New diver safety gear question

[Centexbear]

Guys...I am going on my first dive to Cozumel in two weeks.

I consider myself a pretty conservative, safe person and want to buy a few pieces of safety gear. For this first trip and until I get a better feel for what I want..at this point the only gear I have is mask, booties, snorkel and fins. I'll be renting my gear from Blue Angel in Cozumel.

There are a few pieces of gear I think I need and should take but I wanted to ask you pros first. My problem is I don't know how to carry this stuff on rental gear or what types of pouches/pockets, ziplines, etc to buy to be able to streamline and comfortably carry the safety gear.

Right now I'm thinking I need a safety sausage (I like the 7 ft. one from DAN), a signal mirror, a storm whistle and an LED light (I plan on doing at least one night dive) and have thought about the Intova 4.7W Cree light. Because I've read about Cozumel currents and drift diving, I've thought about a Dive Alert Plus horn (underwater and above water capable). I've also thought about 1 pair of stainless EMT shears.

I guess my problem is that I really don't know how to carry this stuff on a BCD and/or what type of clips, rings, zip lines, pouches, etc to purchase to support this safety gear on an unknown rental bcd/tank.

Or am I thinking too hard and need to relax? It's not that I'm scared or fearful, I just want to be safe and prepared in case of emergency.

What advice might y'all have for a newbie that will rent equipment for the near term? What accessories should I buy and how to I support this gear and tie it to me?

TYIA!

 

[H2Andy]

safety sausage, signal mirror, and light (for night dive) are good ideas

instead of the whistle, i'd suggest you just go for the Dive Alert horn; it's much louder

you can clip your light to a d-ring, preferably a shoulder d-ring; you can secure it with a rubber band at the bottom end

the safety sausage you can also clip to a d-ring, preferably a butt d-ring

the mirror can go in a pocket

the Dive Alert, of course, hooks up to your inflator hose

those are all definite must-dos, good thinking

 

[promocop]

Short and sweet with the dive boats in Cozumel....SAFETY ISSUES. Bring a sasuage because some of the dive boat ops are idiots, get your own regulator (my daughter rented gear there and freeflowed on two different occassions). Yes, bring a light, I dive DIR and so I dont add signal horns etc., The rest you can rent. Make sure YOU do a check out dive in the pool with the gear you are renting the day before and DONT TURST ANYONE with setting up and diving gear you have not eyeballed yourself.! I'm sure someone on this board will call me a troll for being paranoid...TOOO BADDD. I have had some iffy experiences with cozumel dive ops. It's a great place to dive. i'm going back for my fourth trip in three weeks. Love it there, but be WEARY and be safe!

 

[Centexbear]

safety sausage, signal mirror, and light (for night dive) are good ideas

instead of the whistle, i'd suggest you just go for the Dive Alert horn; it's much louder

you can clip your light to a d-ring, preferably a shoulder d-ring; you can secure it with a rubber band at the bottom end

the safety sausage you can also clip to a d-ring, preferably a butt d-ring

the mirror can go in a pocket

the Dive Alert, of course, hooks up to your inflator hose

those are all definite must-dos, good thinking

Andy, how do you secure the light at the bottom end with a rubber band? Where do you tie it off? A clip on one send securing to a d ring and a rubber band doing what exactly? Sorry, I'm having a hard time visualizing it.

The mirror in a bcd pocket? Do the pockets have zippers on them typically?

 

[H2Andy]

usually pockets do have zippers or a velcro fastener

as to the light, if you clip the butt-end to the d-ring, the "bottom" of the light (i.e. the glass lens) will swing free away from you and downwards

so what you want to do is use a rubber band to secure the "bottom" end tight to your BC. you can cut the rubber band and then re-tie it around some part of your BC, usually one of the two straps running down from your shoulders to the waist, and then slip the bottom end of your flashlight in there

 

[Centexbear]

ahhh gotcha. awesome..thank you!

 

[H2Andy]

sure thing, bro

 

[helimvee]

Centexbear, You asked a very good questions and rec'd good advice. You may also want to check with the shop you did your instruction with to see if they can help with configuring your safety gear.

Be prepared for those divers that will tell you that you don't need the SMB, knife, shears or whatever. Be polite and listen to what they have to say, but do what you feel comfortable with. You may never need the gear, but one day you might and it does no good sitting in your dive bag when you are in the water.

Do make sure that you practice with the gear and know how to use it underwater. That is where having your own BCD comes in very handy.

Have fun on your trip.

Promocop .... if you are a troll or paranoid, then I guess I am in the club too. I use my own gear and no one touches it.

 

[Centexbear]

OK, this week I got the DAN SMB, a storm whistle, a mirror, 2 sea dyes, SS shears, a Dive Alert and a small Princeton Tek Aqua Strobe.

Got a little pouch to hold it all, some SS Snap bolts and some 5" zip ties to attach it to whatever rental bcd i'll get in mexico. I'll see how all this works out.

Very cool to have ScubaToys as one of my LDS's.

Thanks to everyone for the help and advice!

Jeff

 

[jbscuba]

One last thing, I hope you are checking your bag, they might take the shears at the airport security check thinking them a possible weapon. If you want you can secure your luggage with a lock. The newer ones have a TSA indicator on the bottom of them, so the security group can open it if they need to. This way your checked bags have a little more security, although no guarantees.