James79]

Sometimes on my shore dives I don’t even have a computer. Max of 40’ cruising around the rocks, my time spent underwater is dictated by my air supply not by NDL.
At most I’m using an old bottom timer and sometimes not even that. As long as I have an SPG and a compass diving in a familiar spot not much else is needed.

Yesterday I did a springs dive with where my computer was just for convenience logging it. Double 53's with a cheater bar manifold, pressure gauge ran straight off one of the tanks, and a Healthways SCUBA single stage DH reg. No octo, oral inflate only on the wing. If one of the tanks had a J-valve, I would have skipped the SPG.