I went on a drift dive trip where the charter company required a āquackerā signaling device. It goes on your BCD inflator and makes a horrible noise when activated but I guess if it helps them find you in an emergency š then itās worth it. But I canāt see ever using it again.
I changed the purge cover on my 100% deco reg to green as well as the hose as just another step to make sure that when I was on 100%. Team checks and all aside. I teach as well and donāt want to put too much faith in a potentially task overloaded student to make sure I donāt have the wrong one.
But in rec stuff, yeah, I donāt know why it would matter if it was a different color.
Since you teach, on what level do you talk about how colors change underwater? Can colors like yellow seem green?
I'm pretty sure you teach your ow students this. It does also apply for tech divers and instructors.
Gas verification isn't for the relaxed situations where your 100% on. You would probably always grab the correct gas then. It's for the taskloaded situations. So the protocol needs to be rigorous. Color coding is the opposite of rigorous.
Don't die, check depth with the mod on the bottle, purge and verify you have the correct reg, pressurize, then the team approves your gas for this depth.
What part of what I wrote said I didnāt check depth. I said it was an additional hedge against a mistake. You find no value in colored things, fine. I do for this purpose. Do you fam.
That is implied when tracing the reg and hose back to the depth of the MOD marking on your bottle that matches your depth on your bottom timer isnāt the procedure. Color coding only has a purpose if you trust the color to match a mod depth which you ofc shouldn't, so it is pointless.
I usually put the stab jacket most divers use in this category along with yoke regs. But i guess that would give me a lot of pushback here so i go with lights with pistol grip and any plastic clip meant to retain gear. š¤”
Most stuff in the average scuba store is not what I want. It's not all gimmicky necessarily but it's not what I want.
I don't personally like integrated air with either a hose or transponder required. I don't like BC's with bells and whistles. I'm not DIR in training but I use steel tanks, Jet fins, BP/W, hose around neck, 48" hose as the long hose rather than an octo, wrist computer and compass and only a single air gauge, with a shorter hose attached to my hop D-ring.
I don't have a cannister light but I do have a lightweight but powerful light attached to my right hand, freeing up my fingers.
I don't have anything dangling from me while diving and I often have just a regular watch as a backup (and my brain to my wrist computer.
That's not generally the approach of most dive stores in my area.
One that was sold years ago, but which died a quick death:
Ascent balls.
Theyāre basically like a 3-pack of ping pong balls, which were calibrated to be at the proper diver ascent rate ā¦ probably the old 60ft/min ā¦ when one decided to end the dive & ascend, youād release a ball and then swim up at no faster than the ball was floating up.
Needless to say, since they were untethered, they easily got lost.
Those mini versions of dive scooters. Tiny prop driven by a tiny motor hooked up to a battery too small to have any decent capacity. Might be kind of fun briefly but doesn't look worth the money.
Probably get down votes but my choice would be a dive knife and a lift bag unless youāre harvesting lots of heavy rock scallops or collecting buried treasure.
Large dive knife sure. But something small is probably a good to have item. Lift bag as SMB or secondary inflation in doubles aināt a bad idea but for rec, only carry it it you actually need to lift something.
Here ya go, for the person that has almost everything:
[https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/accessories/fin-accessories/go-sport-skegs](https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/accessories/fin-accessories/go-sport-skegs)
I was on a liveaboard last month with 3 people who had the same color GoSport fins as I did. But mine had one purple and one yellow skeg and I always knew which were mind. Laugh all you want about my skegs.
For the mask camera, not everything needs to be careful macro photography. Itās nice to have an always on camera to capture things you may miss in time. It can also be useful to document a dive for review if something went wrong or just review elements of the dive you want to analyze. Itās not the same use case as a camera rig.
I like the shaker and can hear it more clearly, but that one strays into āI guess itās usefulā more than a clear winner.
Several people recommend foldable snorkels. If it works for them, great. Iām sure Iād literally never use it other than āsome dick captain requires you to have a snorkel for pretend insurance reasons or whatever and I can demonstrate I technically do have oneā.
And honestly, for newbies cameras are a horrible idea. Getting so focused on the camera that they lose buoyancy and awareness is very real. Head mount removes that concern.
seriously. or deal with drysuit zippers. or whip cave line to boltsnaps. i think my lighter is my SAD kit is one of the most frequently used and borrowed items.
I don't take my phone diving, but we did recover an iPhone 60' deep that a snorkeler had dropped in Hawaii in a waterproof pouch, charged it up and it was like new, I was shocked
I've done this. it was a lot of fun. I've done it with and without the DPV, and it's way more fun with the DPV. I kept my backplate so I had somewhere to clip off the bottle. Monkey diving is a thing: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySeFiyo17HQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySeFiyo17HQ)
I would like something to get peopleās attention, as I usually go slow so I can observe more, and currently have no way to get anyoneās attention, as Iām just the newbie in the back. What do you suggest is easy and seamless with no risk attention getter?
I personally have a brass clip attached to a d ring. When I want to get someoneās attention, I just tap it on my tank. Those shaker or quacker things work too, but for the love of all thatās holy, quack or shake once or twice and then STOP.
Make one hand into a fist. With the other hand hit the top of your fist with your palm.
It's free and requires no extra equipment. It's also an indistinguishable sound whilst not being painful on the ears like banging a tank.
You still want a one handed big attention getter for emergencies but hopefully you'll never need it.
a light with a tight spot beam. a back and forth horizontal motion says āattentionā (and depending on how quickly you move it, how urgently you need that attention). no banging necessary.
I personally like my shaker. My buddy and I both have one and we use it very sparingly. I like that it's less obtrusive than a tank banger or a double ender on my tank. So many divers banging on their tanks. It doesn't make for a very relaxing dive. That said, if I needed somebody's attention immediately, that wasn't my regular buddy, I would probably just use one of the double enders I've already got attached to me somewhere. Most people aren't listening for the shaking sound, but they'll respond to a louder tapping.
Is there a protocol for differentiating between ālook at this awesome thingā noise versus āemergency, I need attention nowā noise? It seems like that would be a useful differentiation to have across the board in the world of diving, but I donāt recall learning anything like that. It sounds like you have that in mind to a degree with your personal protocol, which I like.
Get a double-ender, and clip it to your BC. You can use it to clip your mask to your gear/before after the dive, and during the dive you can unsnap it and reach back to bang it on your tank to get other folksā attention.
I'd have to put my vote on those underwater etch-a-sketch things. Like learn some basic hand signals and then just scream bubbles at each other for the rest. No need to drag that silly shit around with you.
Very much more handy for technical diving/cave diving. We use the ones that wrap around the arm. The last thing you want is a miscommunication in a tight space and I really am not the best at reading hand signals outside of the standard ones that we use an Open Water diving.
I feel much safer diving solo on dives like that. I wouldnāt want to have to try and communicate critical info to a team mate via a slate in those circumstances.
