What is scuba diving's orange shovel?

[Damselfish]

As far as the tank bangers they tend to be in the way of plopping your tank/gear setup in some tanks racks on boats, and if you have to move them from tank to tank it's a nuisance, just one more thing. And they seem to break pretty easily. But if if they work out for you, cool. I sort of liked the idea once but just found it not to be practical. (For some people it is the noise though, most folks like quiet underwater unless it's really necessary.)

 

[superstar]

Nqw, having a tank banger takes away the only excuse you have for that pig sticker on your leg ... banging on your tank with the pommel.

Thats why I have the pig sticker, It's not like I need to cut or stab anything with it.

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

The reality of us newbies who haven't had the pleasure of meeting fine folks like y'all first, is that we seriously get raped by our dive shop. Now that I have been learning what works and what doesn't, I am looking at spending more money, however, in the long run, it will make my diving better and easier. So, anyone want some like new TUSA gear, let me know! It sounds like all of us have had our moments, and alot of regrets! Live and learn!

Thanks for the laughs! This thread has been a riot!

Ps...I use my pig sticker against LANDSHARKS!!

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Whistle attached to d-ring . . . mea culpa!

the K

I'm a member of the "Orange whistle attached to d-ring" Club too.


I feel so dirty now.

 

[reefduffer]

As far as the tank bangers they tend to be in the way of plopping your tank/gear setup in some tanks racks on boats, and if you have to move them from tank to tank it's a nuisance, just one more thing.

Yep & yep. But if you're moving your BC & reg, it just becomes part
of the drill. And even if you forget, fairly easy to fix. And I've seen it stretched
by the tank rack, but not actually in the way. Maybe I haven't seen all
the styles of boat tank racks, I guess I'd give it up if I were on a boat
where it just didn't work.

And they seem to break pretty easily.

I've been wondering about that. Still waiting to see my first broken one.
I'm sure it will happen. Fin and mask straps break, too, and we still
use them.

But if if they work out for you, cool. I sort of liked the idea once but just found it not to be practical. (For some people it is the noise though, most folks like quiet underwater unless it's really necessary.)

That's what I was looking for, some insight about safety (as Vtdiver2 said),
or ecological damage (littering the reef with scuzballs), or interfering with
other divers' experience of the dive. With all you experienced folk dumping
on them, I thought I might be overlooking some reason to not use them
that outweighs their practicality to me, and if so, I want to understand that.

As I said in my OP, there's enough talk here about rattles and horns (and pig
sticker pommels on tanks) that I don't see the noise polution angle. And it's
not like I'm using it continuously, or for that matter, close enough to other
pairs of divers for them to hear it. I still have an open mind on the noise,
but remain unconvinced.

I don't really care about looking dorky or different, but I do care about
safety, the environment, and the rights of others, and I'm very aware that
there's plenty about diving and equipment I don't know. This board seems
like a place to improve that. Teach me.

 

[Hemlon]

Hi, I'm Donna and I love my tank banger.

 

[JGBrown]

I really think that the phrase "If you don't need it, don't take it" covers most of the orange shovel stuff. Use what works and cut out the frivilous stuff that collects scum in your gear bag.

This thread seems to have gotten way off track, my intention was to find out what gear I don't need, therby saving money for gear that I do. I was hoping for some clear answers as to the frivilous stuff so that I can avoid getting it in my gear bag in the first place, and that way have more of my budget left for things that are useful and needed.

 

[under water]

I did witness a tank banger that accidentally propelled itself across the boat deck and hit in the rear end, a diver bending down (curiously built like a tank). Re-invented the meaning of "tank banger". Laughs all around.

Regarding "What you need"
That should be covered in your OW class. The rest is accessories and their need depends on the type of diving you will be doing.
If you don't dive in dark places or at night you don't need a light.
If you dive from a boat, you will want at a minimum a whistle and probably an smb.
Some kind of tool for cutting is a good idea.

But don't worry, you will buy more than you need.

 

[Hemlon]

This thread seems to have gotten way off track, my intention was to find out what gear I don't need, therby saving money for gear that I do. I was hoping for some clear answers as to the frivilous stuff so that I can avoid getting it in my gear bag in the first place, and that way have more of my budget left for things that are useful and needed.

A thread off track in this forum?? OMG, say it isn't so!

 

[Divin' Dave]

JGB,
This weekend I'll do my 100th dive and I'm in the process of changing gear and spending a whole lot more money. We frequently make choices that with foresight would be different. It seems to me that you gear up according to the people you dive with. My wife and I are fortunate to have met some very kind and generous DIR folks who have influenced our new gear choices but there is no overwhelming reason that my prior standard LDS PADI approach was wrong or IMHO significantly inferior in safety or in having fun to the choices we're making now. So much great gear is available at reasonable prices (except for canister lights) that it's hard to go horribly wrong. Having fun is what it's about, far more than the gear choices.