Special thanks to @Tassie_Rohan, without his input on my other thread this one would not have existed.
I've tweaked my rig for the past 4 1/2 decades, being rather OCD I've tended to the smallest details such as the type and size of each clip and the best use of retractors, keeping in mind their inherent unreliability. Note that all retractors confirm to one of my 3 sacred retractor rules as per this thread:
I've been tweaking my dive gear set up for the better part of 4 decades. More than I probably need to, more than most divers probably do, especially for a recreational diver. But it's fun! A different sort of clip here, a larger one there, I'll never be able to click that double-ender open while wearing 5mm gloves... a snap clip will be easier and in that location not very likely to snag a piece of monofilament.. wait that brass bolt snap clashes with the chrome D ring, back in the box for you!
But leaving all those precious clips aside for a moment, in my heart there will always be a...
Recreational divers only, please feel free to post your own rig here to share your great ideas with other divers, feel free to critique mine and share thoughts, ideas comments & questions.
My rig will differ from many in that: If not diving with my wife or one of very few dive buddies I have learned to trust, I dive solo whenever possible. So in addition to redundant cutting gear, lights, and signaling devices that most recreational divers do not require, I carry a stony bottle on most dives, one reason being that a) I don't have an octopus on my first stage, and b) even on easy, shallow dives, you just never know when you might need it or c) want to extend a dive.
For a more detailed conversation about stony bottles please go here:
After decades of diving with a back mounted stony bottle (19cf and 30 cf) I made the switch to slinging it and I wish I had done so much sooner. With the back mount I could never get the trim right, either too much or too little lead in the opposite pocket to offset the bottle caused a roll tendency throughout the dive and the available weight increments on the charter boat often made it impossible to get just the right amount in that opposite pocket. Sometimes when I didn't require any weight such as no wetsuit and steel tank, I'd have to add up to 4 lbs to offset the bottle, which meant...
I wear an AI computer on each wrist (one for the stony bottle) so the only gauge is a small backup spg about the size of a nickel (the hose could be a bit shorter).
Mask, fins, snorkel, gloves, booties, save-a-dive-kit, tool kit and gear bag are not included, if you post your own gear you don't need to include those either.
Please refer to the attached photos with file names that correspond to this list. File attachments are limited to a maximum of 5 so I will have to spread them out over 4 posts.
A- Seaquest Balance rear inflate BCD with all gear less stony bottle & camera
B- rig + stony bottle + camera. Note the necklace for stony bottle regulator.
C- camera with tray clipped to upper D rings and also a 3rd ring to clip bottom of camera to waist strap during long periods of non-use. Also visible is lightweight red clip for computer storage between dives and rubber reg holder.
D- reel & SMB clipped to lower right D ring in front of weight pocket.
E- compass/slate/pencil/eraser, backup computer (both on retractors) & Nautilus PLB on coiled (green) lanyard. My input is that I take what is required for the dive. That involves careful planning and forethought with visualisation and that's how I do it. For example if I don't
