Neat Little Tricks Are Good to Know

[Superlyte27]

It's actually possible to position a single tank so you can reach the valve. I didn't believe it until we pulled it off (turning on your valve is required for a Fundies rec pass). I had to move the tank up a WHOLE lot further than I was accustomed to having it.

Then it hits you in the back of the head. I'd rather not have a first stage hitting me in the back of the head everytime I look up.

 

[Superlyte27]

Holding your depth while unstowing, rigging, and deploying a SMB.
... look at the particulate matter in the water to maintain your depth while rigging your SMB to deploy it , it gives you immediate and direct feedback on if your rising or dropping in the water column ... you can look at rigging it in your peripheral vision and only after getting it ready to go do you need to look at it and check over you to see if it's clear

Unless the particulate is moving with the current/swell.

 

[nshuff]

Off topic, but...What does the acronym SMB stand for?

 

[dmoore19]

Off topic, but...What does the acronym SMB stand for?

Surface Marker Buoy

 

[captain]

I wonder if anybody knows a trick for loosening the knob on the yoke valve! Man, sometimes those puppies are TIGHT.

That happens when the first stage isn't completely depressurized. Air trapped in the SPG takes a while to vent down because of the the tiny hole in the HP hose. If you don't hold the purge down long enough the air from the SPG backs up in the first stage and locks up the yoke screw. It doesn't take much residual pressure in the first stage to do it.

 

[lowviz]

............ or if anyone knows any other neat tricks.

Can't reach far enough? Reach back as far as you can. Now, with your other hand push back on the elbow of the reaching hand. You can try this now to see the effect.

 

[Hatul]

Here are my tricks--start the drum roll please:
1. before donning my wetsuit and other neoprene, spray the insides with a watered down hair conditioner that I keep in a spray bottle

2. I use a bungee necklace on my primary regulator so it never gets lost

3. when getting out from a shore dive, after removing the wetsuit I climb into a thick bathrobe-- it's warm, dries me, and serves as a changing robe. It's inexpensive and easy to launder.

Adam

 

[Superlyte27]

Here are my tricks--start the drum roll please:
1. before donning my wetsuit and other neoprene, spray the insides with a watered down hair conditioner that I keep in a spray bottle

2. I use a bungee necklace on my primary regulator so it never gets lost

3. when getting out from a shore dive, after removing the wetsuit I climb into a thick bathrobe-- it's warm, dries me, and serves as a changing robe. It's inexpensive and easy to launder.

Adam

I like the hair conditioner idea. I might adopt that. I use a necklace out of surgical tubing. I change via commando rush.

 

[Sas]

You can cable tie together a camera housing if it breaks.

You can use weight belts instead of gaiters if you leave your gaiters behind. Or duct tape. My buddy used to have a drysuit that was too loose around the legs and hated diving without gaiters so used the weight belts when he forgot his gaiters once - he said they worked better than actual gaiters

You can trim your mo with shears underwater if your mask isn't sealing properly.

Socks under booties are warmer than socks that dive shops sell. Much cheaper too! You can get enough pairs of normal socks for the same price as dive shops so you can have dry feet always between dives.

Marking off spools each metre and then doing a different colour line at each five metre mark (i.e. each metre has one black stripe, at 5m you have one red stripe, at 10m you have two red stripes and so on) is very handy for navigation and measuring viz.

Carry o-rings for every bit of your gear that has o-rings. Tank valves, regs, computers, spg, torches, camera housings, valves, hoses, etc. Nearly all of my problems are caused by o-rings and they are hardly any cost at all to carry your own supply. Also carry a shifter and allen keys and a pick

 

[idocsteve]

You can cable tie together a camera housing if it breaks.

You can use weight belts instead of gaiters if you leave your gaiters behind. Or duct tape. My buddy used to have a drysuit that was too loose around the legs and hated diving without gaiters so used the weight belts when he forgot his gaiters once - he said they worked better than actual gaiters

You can trim your mo with shears underwater if your mask isn't sealing properly.

Socks under booties are warmer than socks that dive shops sell. Much cheaper too! You can get enough pairs of normal socks for the same price as dive shops so you can have dry feet always between dives.

Marking off spools each metre and then doing a different colour line at each five metre mark (i.e. each metre has one black stripe, at 5m you have one red stripe, at 10m you have two red stripes and so on) is very handy for navigation and measuring viz.

Carry o-rings for every bit of your gear that has o-rings. Tank valves, regs, computers, spg, torches, camera housings, valves, hoses, etc. Nearly all of my problems are caused by o-rings and they are hardly any cost at all to carry your own supply. Also carry a shifter and allen keys and a pick

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