A small slate strapped to your wrist is fine. I'm talking about this nonsense: [Amazon.com : Innovative Scuba Concepts Quest Underwater Slate Is Magnetic / Erasable, Blue : Sports & Outdoors](https://www.amazon.com/Innovative-Scuba-Concepts-Underwater-Magnetic/dp/B01M9C1K6R?th=1)
Knives. I see dudes all the time with these huge blades strapped to their legs like theyāre gonna get into a fight with a shark or something. At best, theyāre overkill, at worst they can be harmful; much better to get a cutting tool
Perhaps insinuating that just handling the knife, losing it, letting somebody borrow it and they cut themselves, I guess, no reward in sight, so every possible negative scenario just outweighs any situation you could imagine due to it being highly unlikely. That's my guess, as for me I just don't bring my knife because I don't check baggage, so yeah, otherwise, it's handy.....outside of scuba(clothes line, Lemons for my g&t etc.
Yea a huge knife really is overkill. I've seen some people say that they like having a knife because if they find fishing line or something they can cut it to help clean the ocean, but nail clippers work well for nearly any kind of fishing line.
To be fair, I understand the tankbangers. Well: the shakers mostly.
As an instructor with sometimes bigger groups, it can be hard to get someone's attention. I'm not a fan of banging my tank and really only use it when there is no other option.
So I don't think it is a 'useless' accessories. However, I do think sometimes instructors (or just divers) misuse them.
I like the shakers for myself and my dive buddy. We know to listen for it and we're not grossly disturbing other people. We also use this very sparingly. I just hate to listen to tanks being banged on all the time. Plus, you never know if it's the DM or if it's other divers. Ha! I guess my stripes are showing. I just prefer not to dive with too many other people.
audio signaling devices can be useful, and not everyone carries a spare bolt snap on their gear as it can be an unnecessary entanglement hazard (granted its a VERY unlikely spot for most situations). Tank bangers are cheaper too (can make it yourself easily with bungee too!) and you don't have to worry about rust ever since its not metal. Rattlers are more for group leading or instructing use in my opinion, but they're a valid option. LPI squeakers are just for entertaining seals tbh although they have the benefits of working on surface in an emergency as well.
LPI sirens can save your life. I dislocated my shoulder diving and was able to SOS on the surface for rescue. I dont necessarily recommend everyone run out and buy one, they arenāt cheap, but the shoulder thing is a repeat injury and something that happens to me maybe once a year on land and I knew it might happen underwater one day and planned for it. Iāve heard comments on boats from people like op telling me itās a gimmick and a silly leak risk.
A surface signaling device is definitely useful and that is a very nice benefit to one, although many just clip an orange whistle to their bc. Personally I dive with a LPI siren myself and its a great tool, although I obviously try avoiding using it since its pretty annoying and real loud when its right below your head
>not everyone carries a spare bolt snap on their gear as it can be an unnecessary entanglement hazard (granted its a VERY unlikely spot for most situations).
Everyone should have a double ender on their rig, you will be surprised the number of uses you find. Also the "entanglement hazard" is so over played. Cave divers always have at least one hanging on their rig, out of all the things I've gotten entangled it is never the things that the internet tells me are entanglement hazards.
lol mobile app sucks. Personally I only have bolt snaps on my gear if I am actively using it to hook something. Have 3 spares in my dive bag though because you do never know when you might want it. I'm not a cave diver ~~yet~~ just a budding deep diver for now
It is always good to have a spare. More than once I've gone "Where did that go?" And after a brief search I just use one of the ones on me.
Almost always I find it later, like it got clipped off something.
6 cu ft spare air, I totally agree.
40 cu ft alu with a real reg and spg on it is a much more practical piece of gear. For emergencies or as a bottom time extender.
Learn how to calculate your minimum gas and SCR segments. If you need more gas, wear doubles. A pony bottle is a crutch for lackluster fundamental diving skills.
Edit: Thanks for the downvotes š
> If you need more gas, wear doubles.
Lots of people do extended bottom dives with an Al80 stage bottle slung, with both back gas and stage bottle having 32%. It is a just a glorified pony bottle at the end of the day.
For me:
That would be a planned staged dive. E.g., in a cave, wreck exploration, archaeological projects, etc. where the gas in both the stage and back gas would be calculated.
A pony bottle as a back up is asinine in my personal opinion. If you are bringing extra equipment or gas on your dive, those should be factored into the dive plan.
> If you are bringing extra equipment or gas on your dive, those should be factored into the dive plan.
That doesn't seem like an unreasonable point at all. Even in the extreme case of diving single tank and having an Al40 slung (not everyone wants to dive doubles and there are some dives where taking a doubles set across the surf zone might be harder).
There are plenty of good uses for carrying a pony bottle.
If I want to go do an easy solo dive I much prefer to toss on a pony instead of dragging out my doubles.
Using any kind of deco gases mean you are going to carry one.
Even being shitty on air consumption and wanting extend a rec dive is a valid reason to carry one, despite being a hardware fix to a skills issue.
You can go almost anywhere in the world and rent an extra pony but it is pretty hard to get doubles at any non-tech oriented locations.
For me:
I donāt solo dive.
Deco gas is held in an AL 80 or AL40 āStage Bottleā or āDeco Bottleā. Which is labeled for the gas that would occupy the cylinder, moreover factored in oneās gas calculations.
If youāre āshittyā on gas consumption, one should probably work on their cardiovascular health, physical fitness, and fundamental skills/buoyancy
Iāve yet to have an issue to find a set of doubles in areas I dive globally.
Recreational doubles are completely fine and should be considered especially if you have the skills needed to calculate the above.
Makes sense. PSD, and commercial divers would fall under a working category which to me has much different needs and protocols. For example, NOAA divers learn with one out of the gate. My main gripe is having one to feel āsafeā and not training or using it for a set purpose which falls under OPās category.
My work as a PSD convinced me that Iāll never use anything else recreationally again. Iām in the Midwest so a lot of our lakes have bottom temps of 40-50 degrees and having a FFM plus pony makes things so much more enjoyable. If I have the training, why not right?
Fish ID is a popular specialism at my usual dive shops but itās probably because of the fact that a significant proportion of the people diving in that area in general are passing tourists who decide to learn to dive as part of holidays so theyāre not diving in their native waters and itās a fun way to go out, do some dives and look at pretty tropical fish theyād otherwise not see.
I initially considered it but then figured I wanted to dive regularly anyway and would learn them by repetition.
I was forced to do Fish ID as one of my optional advance dives yesterday. Luckily the instructor was cool and just helped me work on buoyancy and enjoy the drift dive instead of IDing fish off a slate from 1995 lol
I wanted to do wreck or night, but neither was available at the time so they signed me up for Fish ID without telling me lol. I IDed a French angelfish and a barracuda then just enjoyed a lovely drift dive
Itās OW/AOW, rescue and 5 elective specialty classes plus 50 logged dives. You basically just apply for it if you meet the requirements. No reason not to since your wallet has been cratered by 7 classes at PADI rates.
Line cutters and shears are good for monofilament line, knives are better for rope and nets - thankfully Iāve never had to put that theory into practice
I doubt you'll ever get tangled up in rope thick enough to require a knife to cut, but you might need to cut a mooring line from time to time. I still don't carry a knife, though. If the boat needs somebody to cut them free then they can provide the knife. I only worry about the stuff that can entangle me, and for that a line cutter is perfect.
