I suppose everyone knows that you should have some sort of basic "save-a-dive" kit, but I thought perhaps a thread talking about my most recent experiences with one might help spur some thought on what people will put in their own kits and what they might need to know when it comes to using those items. I am prompted to write this because I recently spent a couple weeks of very nice recreational diving in a remote location with a somewhat unusual situation--the operator was having some problems with its primary location being moved, and we were warned ahead of time that if we had equipment problems, our options would primarily be fix it ourselves or rent gear from them.
Even though I have rarely had to make any repairs during a dive trip, I made sure I had a brought a decent kit with me, even though I had to carry everything in limited luggage space and weight. It turned out that I had more problems on this trip than ever before, and my kit came in handy.
Here is a list of what happened on my trip--nothing advanced in this list. A basic recreational diver should be able to handle any one of them to save a dive or two--can you? (What I brought fit easily inside an old dive mask case.)
1. On my first day of diving, I had more trouble with water in the mask than I am used to, and it got worse as the day went on. It was not until the 3rd dive that I took a good look and realized that the seal on my 20-year old mask was shot. Solution: pull out my backup mask and toss my old one in the trash. (Okay, that is not technically part of the kit, but the idea is the same.)
2. On the second day, we were packing up at the end of the day when I saw a bubble had developed in my primary regulator hose. The DM suggested a place in town where I could get a new one. I went there, and the retail staff of the store (which primarily sold gifts) did not know what a regulator hose was. They could sell me a new complete regulator set, but not a separate hose. A customer overheard the problem, and he took me to another place where I could get one. It was not the length I wanted, but it would work. I used my own wrenches to make the fix.
3. The next day, one of the other divers on the boat lost an o-ring for his DIN valve regulator. I gave him one from my kit, or he would not have been able to dive that day.
4. A few days later, when I set up my gear, the SPG hose was leaking badly where the SPG attaches. That is unusual--a leak there is usually in the form of a fine stream of bubbles that can often be ignored. Opening that connection takes two wrenches, which I had. I saw that the tiny o-ring in the SPG end of the spool had become dislodged. I used the pliers in my kit to take the spool out completely so I could check the other o-ring. The o-rings looked fine, so I just cleaned it up and put on new lubricant rather than replace the spool (which I also could have done). I put it all back together, and it was fine.
5. The battery on my computer showed a low charge. I replaced it and lubricated the o-rings in the battery section.
6. Setting up my gear, I noticed that the DIN shaft of the regulator was loose. A hex wrench twist took care of that.
Even though I have rarely had to make any repairs during a dive trip, I made sure I had a brought a decent kit with me, even though I had to carry everything in limited luggage space and weight. It turned out that I had more problems on this trip than ever before, and my kit came in handy.
Here is a list of what happened on my trip--nothing advanced in this list. A basic recreational diver should be able to handle any one of them to save a dive or two--can you? (What I brought fit easily inside an old dive mask case.)
1. On my first day of diving, I had more trouble with water in the mask than I am used to, and it got worse as the day went on. It was not until the 3rd dive that I took a good look and realized that the seal on my 20-year old mask was shot. Solution: pull out my backup mask and toss my old one in the trash. (Okay, that is not technically part of the kit, but the idea is the same.)
2. On the second day, we were packing up at the end of the day when I saw a bubble had developed in my primary regulator hose. The DM suggested a place in town where I could get a new one. I went there, and the retail staff of the store (which primarily sold gifts) did not know what a regulator hose was. They could sell me a new complete regulator set, but not a separate hose. A customer overheard the problem, and he took me to another place where I could get one. It was not the length I wanted, but it would work. I used my own wrenches to make the fix.
3. The next day, one of the other divers on the boat lost an o-ring for his DIN valve regulator. I gave him one from my kit, or he would not have been able to dive that day.
4. A few days later, when I set up my gear, the SPG hose was leaking badly where the SPG attaches. That is unusual--a leak there is usually in the form of a fine stream of bubbles that can often be ignored. Opening that connection takes two wrenches, which I had. I saw that the tiny o-ring in the SPG end of the spool had become dislodged. I used the pliers in my kit to take the spool out completely so I could check the other o-ring. The o-rings looked fine, so I just cleaned it up and put on new lubricant rather than replace the spool (which I also could have done). I put it all back together, and it was fine.
5. The battery on my computer showed a low charge. I replaced it and lubricated the o-rings in the battery section.
6. Setting up my gear, I noticed that the DIN shaft of the regulator was loose. A hex wrench twist took care of that.
