KISS Theory - Is Less Really More?

[Mike Boswell]

We divers are acutely conscious of safety, and we routinely hear about incidents and accidents. We talk a lot about safety and every visit to the dive shop is a tour of every imaginable safety device and gadget. Many divers carry redundant gear and miscellaneous safety items galore.

But ... does all that stuff really make us safer?

 

[redacted]

Within reason and assuming the diver is capable of using these devices to their advantage, I expect it does.

I choose to carry various gadgets under certain conditions for safety and redundancy purposes. But I do occasionally dive solo and that tends to dictate a few extra things that might not be necessary for buddy diving. I also carry some of those gadgets when buddy diving as an opportunity to practice their use under fairly safe conditions.

 

[PfcAJ]

I certainly think there is trend for divers to carry way too many trinkets. Imo, carrying all that stuff takes thought away from diving and seeing the sights and instead places it on all the gadgets and gizmos.

The more complex the dive, the more stuff is needed, but thats the trade off. But not every dive needs all that.

I do not think that carrying an abundance of "redundant" gear makes a diver safer. A safe diver knows the limitations of his skills, experience, and equipment and plans the dive (and executes it) accordingly.

 

[TSandM]

I don't know. But I look at each individual dive and try to think what the most likely hazards of that dive are, and carry what I need to mitigate those risks. So, for example, if I'm diving off a resort boat, I carry a variety of signaling devices, because losing the boat is a real risk. If I'm shore diving in a low current site, I won't have many or most of those things with me.

I am satisfied that my basic equipment setup gives me enough redundancy for each type of dive I contemplate, so it's just the things like audible and visible signaling devices that vary.

 

[halocline]

I think the hogarthian approach to diving has explored this issue in a systematic way. There's a line each diver has to draw between carrying (and rigging) safety gear and keeping simplicity as a safety feature itself. It's pretty important to evaluate the dive environment you're in and carry only gear that's appropriate for that environment, or have a specific reason (i.e. training) for extra gear.

However, by FAR the most important factor in dive safety is diver behavior and awareness, not gear selection. Unfortunately, I'm sure some divers try to substitute redundant gear for sound judgement. I've done that on occasion myself, so I'm not throwing any stones.

 

[elmer fudd]

Very few of us dive with an absolute minimalist rig. If you've got an octopus, then you're packing some extra gear.

The real minimalist divers were the ones of the early vintage era. No octopus, no BC, no SPG and a tank strapped directly to your back. I was reading in "Basic Scuba", (1960 edition), the other day and one of the things it listed were the conditions for when you need to have a depth gauge with you. Now that's minimalism!

 

[Kingpatzer]

There is a balance between logistical complexity and potential utility. You can do every dive with triple redundancy on everything including the tanks. You can carry spar fins clipped off on your BC if you want. Of course such a level of extra gear doesn't do much for safety at all.

Ultimately, in my mind, there are only a few things that are needed for safety and sufficient redundancy. In my mind the things I want to have with me on every dive are:

1) signaling devices
2) cutting tools
3) redundant regulator
4) spare mask

For dives that involve something beyond unfettered access to the surface then

5) bail-out gas
6) reel and line.

become necessary.

Then there's specialty equipment, such as cookies, which are absolutely necessary in certain environments.

You want to have the gear you need for any reasonably foreseeable emergency. But the list of things that can go wrong really isn't that big. It's just that the things that can go really wrong tend to end really badly.

 

[Hammerhead]

Very few of us dive with an absolute minimalist rig. If you've got an octopus, then you're packing some extra gear.

The real minimalist divers were the ones of the early vintage era. No octopus, no BC, no SPG and a tank strapped directly to your back. I was reading in "Basic Scuba", (1960 edition), the other day and one of the things it listed were the conditions for when you need to have a depth gauge with you. Now that's minimalism!

Sorta like this, then...

...actually, there's an spg visible. Oh, the shame

 

[elmer fudd]

Sorta like this, then...

...actually, there's an spg visible. Oh, the shame

You've got some stuff on your wrists too. Better watch out, looks like you're on your way to becoming a Christmas tree.

 

[Hammerhead]

Sorry, watch and an oil-filled 1960's gauge. Time to get out the tinsel