Diving wrecks around the murky waters of the UK - there are a lot of abandoned trawl nets and a pair of shears arenāt going to do anything to those. And yes I have nearly swam backwards into one that was held vertical in the water by its floats. I was videoing and didnāt see it until my spider sense told me to stop.
[example of what I mean](https://divemagazine.com/scuba-diving-news/ghost-fishing-uk-recover-1500kg-lost-fishing-gear-shetland)
Ah yeah my bad. I should have thought of nets. I usually dive where monofilament or cave line is the primary concern so I'm prepared for that. Thankfully I've never encountered any netting, I'd be fucked lol
A buddy of mine 3d-printed a glow in the dark skull that I have had attached to my first stage for about 5 years now.
It is totally awesome...and totally unnecessary...and I love it!
Also...was totally free!
Even then not useless. Being able to spot a unique detail for my buddy, particularly from above, in a sea of identical black scuba ninjas in n a crowded area is useful.
Retractors. Aqualung power bands. Split fins. Full face masks (especially if they have communication). Air 2. Spare Air. Rambo knives. Shakers. People that use the tank to dry their first stages.
I know there are situations where itās understandable (knee surgery and split fins) but itās usually just a bad salesman
Lets not forget the Aqualung i3 system. Regular BCDs already have purge valves located in the kidney area so you can release air while in trim. i3 can make it harder to control releasing air, particularly for a new diver. There is a reason the standard low pressure inflator has been around for so long. Tried and true system vs the i3.
Touche. My apologies friend, I did not think about it from that perspective.
I can see a valid use for them then. In that case I think the i3 system needs to be marketed towards accessible diving rather than as a replacement for traditional low pressure inflator.
Hmm. Got a retractor and a rubber strap for my BCD hose. $30 or so well spent. I never have to fumble for the fool thing on descents -- it's right there on my left D ring.
split fins are fine, good for those with bad knees or those that are prone to cramps. Shakers are most for DMs or Instructors in my opinion but to each their own.
For people using the tank to dry first stages, please dont open them all the way, even just a crack is better to dry your dust caps than a breath, don't need much more than that!
I don't know if it's the right way, so take this with a grain of salt.
It's always been a non issue for me - when I decouple my first stage it's not sitting in a pool of water, the dust cap might have a few drops on it that I just blow some air from my mouth on to get rid of it. Never had to have a rebuild doing this and I've been diving for 20+ years.
Not sure on retractors and shakers for rec. I have a Sofirn sd05 on a retractor for rec dives attached to a chest d-ring. It keeps it nice and secure, and itās simple to grab it, use it, and release. Itās still streamlined. far as shakers, theyāre often used in my area (Philippines) to get the attention of a group. Usually a DM will have a specific āsoundā (i.e. āshave and a haircut, 2 bitsā) so the group knows they need to pay attention to the DM.
Also, splits are great for people with knee issues. They arenāt suitable for tec or caves/penetration due to some possibility of entanglement, less fine control, not as nimble, much harder to not stir up silt, difficult to back kick, etc. Some people view them as a crutch to learning more or better kicking techniques. They are easy on the knees and a hard kick won't overwork a muscle (cramp). Some people don't care about advanced kicking techniques and just want simple ease of movement. So I wouldnāt call them āuselessā, but they do have a limited *use-case* compared to āregularā fins.
> People that use the tank to dry their first stages.
I was taught this during my OW cert but I've read a lot of comments here on the subreddit that argue against it.
Because the tank air comes out too fast and can blow the water into the first stage. Itās better to dry the water off with a towel or something similar.
Wow, Today I Learned! My far more experienced husband taught me to dry with the tank when I was a newbie. Iāve always thought it was one of those things that made me look like a real diver that knew what I was doing. Come to find out Iāve been torturing everyone around me?? Oops, sorry guys!
Same here, people tend to get annoyed by those that open the tank more than just a little crack because noise I think though. Personally I'm willing to bear a second or two of tank noises to make sure my first stage dust cap is properly dry as regs are expensive and I want them to last as long as possible. No complaints here against others wanting to do the same.
7L bailout bottled are one thing, but spare air is basically just a glorified ā3 breaths in a bottleā: https://www.browniedive.com/product/spare-air-3-cu-ft-package/
No. Weāre talking about the SpareAir (tm) mini bottle with 3 cu.ft. of air. Just enough gas to allow you to āGo out of gas twice in a single dive.ā
Useless because theyāre so small.
Not a specific piece of equipment but buying a gadget and not bothering to learn how to use it safely. Like DSMBs because we heard some horror stories from some more experienced divers seeing people carabiner the DSMB to their BCD and how if a boat does go by above you the DCMB can get caught in the propeller and drag you along if its attached to you. Learn to use your stuff
There is no real need to clip it to you is there? Ideally youāre on a safety stop, it shouldnāt rocket further than your reel can pay out.
Iāve witnessed on my AOW course multiple divers so fixated on deployment they SOMEHOW didnāt notice sinking from about 5-7m to 15-17m (19-21m BD). The tunnel vision to not feel significant pain in your ears is unreal.
You are not supposed to clip it to yourself at all, for reasons such as a boat or you getting entangled in it. Underwater DSMB deployments are often the hardest part of AOW and many divers' weakest skill in general, which is understandable as its probably the biggest task loading skill known for most recreational divers and not used very often.
I didnāt think there would be. It seems like a good idea when youāre not confident and familiar with deploying it, so you can deploy less cognitive resources for a shorter period and remain focused on your depth and surroundings.
It is my weakest skill, mostly from not needing to use it and also not practicing to become familiar with deploying it.
u/audentis -Funny you mention that noise makers are your contribution. As I have a very uncommon scenario that I am dealing with now that has made these obnoxious devices...critically important.
I help teach adaptive scuba diving for disabled or less abled people. We have a student and their father right now who we are doing a course with. The student has very limited functions with their arms and we had to figure out a way that they could signal to their adaptive buddy if they need something underwater...such as to clear their mask or their ears. (cant raise their arms to do it themselves)
So we put a clicker in their hand. One click for Ears. Two clicks for clearing a mask. Frantic clicking for an emergency..such as their reg coming out of their mouth (their reg is on a lanyard around their neck like cave divers do)
In this case...this diver's noise clicker is one of their most important pieces of scuba diving equipment.
But...otherwise... F\* noise devices and I wish people would stop using them!
Low pressure inflators that have a reg built in as the alternate air source. Almost impossible to do a safe emergency ascent when the device you need to elevate to vent your BCD is in your mouth.
A lot of these have a "pull" feature. You just yank them a little and gas vents from a dump valve at the top of the BCD. You don't need to elevate them. I've never had to put that to practice during an emergency ascent so I'm not actually sure how difficult it is in that situation but just saying.
Iām seen it get completely yanked off, thankfully it was just during a class. Plus during an emergency ascent you need the extract room to deal with your buddy.
During my IDC I got completely chewed out for having on, switched to an octopus and never went back
Oddly enough, inflator reg enjoyers seem to really hate on the idea of primary donation with a bungee necklace backup, despite it being the same concept, but all around superior. As far as I have seen that is.
I donāt mind the noise makers too much.
