safety gear...

[jon m]

o-k , i saw the thread on spare masks, so what else do you bring (in the water) on NDL dive? i have mask,whistle,sausage, knife and light on every dive , does anyone bring anything else? (tech divers, too? besides all that air you bring??!!?)
thinking of an extra knife, but when does redundant become "christmas tree" !?!?!?
-me

 

[H2OU]

I guess training and experience are the best tools - and they don't add to the "christmas tree" effect!

 

[scarefaceDM]

Hey Jon M

Well good question on the xmas tree. FIRST look at how you place or configure your Saftey gear. Where is it, can you reach it with eyes closed without hesitation. Most recreational dive BC's, have pockets. So one would assume you place some items in them. Which are hard to get to in a pinch because it is high on the body as opposed to on a leg. BUt in most cases. Alot of stuff is clipped where ever a D ring is. SO infact you are already a tree of sorts.

TO answer you saftey question. this is what I have. First I dive a BP/wing rig. Single tank, So no pockets. I do have pockets on my dry suit and a thigh pocket when I dive wetsuit.

Main gear, One cutting tool on my waiste strap, just left of my buckle, one SMB tucket behind my back in a backplate pocket with a spool reel attached for quick deploy, one Computer on my right wrist and also a bottom timer on the same wrist. One compass on the left wrist. In my left pocket. One spare mask and one finger spool. In my right pocket one slate and one Z knife tied to a bunggie and is easily deployed. I have two back up lights one on each harness which is tucked neatly under each arm. low profile and easily deployed. Plus a can light on my right side neatly tucked.

As this goes I am not a xmas tree and I have redundant gear for that Saftey factor. Plus I have a buddy as another redundancy. I have nothing dangling.

So to sum it up. One spare mask, one SMB, two backup lights one compass, one back up timer, one back up cutting tool. And a whistle in the right thigh pocket attached to a bunggie. Depending on the dive I carry the appropriate gear and it is all neatly stowed away.

Safe dives

 

[johnny_bravo]

It really depends on the diving you do...signalling gear like a mirror or a whistle should be a part of everyone's dive kit. Redundancy is not always necessary...for the type of recreational diving that I do losing a mask or experiencing a computer failure just means my dive is over and I ascend as slowly and safely as possible.

I would carry a secondary light on a night dive of course.

Cutting tools are another definite must and I could see a need for having a knife and maybe a pair of EMT scissors to cut fishing line.

It's easy to get gear-happy and have redundant everything and wind up looking like a christmas three. Spare gear should be left on shore or the boat to prevent losing dives.

Just my 0.02

-J.-

 

[SDAnderson]

For recreational dives close to shore in good conditions, I carry (and stow) a:

• Knife
• EMT shears
• SMB
• 100' spool
• Light
• Whistle
• Spare mask
• Gloves

 

[DandyDon]

In addition to your list: "(spare) mask, whistle, sausage, knife and light on every dive" I do carry a small signaling mirror. Sound doesn't carry as far as sight, but I do carry a STORM whistle and a Dive Alert Whistle, both. The Dive Alert is louder, if I am not out of air. I also carry a fold-up snorkel in a BC pocket, a small reel in the other. This is probably an excessive list, but doesn't take that much room, so I do.

On deeper dives beyond 50-60 ft or anywhere where I might get caught in a down current, I carry a slung pony. Good buddy skills are better, but so often I travel alone and get boat-pick buddies, so real doozies.

You could add more, but for recreational diving - nah.

 

[under water]

On boat dives I carry a mirror, strobe and foldable snorkel in addition to the stuff you already mentioned (mask,whistle,sausage, knife and light). Most goes inside the BC pockets; light, whistle & knife on outside. And I usually have a camera too, so what's a few danglies. No I don't carry spare batteries with me on the dive

I don't mind being a christmas tree. I'm not diving caves or wreck penetration yet and I don't think the dangly stuff will make me go through air much faster than I do now. I don't expect my boat to leave without me, but watching a great thread here a few weeks back on just that, I decided to add the mirror & strobe. I bought the reel, but am not sure if I would bring that too.

 

[do it easy]

I carry:
SMB and spool (left pocket)
spare mask (left pocket)
knife (waist strap)
wetnotes with whistle, mirror, and backup BT (right pocket)
bottle leash (I sometimes leave this) (right pocket)
EMT scissors (right pocket)
spare double enders (one of them holds the spare mask in the left pocket, other in the right pocket)
pair of backup lights (on harness)