What do you put in pocket shorts?

[Compressor]

Hi: For those diving with pocket shorts, what do you put in your right and left pockets? Pocket shorts are used by many divers when using BP/W although not exclusively.
Sorry if this has been covered before, but I did search and did not see the topic.

For myself:
Left: mask
Right: Car keys in little case, waterproof notebook, SMB with spool

Probably not doing it correctly hence reason for the post.

 

[boulderjohn]

What difference does it really make?

I used to dive with an agency whose instructor insisted on standardization of what went into each pocket on a dive. The reasoning was this. An emergency could arise in which you are unconscious and unable to aid in your evacuation from that emergency. Items that people carry might be useful in that emergency. Your teammates may have exhausted their own pocket resources and need to use yours. If they don;t know which pocket you keep what in, they might waste precious seconds looking for it.

They never mentioned what to do if Martians attacked during that process. I found that a curious lack of planning.

I decide before a dive what I want to carry in my pockets during a dive. I then decide what pockets they will go in. If I ever get in the scenario above, I will happily accept death as a more than happy trade off for the years I spent happily doing what I wanted rather than following some protocol that makes sense to someone else but not to me.

 

[tbone1004]

https://www.gue.com/files/nov2006changes.pdf

good place to start. I do commit to the left=utility i.e. plan on using, right=safety i.e. not planning on using and what actually is in each depends completely on where I'm diving, what I'm diving, and what I'm doing

What it does not mean is what @boulderjohn just said and is to have my stuff in pockets so my buddy knows what's there. My pockets are for me, and left=utility, right=safety happens to make a lot of sense since I scooter and sometimes like to get stuff while on the trigger. If you're lefty, you may swap them, doesn't matter, just whatever is more comfortable.

what is interesting is that I have a similar paradigm with my normal pants/shorts. Left pocket usually has cell phone and anything in particular I'm taking with me *chapstick, etc* i.e. frequently used items. Right pocket has wallet, pocket knife, and keys which are infrequently used items

 

[Compressor]

What difference does it really make?

Maybe it doesn't. That's why I am asking.

 

[Compressor]

GUE's position from link above:
"
Standardized equipment placement for diver’s pockets
The lack of standardized placement for equipment stowed in a diver’s pockets continues to create confusion among dive teams and may be considered a hazard during emergencies in which a dive buddy needs to assist an incapacitated or troubled diver.Therefore, GUE has agreed to standardize the placement of equipment in a diver’s pockets. While it is understood that arguments might be made on all sides it has been agreed that the diver’s left pocket will hold “utility” equipment while the right pocket should hold “safety” equipment. This convention allows divers to become familiar with placement which will best serve them in all diving scenarios. For example, a diver using a scooter can access “utility” items while scootering. Utility items include but are not limited to a primary SMB, double end clips, stage carry loops, jump spools etc.; safety items include a reserve SMB, spare mask, safety spool, wet notes etc."

 

[Snoweman]

GUE's position from link above:
"
Standardized equipment placement for diver’s pockets
The lack of standardized placement for equi
pment stowed in a diver’s pockets continues
to create confusion among dive teams and may be considered a hazard during
emergencies in which a dive buddy needs to as
sist an incapacitated
or troubled diver.
Therefore, GUE has agreed to standardiz
e the placement of equipment in a diver’s
pockets. While it is understood that arguments
might be made on all sides it has been
agreed that the diver’s left
pocket will hold “utility” equi
pment while the right pocket
should hold “safety” equipment. This conventi
on allows divers to become familiar with
placement which will best serve them in all di
ving scenarios. For example, a diver using
a scooter can access “utility” items while scoo
tering. Utility items include but are not
limited to a primary SMB, double end clips, stag
e carry loops, jump spools etc.; safety
items include a reserve SMB, spare
mask, safety spool, wet notes etc."

A little editing would go a long way for readability...

 

[Compressor]

A little editing would go a long way for readability...

Agree.
Thanks for pointing my error. Copy/paste did a bad job.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Actually, GUE's original pocket configuration is UTD's current standardization of Right/Utility - and Left/Emergency items such as spare mask, back-up cutter & Safety Spool etc (i.e. Back when Andrew Georgitsis was technical training director of GUE -and who wrote the original GUE Fundamentals training regimen- before leaving to start his own agency of UTD), and that's the way I learned it in Fundies back in 2001, retaining that configuration throughout advanced technical wreck training and penetration dives over the years:

Your corded canister primary light head is on your left hand; your right hand is free to work in & out of your Right Utility Pocket as needed for line markers/arrows/clips, wet notes, Spools, DSMB, bottle/DPV leash etc. The Left Pocket holds spare mask, safety spool etc -typical items that you will be deploying immediately in a contingency and not be stowing back into the Left Pocket i.e.-If you lose your mask, you only have to temporarily clip-off your Primary Light Head and reach under & past any deco/stage bottles once with your left hand to get to your spare mask in the Left Pocket. Same with a lost line contingency: clip-off your Light Head, reach into your Left Pocket for the Safety Spool, put the Light Head back on your left hand and perform a lost line search. However, if the Left Pocket is the Utility contents then you would be inconveniently clipping/unclipping taking-off/putting-on your Light Head and "hand-cuff'd" by any deco/stage bottles getting in the way, working in & out of that pocket as many times with your left hand.

I can understand the justification for the current GUE standard configuration though, having total unfettered access to Emergency Contingency items in the Right Pocket with a free right hand -this is especially advantageous if you're the lead teammate running a primary penetration reel in the left hand along with your primary light head.

 

[runsongas]

spare mask, vinyl backup tables, shears, pocket snorkel on left. smb and spool on right.

 

[charlier]

I always leave my SMB and spool in the same left pocket, mostly for automatic muscle memory. Wet notes, used while surveying are always in right pocket. This keeps me organized and works for me.