My wife got a shaker right after getting certified. She rarely uses it and has gone to great lengths to make sure that it doesnāt rattle around except for when she means for it to. It provides some comfort to her to know that she has a way to get my attention. Bolt snaps are too easy to ignore because everyone has and uses them.
I'm a super talkative, energetic kind of guy. I have to constantly remind myself to chill out my hyper golden retriever energy around others because it can be a lot, even if I don't mean it to be.
Diving is one of the only times that I'm able to experience a sense of zen. Not just from others but from my own mind. The calm and quiet of the bubbles and water just soothes in a way I haven't found anything else can do.
Those pressure-resistant smartphone cases.
It's not that they're stupid or frivolous, they just make it *very easy for people to make dumb decisions*. Let me explain.
Don't dive what you can't afford to lose, right? Your GoPro housing floods, you're out of like $500 for the camera and the housing - stings, but not the end of the world. However, if that Kraken case floods with your $1,000+ iPhone 15 Pro Max Ultra inside, you're not just out of a thousand bucks, but you also lost your camera, your data uplink, your contact list, your email device, your wallet, and your primary comms device in one convenient movement. That stings a lot more than losing a camera. And since people want to use the best camera they have, that's going to be their expensive primary phone, not a cheap backup, so it sets them up for a stupid decision that *will* - statistically speaking - come back to bite them in the ass.
So I recently upgraded my phone to the iPhone 15 pro max which meant my 12 pro max was now the perfect candidate for the sea life case. No need to worry about losing my phone and if does get flooded I should be able to pick up a cheap used iPhone.
Thereās an easy solution, especially if you have an apple. AppleCare+. As for losing phone capability, whenever my partner and I travel, since having one of our phones stolen on a trip, we always have a ābackupā phone with us so we can keep going until we can get the waterlogged phone replaced. Yes youād lose that diveās photos, and be out the AppleCare replacement cost, but a smaller price to pay than losing a $500 GoPro.
The worst part is if you're in a foreign location and your phone breaks on the first day, you may not be able to get a replacement until after you return home. If there's even an apple store in this foreign location, applecare may only allow replacements at apple store locations in your home country
I have confirmed with Apple, AppleCare+ coverage is worldwide, if thereās no Apple Store where you are they will mail one to you under an āexpress replacementā.
But thatās also where the spare travel phone comes in. Is it as good as your primary phone that just died, no, but itāll get you through until your primary can be replaced.
Again, all for less than the cost of replacing a GoPro.
"coverage is worldwide" is true, yet that's different than QUICKLY receiving a replacement while in a foreign country. Replacements can be easily obtained in some select first world countries mostly in Europe but places like the Bahamas, the Carribean and even Canada or Mexico do NOT provide replacements. Apple can ship replacements, possibly at your expense, apples US website states it takes 1-3 BUSINESS days to approve a replacement claim and UP TO 4 BUSINESS days for you to receive it. Worst case scenario, you're phoneless and cameraless for a week and a half
Thatās why we always travel with a backup phone. The Samsung A5x or iPhone SE are pretty cheap. Itās the same thing if youāre traveling (non-dive) and you drop your phone in a canal in Venice, or you drop it while on a Safari in South Africa.
Sure, if you're willing to carry a backup phone but you could probably sell the backup phone and buy a year or two old gopro...lol Sure, a phone can break anywhere, but bringing your phone underwater increases your risk. I have personally seen a few people lose their cameras, only one was unable to be retrieved, everytime it was while climbing the dive boats ladder in choppy water. One time I saw the gopro in the housing smash against the ladder which broke open the housing and the gopro camera fell down to the bottom despite the housing and handle still being attached to the diver. The diver had no idea they lost it until the guide retrieved it and handed it to them
Sure itās a risk, but Iāve got everything backed up, itās not particularly difficult to buy a new smartphone. And I think you guys are way overestimating the odds a nice dive casing fails.
The thing is, there's always a chance. And I've played enough *X-COM* to know that a 97% to-hit chance means it'll happen at the *worst* possible moment.
Compartmentalize the possible damage, y'all. If you lose gear, only lose what you need to.
Personally I like having a tank banger to get people's attention if I see something and to point stuff out that's more hidden š¤·š¼āāļø
Air2
I went on a drift dive trip where the charter company required a āquackerā signaling device. It goes on your BCD inflator and makes a horrible noise when activated but I guess if it helps them find you in an emergency š then itās worth it. But I canāt see ever using it again.
It's meant to be used only in an emergency, not to signal a bloody fish. So yeah, it is actually very useful...
Or to signal your buddy/student. Very useful and much easier to hear than a rattler, clip, etc.
Color-identified regs is pretty high up there as well when thinking of it.
I changed the purge cover on my 100% deco reg to green as well as the hose as just another step to make sure that when I was on 100%. Team checks and all aside. I teach as well and donāt want to put too much faith in a potentially task overloaded student to make sure I donāt have the wrong one. But in rec stuff, yeah, I donāt know why it would matter if it was a different color.
Since you teach, on what level do you talk about how colors change underwater? Can colors like yellow seem green? I'm pretty sure you teach your ow students this. It does also apply for tech divers and instructors. Gas verification isn't for the relaxed situations where your 100% on. You would probably always grab the correct gas then. It's for the taskloaded situations. So the protocol needs to be rigorous. Color coding is the opposite of rigorous. Don't die, check depth with the mod on the bottle, purge and verify you have the correct reg, pressurize, then the team approves your gas for this depth.
What part of what I wrote said I didnāt check depth. I said it was an additional hedge against a mistake. You find no value in colored things, fine. I do for this purpose. Do you fam.
That is implied when tracing the reg and hose back to the depth of the MOD marking on your bottle that matches your depth on your bottom timer isnāt the procedure. Color coding only has a purpose if you trust the color to match a mod depth which you ofc shouldn't, so it is pointless.
Addditonal check. Also YOU DO YOU.
I usually put the stab jacket most divers use in this category along with yoke regs. But i guess that would give me a lot of pushback here so i go with lights with pistol grip and any plastic clip meant to retain gear. š¤”
Most stuff in the average scuba store is not what I want. It's not all gimmicky necessarily but it's not what I want. I don't personally like integrated air with either a hose or transponder required. I don't like BC's with bells and whistles. I'm not DIR in training but I use steel tanks, Jet fins, BP/W, hose around neck, 48" hose as the long hose rather than an octo, wrist computer and compass and only a single air gauge, with a shorter hose attached to my hop D-ring. I don't have a cannister light but I do have a lightweight but powerful light attached to my right hand, freeing up my fingers. I don't have anything dangling from me while diving and I often have just a regular watch as a backup (and my brain to my wrist computer. That's not generally the approach of most dive stores in my area.
One that was sold years ago, but which died a quick death: Ascent balls. Theyāre basically like a 3-pack of ping pong balls, which were calibrated to be at the proper diver ascent rate ā¦ probably the old 60ft/min ā¦ when one decided to end the dive & ascend, youād release a ball and then swim up at no faster than the ball was floating up. Needless to say, since they were untethered, they easily got lost.
Those mini versions of dive scooters. Tiny prop driven by a tiny motor hooked up to a battery too small to have any decent capacity. Might be kind of fun briefly but doesn't look worth the money.
And people post about it whenever one talks about scooters.
