Safe Diving Kit (In-Water)

[Aquawookie]

Thanks to everyone who has replied, there are some items, like the apres dive baseball cap that are great. I should have thought of that one as I'm fair skinned and the little thatch left on the roof is red hair, sort of! I usually bet burned on top after the dive.

So, what else can yea think of?

Paul.

 

[kenlt]

Ok, I'm new at this (whopping 5 dives so far), and the answer is most likely "Depends on your BC/equipment combo, everyone is different" (ignoring DIR for the moment), however:

Where do you guys carry all this stuff? I am picturing someone standing on the shore getting ready to go in, completely covered in extra flashlights, shears, bouys, sausages, line, pony bottles, gauges, computers, reading material, a chair, some extra food, a small TV....

I know what all the stuff is, and why you'd want it, and would never argue not carrying it, but I can't imagine having every pocket full and every D-ring loaded up. How do you do it and stay remotely streamlined?

Thanks!

 

[MSilvia]

I always have several bandanas in my boat gear, and this may be just another use for that versatile item.

Ditto that. I almost always dive with a hood in local New England waters, but on vacation I often wear a large bandana during the dive to keep the sun off my often-bald head. In a pinch, it could also make a handy triangular bandage, etc.

Here's my safety kit. For kenlt's benefit, I'll also say where/how I keep everything.

I have a 50lb SMB with a 100' spool stowed in my backplate for drift dive/deco situations and for use as a lift bag or last ditch bouyancy device should one be needed.

I keep a loud whistle attached to a small safety sausage for surface signaling attached to my harness with quick-release velcro.

I have a photon torpedo backup light clipped to the chest D-ring on each side of my harness by a bolt snap tied to the bottom of the light. Both are secured with a loop of bicycle innertube at the opposite end so they don't dangle.

I carry EMT shears on the belt of my harness in a simple sheath, and plan to redesign the sheath so it can hold a small knife as well. I carry or wear a backup timing device in addition to my wrist mounted computer or bottom timer. In low visibility conditions, I also carry a 165' reel clipped off to a waist or crotch D-ring.

On deep dives, I wear a drysuit for redundant bouyancy, keep contingency decompression profiles on my wrist slate, and use manifolded double tanks so they can be isolated and/or shut down in case of regulator/valve failure. I'll also carry a backup mask and jon line in a drysuit leg pocket if doing any decompression. The drysuit also has light/radar reflective patches.

I plan to add an AOL CD as a signal mirror to be carried in my drysuit pocket, and a white Glo-Toob strobe.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Here's a couple of links that GoBlue! posted on a similar thread. Pretty good reading.

http://www.tabula-international.com/DIV/SMB3.html

http://www.jeanelaine.co.uk/diveraids/experiment.htm

 

[Aquawookie]

Thanks 3dent those links were great. Just the kind of thing I wanted. Keep em coming everyone.

Thanks again all,
Paul.

 

[Aquawookie]

Hi KenIt,

In answer to your question, most of this gear will fit in BCD pockets or clipped to the D rings on your BCD. I should point out that responces from people with "tool kits", like lift bags and reels, tend to be from people who are using back plate/wing style BCD's. This configuration gives lots of options to store stuff and is used by divers in more challenging diving locations. That being said I believe you can never be too prepared for problems.

I use the thigh pockets of my dry/wet suit to store light weight stuff and the BCD pockets to carry the heavier stuff, but thats just me. If you do it right you can still be streamlined with nothing dragging in the sand. You just have to look at your gear and figure out what goes where.

The purpose of this thread was to see what people carry and to act as a showcase and idea bank so people could think about what else might be usefull.

So far so good, everyone. Please keep the ideas coming.

Thanks again,
Paul.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Ok, I'm new at this (whopping 5 dives so far), and the answer is most likely "Depends on your BC/equipment combo, everyone is different" (ignoring DIR for the moment), however:

Where do you guys carry all this stuff? I am picturing someone standing on the shore getting ready to go in, completely covered in extra flashlights, shears, bouys, sausages, line, pony bottles, gauges, computers, reading material, a chair, some extra food, a small TV....

I know what all the stuff is, and why you'd want it, and would never argue not carrying it, but I can't imagine having every pocket full and every D-ring loaded up. How do you do it and stay remotely streamlined?

Thanks!

Most of it fits in a small carry on that can be stored in the overhead compartment...

Actually,

flashlights - small ones in pockets, larger ones clipped on
shears - pockets or sheaths, they're thin
buoys and sausages - rolled up in a pockets or bungied onto the bc or bp
line - clipped on
pony bottles - attached to primary tank or clipped onto harness
gauges - clipped on
computers - clipped on or on the wrist
reading material - in a pocket
a chair - you need the compact fold away kind
some extra food - eat it before you splash
a small TV - I prefer large screen, if you get a flat screen it's more compact...

You can find places for everything, and as you dive more you'll figure out what's best for you and where to put it. And, as already mentioned, watch other divers. You'll see some good places to put stuff and some not so good places.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

lights-I carry my PCa either in a pocket or clipped to a d-ring. It's a danglie, but I like having the clip long enough to use the light while it's still attached. My bigger Pelican light is around my wrist, and then held in between the two shoulder straps
knife-on a couple grommets on my bc pocket, left side
sausage-in a pocket
whistle-ziptied under the inflator hose
everything else-in a pocket
tv-can't stand a small one, so I clip a 50" widescreen to my back dring

 

[Robert Phillips]

In Dry Suit pockets:
wetnotes/signal mirror and whistle in cover
SMB w/spool
spare spool
EMT shears

On harness:
Backup light
knife

And something most forgot:
My buddy and everything he is carrying

Dive safe,
dive often.
Robb

 

[Hickdive]

This is an interesting review of diver location aids:

http://www.jeanelaine.co.uk/diveraids/results.htm