Shore dives setup

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Hands-free hiking...
I clip a double-ender to one of the fin straps, run the double-ender through the second strap, and clip off to either a chest/hip ring. (More clearance from the chest.) Another option that comes to mind is to slip the blades through a bungee around the tank for the hike, although I've not done this personally.
 
I really like the idea of the hand pump. Sometime I need to clean the boots of my dry suit, that will do the work. Also, could rinse the BCD right there instead of waiting to get home and get messy in the laundry room. Thanks for the tip
I'm able to rinse outside at home, but I do empty out the salt water (well, most of it) at the site so I don't forget to.
 
I do set up my gear before loading my car/truck to go shore diving. My tank and gear don't roll, because I use a backplate and wing. That saves time at the dive site.
 
fins clipped to BC

Most important advice in diving, but clip them to your chest strap or make a chest strap, and all diving apparatus already set up regs and all ready to walk
 
Most of us develop a system that works for the specific sites. I think the best advice is to go and watch how other divers are doing things at the sites you dive. Their local knowledge and experience can save you a lot of hassle.

I am not going to repeat the good advice already posted here. I will make one very strong suggestion. When doing shore dives it is crucial that you have a good signaling device if you need assistence. There have been several occasions where we only realized a diver had surfaced offshore and needed help when we heard their Whistle.

It is also vital that you know what type of surface traffic you may encounter and be prepared for it. Boats, fishermen, surfers etc all are factors you need to be prepared for.

Good diving ...
 
I'm able to rinse outside at home, but I do empty out the salt water (well, most of it) at the site so I don't forget to.
Our rinse system is pretty elaborate. I bought three, two liter bottles of water. We refill them at home and use them for a quick rinse at the tailgate of the truck.
 
Most of us develop a system that works for the specific sites. I think the best advice is to go and watch how other divers are doing things at the sites you dive. Their local knowledge and experience can save you a lot of hassle.

I am not going to repeat the good advice already posted here. I will make one very strong suggestion. When doing shore dives it is crucial that you have a good signaling device if you need assistence. There have been several occasions where we only realized a diver had surfaced offshore and needed help when we heard their Whistle.

It is also vital that you know what type of surface traffic you may encounter and be prepared for it. Boats, fishermen, surfers etc all are factors you need to be prepared for.

Good diving ...
Yes good advice. A little off topic, but of course it is wise to take accessories that you need for the site, maybe spares, but nothing you don't need. I rarely have my foldable snorkel along. Dive flag if near any boat traffic (or cops)-- not needed most of Nova Scotia. Dive Alert ("siren") if in nasty current areas. Basically at home I don't even look at what I'm bringing along since it's always the same stuff.
 
I put all my gear (except tanks & weights) into the hi-tech carrying case pictured below (after removing laundry). I like that I can hose off everything inside the hamper.

My regs, gauges & go-pro clone I carry in an old CD-case which then goes into the hamper. (for the youngsters, "CDs" were how we listened to music back in the stone age).

My weights I carry in one of those bags you get at conferences - they are sturdy bc they are designed to carry books etc. They do wear out, but between my wife & me, I'm set.

My save a dive stuff fills up a backpack. On the occasions I need the backpack, I just empty it out temporarily (easily done, bc everything is in plastic bags).

Similar to other folks, I sometimes clip my fins onto a large carabiner.

I dont assemble my kit until I get to the dive site. The hatchback trunk works as a platform. Your tailgate is even better.

As you can tell, I dont feel the need to buy stuff if I already have stuff that will do the job.

hamper.jpg
 
I don't like having tanks loose in the pickup bed. They can damage your gear rolling around as you drive, and in a crash they could be really dangerous. So I ratchet strap them vertically to the front of the bed. Delicate things go in the back seat. With the tanks secure, pretty much everything else just gets thrown in the bed of the truck -- fins, exposure gear, folding chair, plastic water jug, weights and belt -- whatever, just toss it in there. It looks like a fustercluck heap, but it works. If I ever get in a bad crash, my gear will end up looking like a yard sale, but at least the tanks won't go flying off and kill somebody.

Setting up the rig only takes a few minutes, so I usually do it on-site on the tailgate. I attach the tank(s) to the backplate, attach the regs, test everything, coil up the reg hose, and lay the whole rig tank-side down on the tailgate while I change into exposure gear. I do leave a bunch of 1lb and 2lb weights loose in the bed 24/7, since either myself or a buddy is often messing around with buoyancy/trim.

My save-a-dive kit consists of a bunch of cheap little $5 mesh bags from DGX. One mesh bag full of metal tools, extra wingnuts, and extra boltsnaps. Another mesh bag full of o-rings, lubricant, extra hoses, an extra SPG, neosporin, bandaids, and paper towels. Another mesh bag with an extra mask, extra 1st and 2nd stage regs. Another mesh bag with extra bungee, extra cave line, a lighter, extra zip ties, extra shears, extra knife, my old computer and its charging cable. And one of the red KUBI bags with extra drygloves and dryglove o-rings. Throw all of that in a good-size pink mesh backpack from the LDS. I used to bring all this with me when it was a 2 hour drive to the site. But since I moved a mile or two away from shore, it all stays at home in my shed most of the time.

I like to use a double-ended boltsnap to attach one fin to the other, clip them both onto my crotch strap's d-ring. Keeping them clipped at crotch level is very convenient for donning the fins in chest-deep water. But it's annoying walking on land this way, so carry them in hand until I'm close to the water, then clip them off, don my mask, and wade in. I tried one of those dedicated purpose fin/mask strap thingies and it did the job, but was not as easy, and had a lot more components dangling about during the dive. Once my fins are on, I just have a bare double-ender to clip off somewhere, which comes in handy every now and then if we find a beer can underwater.

Edit to add: if you have a chrome bumper, make sure you give it a bit of a rinse when you're done. I didn't do that, and now my bumper has vertical streaks of rust from repeated saltwater exposure. It's not rusting through or anything, but it's a little ugly. It's not the ugliest part of my truck, so I haven't bothered to buff it off. But if your truck is still pretty, you'll want to be rinsing the bumper :)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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