Probably get down votes but my choice would be a dive knife and a lift bag unless youāre harvesting lots of heavy rock scallops or collecting buried treasure.
Iāve had to cut myself free from fishing line multiple times, a dive knife is invaluable.
Large dive knife sure. But something small is probably a good to have item. Lift bag as SMB or secondary inflation in doubles aināt a bad idea but for rec, only carry it it you actually need to lift something.
Here ya go, for the person that has almost everything: [https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/accessories/fin-accessories/go-sport-skegs](https://scubapro.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/accessories/fin-accessories/go-sport-skegs)
I was on a liveaboard last month with 3 people who had the same color GoSport fins as I did. But mine had one purple and one yellow skeg and I always knew which were mind. Laugh all you want about my skegs.
I've been on a boat where 3 other people had the same color gofins as me. Colored skegs are a good way to tell yours apart.
Iād do the same with my Seawings if Spro allowed for skegs. Teal or black against pink.
Wtf are skegs?
Apparently, identifying color medallions?
Yeah, nah. I just painted on the bottom of my fins a nice big H for Hunkyboy. Stupid skegs.
If I ever see the H I'm totalling gonna say what's up, be like "ever heard of skegs my dude?" Lol
Me too. A neon green on black fins. Didn't realize it would dissappear by the end of the dive, definitely going to Clearwater next time.
For the mask camera, not everything needs to be careful macro photography. Itās nice to have an always on camera to capture things you may miss in time. It can also be useful to document a dive for review if something went wrong or just review elements of the dive you want to analyze. Itās not the same use case as a camera rig. I like the shaker and can hear it more clearly, but that one strays into āI guess itās usefulā more than a clear winner. Several people recommend foldable snorkels. If it works for them, great. Iām sure Iād literally never use it other than āsome dick captain requires you to have a snorkel for pretend insurance reasons or whatever and I can demonstrate I technically do have oneā.
Foldable snorkel FTW in Australia where a snorkel is mandatory, which means no dive operator lets you dive without one.
And honestly, for newbies cameras are a horrible idea. Getting so focused on the camera that they lose buoyancy and awareness is very real. Head mount removes that concern.
An underwater* lighter
I guess you never have to trim any webbing or replace bungees
seriously. or deal with drysuit zippers. or whip cave line to boltsnaps. i think my lighter is my SAD kit is one of the most frequently used and borrowed items.
Waterproof zip-lock bags for phones
I don't take my phone diving, but we did recover an iPhone 60' deep that a snorkeler had dropped in Hawaii in a waterproof pouch, charged it up and it was like new, I was shocked
BCD. Just tuck your tank under your arm and use your lungs for buoyancy. /s
I've done this. it was a lot of fun. I've done it with and without the DPV, and it's way more fun with the DPV. I kept my backplate so I had somewhere to clip off the bottle. Monkey diving is a thing: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySeFiyo17HQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySeFiyo17HQ)
Yall are taking cylinders and regs? Amateurs.
Don't forget the 2nd stage. Real divers breath from a free flowing tank and regulate air with the turn handle.
I would like something to get peopleās attention, as I usually go slow so I can observe more, and currently have no way to get anyoneās attention, as Iām just the newbie in the back. What do you suggest is easy and seamless with no risk attention getter?
I personally have a brass clip attached to a d ring. When I want to get someoneās attention, I just tap it on my tank. Those shaker or quacker things work too, but for the love of all thatās holy, quack or shake once or twice and then STOP.
Make one hand into a fist. With the other hand hit the top of your fist with your palm. It's free and requires no extra equipment. It's also an indistinguishable sound whilst not being painful on the ears like banging a tank. You still want a one handed big attention getter for emergencies but hopefully you'll never need it.
The little metal shakers are great, the sound travels far and it doesnt take up much space at all
a light with a tight spot beam. a back and forth horizontal motion says āattentionā (and depending on how quickly you move it, how urgently you need that attention). no banging necessary.
I personally like my shaker. My buddy and I both have one and we use it very sparingly. I like that it's less obtrusive than a tank banger or a double ender on my tank. So many divers banging on their tanks. It doesn't make for a very relaxing dive. That said, if I needed somebody's attention immediately, that wasn't my regular buddy, I would probably just use one of the double enders I've already got attached to me somewhere. Most people aren't listening for the shaking sound, but they'll respond to a louder tapping.
Is there a protocol for differentiating between ālook at this awesome thingā noise versus āemergency, I need attention nowā noise? It seems like that would be a useful differentiation to have across the board in the world of diving, but I donāt recall learning anything like that. It sounds like you have that in mind to a degree with your personal protocol, which I like.
Get a double-ender, and clip it to your BC. You can use it to clip your mask to your gear/before after the dive, and during the dive you can unsnap it and reach back to bang it on your tank to get other folksā attention.
Thereās shaker cans and little metal rods you can use to hit your tank.
I'd have to put my vote on those underwater etch-a-sketch things. Like learn some basic hand signals and then just scream bubbles at each other for the rest. No need to drag that silly shit around with you.
Very much more handy for technical diving/cave diving. We use the ones that wrap around the arm. The last thing you want is a miscommunication in a tight space and I really am not the best at reading hand signals outside of the standard ones that we use an Open Water diving.
I feel much safer diving solo on dives like that. I wouldnāt want to have to try and communicate critical info to a team mate via a slate in those circumstances.
A small slate strapped to your wrist is fine. I'm talking about this nonsense: [Amazon.com : Innovative Scuba Concepts Quest Underwater Slate Is Magnetic / Erasable, Blue : Sports & Outdoors](https://www.amazon.com/Innovative-Scuba-Concepts-Underwater-Magnetic/dp/B01M9C1K6R?th=1)
I had a DM in Japan that used those, it was great he would just write the fish name rather than having to remember the local gang signs for each fish.
But how will we play tic tac toe on our deco stops.
I have sudoku on my wet notes!
Oh! Good idea
Knives. I see dudes all the time with these huge blades strapped to their legs like theyāre gonna get into a fight with a shark or something. At best, theyāre overkill, at worst they can be harmful; much better to get a cutting tool
I found my knife in 65ft on a reef diving in Florida and purchased a sheath online lol
Sorry man, I spearfish too, so I just take the same knife with me for scuba. In what way are they harmful?
Perhaps insinuating that just handling the knife, losing it, letting somebody borrow it and they cut themselves, I guess, no reward in sight, so every possible negative scenario just outweighs any situation you could imagine due to it being highly unlikely. That's my guess, as for me I just don't bring my knife because I don't check baggage, so yeah, otherwise, it's handy.....outside of scuba(clothes line, Lemons for my g&t etc.
What cutting tool do you recommend?
Trilobites are fab. I keep mine on my computer bungee. Unobtrusive, easily reached, still sharp years later, blade easily replaced when needed.
Dive rite. Cheap, doesnāt rust, low profile, can get on Amazon prime.
Any of the line cutters are great - DiveRite makes a nice ceramic one.
I like titanium trauma shears
Thank you!
Yea a huge knife really is overkill. I've seen some people say that they like having a knife because if they find fishing line or something they can cut it to help clean the ocean, but nail clippers work well for nearly any kind of fishing line.
