What is scuba diving's orange shovel?

[Mo2vation]

Why you gotta be such a hater?
i <3 Atomic

Oh yeah - spring straps and everything.

I wuz so biitchen'

---
Ken

 

[1_T_Submariner]

No hood in cold water and as others have said Dry snorkels.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

I have my console on a retractor. I don't see myself giving that up, anytime soon. As for dive T-shirts, what else are you going to wear? I like mine, even if they are getting faded... Hrmph...

The most glaring "orange shovels," IMO: Those elastic tank-banger thingies, color-coordinated gear, and in the water, that "delightful" feet-first trim that makes them look like they are trying to stand on a sidewalk, mid-water. Snorkels.

 

[Mo2vation]

Oh Oh Oh...

A shiney new giant log book - the cloth covered type with your LDS's logo silkscreened on the cover. The clear plastic inserts to proudly display all of your specialty cards adds bonus points. You get even more Orange Shovel credits if you have more than one pencil / pen and a calculator tucked into the back cover inside pocket. If the pen has your LDS's name on it, even more Shovel points...

I was such a dork....

---
Ken

 

[agilis]

The most consistent indicator is the fear of looking like a newby. If you are not a tyro, you don't give a fig what the legions of opinionated ignoranti may think.

Big knives worn ostentatiously are a fairly good indicator, as are divers with massive computer consoles diving in 50 feet of calm tropical water.

Opinions to the contrary notwithstanding, snorkels are good. The simpler the better. A large bore (no pun intended) a simple shape and design, no fancy features, purgeless if possible.

 

[brdr882]

Well I like my dive t-shirts from resorts. Possibly because I'm broke and can't really afford to travel so when I do I like to bring a shirt back that I can remember it with. As for the "pig sticker" every now and then I break out my "shark stabber" with its 8" blade but its not like I actually need it or have ever used it.

I have an impulse 3 snorkel that I wear when I dive with the shop as its part of the employee uniform. Personally I prefer no snorkel or having it in a pocket/slung onto my d-rings. Orange shovel in my opinion... the disposable waterproof camera. They just don't work in SCUBA; even funnier is the time I saw someone put it in the camera bucket on a dive boat in Aruba.

 

[Karibelle]

Any snorkle over $35

Except if it is like mine, which was about $35 but folds up and goes in my BCD pocket. :blinking:

Mesh backpack dive bag (OK OK... some of you WWW's use them. They're worthless in SoCal)

Except if it is like mine, which goes in my dive bag and comes out when I get to the destination (think www here) and then gets my all my stuff except my bcd in it to carry to and from the boat. :14:

I'd say MUCH worse is the great big dive bag that carries *everything* and then is left in the middle of the boat floor while everyone is trying to get geared up. Fine (I suppose) for "diving locally" but screams 'I'm the new guy' when it appears on the six-pack boat in the tropics.

 

[TimAZ]

Wet Suit lube
Mask Cleaner
Mouthpiece Condoms
Crappy scuba tool "swiss army knife" thing instead of real wrenches

 

[JGBrown]

MAN what an awesome question. Only problem is that it encompasses nearly everything a new diver walks out of the shop with.

Backpackers, but their very nature, tend to be minmalist. The opposite seems to be true of divers.

I've never found that to be true, what a backpacker carries might be minimalist at the time, thats just cause carrying it all is a pain. Chances are they've got 3 more in different colours at home
knives, sleeping bags, lights, tents, stoves.
different ones for different hikes
different times of year.
especially the ultralight packers, they have lots for different trip profiles.

 

[trtldvr]

Although not entirely useless.. A complete set of brand new color coordinated dive gear. Stay away from this person.

A couple with matching gear is a double whammy