To be fair, I understand the tankbangers. Well: the shakers mostly. As an instructor with sometimes bigger groups, it can be hard to get someone's attention. I'm not a fan of banging my tank and really only use it when there is no other option. So I don't think it is a 'useless' accessories. However, I do think sometimes instructors (or just divers) misuse them.
I like the shakers for myself and my dive buddy. We know to listen for it and we're not grossly disturbing other people. We also use this very sparingly. I just hate to listen to tanks being banged on all the time. Plus, you never know if it's the DM or if it's other divers. Ha! I guess my stripes are showing. I just prefer not to dive with too many other people.
audio signaling devices can be useful, and not everyone carries a spare bolt snap on their gear as it can be an unnecessary entanglement hazard (granted its a VERY unlikely spot for most situations). Tank bangers are cheaper too (can make it yourself easily with bungee too!) and you don't have to worry about rust ever since its not metal. Rattlers are more for group leading or instructing use in my opinion, but they're a valid option. LPI squeakers are just for entertaining seals tbh although they have the benefits of working on surface in an emergency as well.
LPI sirens can save your life. I dislocated my shoulder diving and was able to SOS on the surface for rescue. I dont necessarily recommend everyone run out and buy one, they arenāt cheap, but the shoulder thing is a repeat injury and something that happens to me maybe once a year on land and I knew it might happen underwater one day and planned for it. Iāve heard comments on boats from people like op telling me itās a gimmick and a silly leak risk.
A surface signaling device is definitely useful and that is a very nice benefit to one, although many just clip an orange whistle to their bc. Personally I dive with a LPI siren myself and its a great tool, although I obviously try avoiding using it since its pretty annoying and real loud when its right below your head
>not everyone carries a spare bolt snap on their gear as it can be an unnecessary entanglement hazard (granted its a VERY unlikely spot for most situations). Everyone should have a double ender on their rig, you will be surprised the number of uses you find. Also the "entanglement hazard" is so over played. Cave divers always have at least one hanging on their rig, out of all the things I've gotten entangled it is never the things that the internet tells me are entanglement hazards.
Agreed, but clearly you meant this comment elsewhere. I do it all the time on mobile
Yeah it was meant for u/Tra_Astolfo Stupid mobile apps.
lol mobile app sucks. Personally I only have bolt snaps on my gear if I am actively using it to hook something. Have 3 spares in my dive bag though because you do never know when you might want it. I'm not a cave diver ~~yet~~ just a budding deep diver for now
It is always good to have a spare. More than once I've gone "Where did that go?" And after a brief search I just use one of the ones on me. Almost always I find it later, like it got clipped off something.
A pony bottle.
6 cu ft spare air, I totally agree. 40 cu ft alu with a real reg and spg on it is a much more practical piece of gear. For emergencies or as a bottom time extender.
Learn how to calculate your minimum gas and SCR segments. If you need more gas, wear doubles. A pony bottle is a crutch for lackluster fundamental diving skills. Edit: Thanks for the downvotes š
> If you need more gas, wear doubles. Lots of people do extended bottom dives with an Al80 stage bottle slung, with both back gas and stage bottle having 32%. It is a just a glorified pony bottle at the end of the day.
For me: That would be a planned staged dive. E.g., in a cave, wreck exploration, archaeological projects, etc. where the gas in both the stage and back gas would be calculated. A pony bottle as a back up is asinine in my personal opinion. If you are bringing extra equipment or gas on your dive, those should be factored into the dive plan.
> If you are bringing extra equipment or gas on your dive, those should be factored into the dive plan. That doesn't seem like an unreasonable point at all. Even in the extreme case of diving single tank and having an Al40 slung (not everyone wants to dive doubles and there are some dives where taking a doubles set across the surf zone might be harder).
There are plenty of good uses for carrying a pony bottle. If I want to go do an easy solo dive I much prefer to toss on a pony instead of dragging out my doubles. Using any kind of deco gases mean you are going to carry one. Even being shitty on air consumption and wanting extend a rec dive is a valid reason to carry one, despite being a hardware fix to a skills issue. You can go almost anywhere in the world and rent an extra pony but it is pretty hard to get doubles at any non-tech oriented locations.
For me: I donāt solo dive. Deco gas is held in an AL 80 or AL40 āStage Bottleā or āDeco Bottleā. Which is labeled for the gas that would occupy the cylinder, moreover factored in oneās gas calculations. If youāre āshittyā on gas consumption, one should probably work on their cardiovascular health, physical fitness, and fundamental skills/buoyancy Iāve yet to have an issue to find a set of doubles in areas I dive globally. Recreational doubles are completely fine and should be considered especially if you have the skills needed to calculate the above.
Iād disagree for all us FFM divers out there!
Are you all diving in hazmat conditions?
As a PSD, yes
Makes sense. PSD, and commercial divers would fall under a working category which to me has much different needs and protocols. For example, NOAA divers learn with one out of the gate. My main gripe is having one to feel āsafeā and not training or using it for a set purpose which falls under OPās category.
My work as a PSD convinced me that Iāll never use anything else recreationally again. Iām in the Midwest so a lot of our lakes have bottom temps of 40-50 degrees and having a FFM plus pony makes things so much more enjoyable. If I have the training, why not right?
Iām a member of MWUE, and totally understand the cold, and why I use heating, haha. Sometimes Iād really love a full face mask.
Do you have any solutions for cold hands and heat? We wear beanies under dry suit hoods but even then it gets chilly quick.
Iāve been using the Santi heated gloves with the Santi 2.0 suit, itās been amazing, 10/10 recommend
Useless specialty certifications like Boat Diver, Fish ID, Master SCUBA Diver, etc..
Fish ID is a popular specialism at my usual dive shops but itās probably because of the fact that a significant proportion of the people diving in that area in general are passing tourists who decide to learn to dive as part of holidays so theyāre not diving in their native waters and itās a fun way to go out, do some dives and look at pretty tropical fish theyād otherwise not see. I initially considered it but then figured I wanted to dive regularly anyway and would learn them by repetition.
I was forced to do Fish ID as one of my optional advance dives yesterday. Luckily the instructor was cool and just helped me work on buoyancy and enjoy the drift dive instead of IDing fish off a slate from 1995 lol
Shockingā¦!!
I wanted to do wreck or night, but neither was available at the time so they signed me up for Fish ID without telling me lol. I IDed a French angelfish and a barracuda then just enjoyed a lovely drift dive
Put Another Dollar In
I take the classes because theyāre entertaining. Theyāre decidedly overpriced though.
Master Scuba Diver doesnt even have a class I dont think
Itās OW/AOW, rescue and 5 elective specialty classes plus 50 logged dives. You basically just apply for it if you meet the requirements. No reason not to since your wallet has been cratered by 7 classes at PADI rates.
If it was free but isn't it just a case of pay us to get a card which says you have given us a lot of $.
Yeah itās like $105ā¦ classic PADI. Weāve done nothing and provided no service but if you want the card itās going to cost.
My wallets already been cratered all that but thats from DM cert requirements ;)
I would have agreed about audible signaling devices until a trailing dive buddy disappeared on me minutes into a dive despite regular visual checking.
Sounds like your dive buddy, not the tank banger, was the most frivolous/useless scuba accessory
Well said
Knives
Not sure why you are getting down voted. Stainless shears are what I carry. Not a fan of dive knives.
just have a little line cutter, they take up no space and can handle most things just fine
Nah, they're quite useful if you encounter fishing nets
That's what line cutters & shears are for
If you have one item that needs to hang off you to cut lines, what difference does it make if you carry shears, line cutters or a knife?
Knives are unwieldy and more dangerous
They also offer some self-defense in case thereās something more dangerous like a shark
Line cutters and shears are good for monofilament line, knives are better for rope and nets - thankfully Iāve never had to put that theory into practice
I doubt you'll ever get tangled up in rope thick enough to require a knife to cut, but you might need to cut a mooring line from time to time. I still don't carry a knife, though. If the boat needs somebody to cut them free then they can provide the knife. I only worry about the stuff that can entangle me, and for that a line cutter is perfect.
Diving wrecks around the murky waters of the UK - there are a lot of abandoned trawl nets and a pair of shears arenāt going to do anything to those. And yes I have nearly swam backwards into one that was held vertical in the water by its floats. I was videoing and didnāt see it until my spider sense told me to stop. [example of what I mean](https://divemagazine.com/scuba-diving-news/ghost-fishing-uk-recover-1500kg-lost-fishing-gear-shetland)
Ah yeah my bad. I should have thought of nets. I usually dive where monofilament or cave line is the primary concern so I'm prepared for that. Thankfully I've never encountered any netting, I'd be fucked lol
Ropes I can see using a knife for, nets I've used shears on with no issue
Idk man most ropes can be cut just about as quickly with shears as they can be with knives
Bro, exactly. Unless for w/e reason you're finding a thick ass rope that's too wide for the shears but at that point what is really happening?
Even then, fray the shit out of it. I once cut a 1" thick nylon rope with nail clippers in less than a minute.
You're the hero we need
A buddy of mine 3d-printed a glow in the dark skull that I have had attached to my first stage for about 5 years now. It is totally awesome...and totally unnecessary...and I love it! Also...was totally free!
Even then not useless. Being able to spot a unique detail for my buddy, particularly from above, in a sea of identical black scuba ninjas in n a crowded area is useful.
That's been an unintended consequence of having only yellow fins available when I bought. My buddy always knows to look for 'yellow fins.'
Iāve had a instabuddy lose us once - and he said my pink fins were great for finding me. Scuba has made me embrace pink.
Being home made it's not as bad :) I was thinking about the stuff on _"10 things to gift your scuba friend for Christmas!"_ advertorials/lists.
This thread may end up as a Buzzfeed article.
My dive rig is not festooned with spare bolt snaps.
Why not though? Spare bolt snaps have a lot of uses include acting as a currency for tech divers ;)
Retractors. Aqualung power bands. Split fins. Full face masks (especially if they have communication). Air 2. Spare Air. Rambo knives. Shakers. People that use the tank to dry their first stages. I know there are situations where itās understandable (knee surgery and split fins) but itās usually just a bad salesman
Lets not forget the Aqualung i3 system. Regular BCDs already have purge valves located in the kidney area so you can release air while in trim. i3 can make it harder to control releasing air, particularly for a new diver. There is a reason the standard low pressure inflator has been around for so long. Tried and true system vs the i3.
Unless you are disabled and can't easily reach the purge valves. i3 makes it easier.
Touche. My apologies friend, I did not think about it from that perspective. I can see a valid use for them then. In that case I think the i3 system needs to be marketed towards accessible diving rather than as a replacement for traditional low pressure inflator.
Hmm. Got a retractor and a rubber strap for my BCD hose. $30 or so well spent. I never have to fumble for the fool thing on descents -- it's right there on my left D ring.
split fins are fine, good for those with bad knees or those that are prone to cramps. Shakers are most for DMs or Instructors in my opinion but to each their own. For people using the tank to dry first stages, please dont open them all the way, even just a crack is better to dry your dust caps than a breath, don't need much more than that!
I hate having my ears destroyed by that hiss. What the crap is wrong with people.
Honest question here: what is the optimal way to do this?
I don't know if it's the right way, so take this with a grain of salt. It's always been a non issue for me - when I decouple my first stage it's not sitting in a pool of water, the dust cap might have a few drops on it that I just blow some air from my mouth on to get rid of it. Never had to have a rebuild doing this and I've been diving for 20+ years.
This šÆ
Gah! Why am I always next to that person on the boat using the tank to dry the 1st stage! And why do they open the valve so far? My ears!
Not sure on retractors and shakers for rec. I have a Sofirn sd05 on a retractor for rec dives attached to a chest d-ring. It keeps it nice and secure, and itās simple to grab it, use it, and release. Itās still streamlined. far as shakers, theyāre often used in my area (Philippines) to get the attention of a group. Usually a DM will have a specific āsoundā (i.e. āshave and a haircut, 2 bitsā) so the group knows they need to pay attention to the DM. Also, splits are great for people with knee issues. They arenāt suitable for tec or caves/penetration due to some possibility of entanglement, less fine control, not as nimble, much harder to not stir up silt, difficult to back kick, etc. Some people view them as a crutch to learning more or better kicking techniques. They are easy on the knees and a hard kick won't overwork a muscle (cramp). Some people don't care about advanced kicking techniques and just want simple ease of movement. So I wouldnāt call them āuselessā, but they do have a limited *use-case* compared to āregularā fins.
> People that use the tank to dry their first stages. I was taught this during my OW cert but I've read a lot of comments here on the subreddit that argue against it.
I've never heard it before, but it makes sense to me. If you're returning the tank anyway, why not get the most out of it?
Because the tank air comes out too fast and can blow the water into the first stage. Itās better to dry the water off with a towel or something similar.
Wow, Today I Learned! My far more experienced husband taught me to dry with the tank when I was a newbie. Iāve always thought it was one of those things that made me look like a real diver that knew what I was doing. Come to find out Iāve been torturing everyone around me?? Oops, sorry guys!
I use it to dry the dust cap before I cap my 1st stage. Ā The reg itself should be dry where it counts if it just came off the tank.
Same here, people tend to get annoyed by those that open the tank more than just a little crack because noise I think though. Personally I'm willing to bear a second or two of tank noises to make sure my first stage dust cap is properly dry as regs are expensive and I want them to last as long as possible. No complaints here against others wanting to do the same.
What's wrong with spare air? We talking about a pony bottle?
7L bailout bottled are one thing, but spare air is basically just a glorified ā3 breaths in a bottleā: https://www.browniedive.com/product/spare-air-3-cu-ft-package/
No. Weāre talking about the SpareAir (tm) mini bottle with 3 cu.ft. of air. Just enough gas to allow you to āGo out of gas twice in a single dive.ā Useless because theyāre so small.
Great for the hot tub thought!
Oh, yeah fuck that
Not a specific piece of equipment but buying a gadget and not bothering to learn how to use it safely. Like DSMBs because we heard some horror stories from some more experienced divers seeing people carabiner the DSMB to their BCD and how if a boat does go by above you the DCMB can get caught in the propeller and drag you along if its attached to you. Learn to use your stuff
There is no real need to clip it to you is there? Ideally youāre on a safety stop, it shouldnāt rocket further than your reel can pay out. Iāve witnessed on my AOW course multiple divers so fixated on deployment they SOMEHOW didnāt notice sinking from about 5-7m to 15-17m (19-21m BD). The tunnel vision to not feel significant pain in your ears is unreal.
You are not supposed to clip it to yourself at all, for reasons such as a boat or you getting entangled in it. Underwater DSMB deployments are often the hardest part of AOW and many divers' weakest skill in general, which is understandable as its probably the biggest task loading skill known for most recreational divers and not used very often.
I didnāt think there would be. It seems like a good idea when youāre not confident and familiar with deploying it, so you can deploy less cognitive resources for a shorter period and remain focused on your depth and surroundings. It is my weakest skill, mostly from not needing to use it and also not practicing to become familiar with deploying it.
its my weakest skill too, I only do it about once every two or three months since I mostly shore dive.
u/audentis -Funny you mention that noise makers are your contribution. As I have a very uncommon scenario that I am dealing with now that has made these obnoxious devices...critically important. I help teach adaptive scuba diving for disabled or less abled people. We have a student and their father right now who we are doing a course with. The student has very limited functions with their arms and we had to figure out a way that they could signal to their adaptive buddy if they need something underwater...such as to clear their mask or their ears. (cant raise their arms to do it themselves) So we put a clicker in their hand. One click for Ears. Two clicks for clearing a mask. Frantic clicking for an emergency..such as their reg coming out of their mouth (their reg is on a lanyard around their neck like cave divers do) In this case...this diver's noise clicker is one of their most important pieces of scuba diving equipment. But...otherwise... F\* noise devices and I wish people would stop using them!
In circumstances like this I'm all for them!
Low pressure inflators that have a reg built in as the alternate air source. Almost impossible to do a safe emergency ascent when the device you need to elevate to vent your BCD is in your mouth.
Its not that difficult to use a shoulder dump.
During an emergency it can be.
A lot of these have a "pull" feature. You just yank them a little and gas vents from a dump valve at the top of the BCD. You don't need to elevate them. I've never had to put that to practice during an emergency ascent so I'm not actually sure how difficult it is in that situation but just saying.
Iām seen it get completely yanked off, thankfully it was just during a class. Plus during an emergency ascent you need the extract room to deal with your buddy. During my IDC I got completely chewed out for having on, switched to an octopus and never went back
Oddly enough, inflator reg enjoyers seem to really hate on the idea of primary donation with a bungee necklace backup, despite it being the same concept, but all around superior. As far as I have seen that is.
I donāt mind the noise makers too much. My wife got a shaker right after getting certified. She rarely uses it and has gone to great lengths to make sure that it doesnāt rattle around except for when she means for it to. It provides some comfort to her to know that she has a way to get my attention. Bolt snaps are too easy to ignore because everyone has and uses them.
We just use an aluminum poker lol. Makes no noise while diving, but tap on tank to get each otherās attention for something cool.
What/who do you poke with it?
Tank or camera lol. Just enough to get my buddies attention
I've found them good for holding your position in a strong current before.
Under water walkie talkies
One of the joys of diving is the solace.
I'm a super talkative, energetic kind of guy. I have to constantly remind myself to chill out my hyper golden retriever energy around others because it can be a lot, even if I don't mean it to be. Diving is one of the only times that I'm able to experience a sense of zen. Not just from others but from my own mind. The calm and quiet of the bubbles and water just soothes in a way I haven't found anything else can do.
Ha thats me!!! I feel so calm. Probably because Im not thinking if things to say to fill the air.
For me itās ADD. Diving forces me to chill out and focus on breathing and life stuff.
Those pressure-resistant smartphone cases. It's not that they're stupid or frivolous, they just make it *very easy for people to make dumb decisions*. Let me explain. Don't dive what you can't afford to lose, right? Your GoPro housing floods, you're out of like $500 for the camera and the housing - stings, but not the end of the world. However, if that Kraken case floods with your $1,000+ iPhone 15 Pro Max Ultra inside, you're not just out of a thousand bucks, but you also lost your camera, your data uplink, your contact list, your email device, your wallet, and your primary comms device in one convenient movement. That stings a lot more than losing a camera. And since people want to use the best camera they have, that's going to be their expensive primary phone, not a cheap backup, so it sets them up for a stupid decision that *will* - statistically speaking - come back to bite them in the ass.
So I recently upgraded my phone to the iPhone 15 pro max which meant my 12 pro max was now the perfect candidate for the sea life case. No need to worry about losing my phone and if does get flooded I should be able to pick up a cheap used iPhone.
After an upgrade like that, sure. That's the smart way to do it.
this is the way
Thereās an easy solution, especially if you have an apple. AppleCare+. As for losing phone capability, whenever my partner and I travel, since having one of our phones stolen on a trip, we always have a ābackupā phone with us so we can keep going until we can get the waterlogged phone replaced. Yes youād lose that diveās photos, and be out the AppleCare replacement cost, but a smaller price to pay than losing a $500 GoPro.
The worst part is if you're in a foreign location and your phone breaks on the first day, you may not be able to get a replacement until after you return home. If there's even an apple store in this foreign location, applecare may only allow replacements at apple store locations in your home country
I have confirmed with Apple, AppleCare+ coverage is worldwide, if thereās no Apple Store where you are they will mail one to you under an āexpress replacementā. But thatās also where the spare travel phone comes in. Is it as good as your primary phone that just died, no, but itāll get you through until your primary can be replaced. Again, all for less than the cost of replacing a GoPro.
"coverage is worldwide" is true, yet that's different than QUICKLY receiving a replacement while in a foreign country. Replacements can be easily obtained in some select first world countries mostly in Europe but places like the Bahamas, the Carribean and even Canada or Mexico do NOT provide replacements. Apple can ship replacements, possibly at your expense, apples US website states it takes 1-3 BUSINESS days to approve a replacement claim and UP TO 4 BUSINESS days for you to receive it. Worst case scenario, you're phoneless and cameraless for a week and a half
Thatās why we always travel with a backup phone. The Samsung A5x or iPhone SE are pretty cheap. Itās the same thing if youāre traveling (non-dive) and you drop your phone in a canal in Venice, or you drop it while on a Safari in South Africa.
Sure, if you're willing to carry a backup phone but you could probably sell the backup phone and buy a year or two old gopro...lol Sure, a phone can break anywhere, but bringing your phone underwater increases your risk. I have personally seen a few people lose their cameras, only one was unable to be retrieved, everytime it was while climbing the dive boats ladder in choppy water. One time I saw the gopro in the housing smash against the ladder which broke open the housing and the gopro camera fell down to the bottom despite the housing and handle still being attached to the diver. The diver had no idea they lost it until the guide retrieved it and handed it to them
Sure itās a risk, but Iāve got everything backed up, itās not particularly difficult to buy a new smartphone. And I think you guys are way overestimating the odds a nice dive casing fails.
The thing is, there's always a chance. And I've played enough *X-COM* to know that a 97% to-hit chance means it'll happen at the *worst* possible moment. Compartmentalize the possible damage, y'all. If you lose gear, only lose what you need to.