What do you consider dive safety equipment?

[Wildcard]

hey, nobody has mentioned the number 1 piece of safety diving equipment:

your brain

(in my case, alas...)

I said common sense, dosen't that count?

 

[cmalinowski]

Still building the list.

What I have:
Extra mask
Knife
2 lights
emerg horn on LPI
one computer (data trans plus)

What I plan to take:
knife
at least one light
emerg horn
computer (DT+)

What I plan on getting:
Safety sausage
Slate
second computer (Atom?)
whistle (horn won't work when OOA)
Mirror

Never thought about taking the extra mask with me on the dive...

Chris

 

[FatCat]

What everyone could take along as well:

The kitchen sink;
The pots and pans to go with said sink;
The kitchen appliances;
A generator to power said appliances;

Get the drift, my fellow divers?

Take what you need. If do a dive where you might need a signalling device, take it with you, if you don't, don't. That goes for everything on the list.

As for extra masks and other such stuff... Do you need it? Can you finish your dive or can you safely surface without it if need be? If the answer is yes, don't take it along. Keep it in your save-a-dive-kit for the next dive.

 

[H2Andy]

I said common sense, dosen't that count?

lol, i missed that

 

[freediver]

What everyone could take along as well:

The kitchen sink;
The pots and pans to go with said sink;
The kitchen appliances;
A generator to power said appliances;

Get the drift, my fellow divers?

Take what you need. If do a dive where you might need a signalling device, take it with you, if you don't, don't. That goes for everything on the list.

As for extra masks and other such stuff... Do you need it? Can you finish your dive or can you safely surface without it if need be? If the answer is yes, don't take it along. Keep it in your save-a-dive-kit for the next dive.

I agree FatCat and i have said elsewhere that I ALWAYS carry a kitchen sink while boat diving. This way if I am left, I will have access to fresh water!

 

[wcl]

Take what you need. If do a dive where you might need a signalling device, take it with you, if you don't, don't. That goes for everything on the list.

As for extra masks and other such stuff... Do you need it? Can you finish your dive or can you safely surface without it if need be? If the answer is yes, don't take it along. Keep it in your save-a-dive-kit for the next dive.

Problem is, how can one predict the need for emergency equipment? I for one would simply skip the emergency if I could predict it ;-).

Cost/risk/benefit applies: I carry a small instance of each basic safety device at all times (Z-knife, light, SMB, storm whistle, small spool & line, signal mirror). The load is light (low cost), the benefits are great on the chance that a low-probability risk is realized. You might need a signaling device on any dive, really ... the quesion is how big or how many.

Diving in situations that increase one or another of the risks, I prepare more (more lights for night or wreck diving; more line for wreck diving; more cutting tools for wreck diving; bigger SMB for diving in current or boating areas ... like that).

Indeed the "cost" (carrying more crap) of lugging an extra mask does seem to move it into the "not worth the benefit for the risk" in good, clear open water. Inside a wreck where it would help a lot to see to exit, it becomes worth the cost.

Make sense?

Cheers,
Walter

 

[FatCat]

Indeed the "cost" (carrying more crap) of lugging an extra mask does seem to move it into the "not worth the benefit for the risk" in good, clear open water. Inside a wreck where it would help a lot to see to exit, it becomes worth the cost.

Make sense?

Cheers,
Walter

's What I said, right? Taking an SMB on a dive in a small shallow lake isn't worth the cost (mine's an OMS six-footer).

Do most people who lug around the extra equipment know how to use it? I seriously doubt it sometimes.

Most divers don't even bother to do OOA drills on a regular basis, let alone practice the use of safety equipment. If that kind of diver ever gets into a situation where, say a signal mirror has to be used, I'll bet you any odds you choose the mirror will end up on the bottom.

PS: where I dive, lights aren't optional. If you don't take a light along, you'll be diving Riddick style. Pitch black.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

Everything I take has an intended purpose. Here's a complete list:

Tank(s)
Reg(s)
bc
wetsuit, hood, etc
mask
fins
timing device
mirror
whistle
knife
smb
light

That's all I need for the dives I do now, so that's all I take. And every bit of that is required to make a dive safe and fun. Of course different places and conditions require different equipment, so in those cases one needs to bring along and know how to use whatever he/she needs to be safe.

 

[MSilvia]

Problem is, how can one predict the need for emergency equipment? I for one would simply skip the emergency if I could predict it ;-).

Part of it is to think through the scenarios that could occur during a dive, and take the gear that's appropriate. If you're diving in the local quarry, you probably don't need the equipment that would be handy if you were adrift at sea. If you have the minimal gear you need to turn emergencies into non-emergencies, you're all set. If you're bringing signal flares and an EPIRB to the pool, you're overdoing it.

Cost/risk/benefit applies: I carry a small instance of each basic safety device at all times (Z-knife, light, SMB, storm whistle, small spool & line, signal mirror). The load is light (low cost), the benefits are great on the chance that a low-probability risk is realized. You might need a signaling device on any dive, really ... the quesion is how big or how many.

Sounds like a good basic kit. There's a lot to be said for a standard basic set that you always bring.

Diving in situations that increase one or another of the risks, I prepare more (more lights for night or wreck diving; more line for wreck diving; more cutting tools for wreck diving; bigger SMB for diving in current or boating areas ... like that).

I think of those examples as all being appropriate gear for the dive, not necessarily emergency gear. There's a good likelihood of needing any of that stuff.

Indeed the "cost" (carrying more crap) of lugging an extra mask does seem to move it into the "not worth the benefit for the risk" in good, clear open water. Inside a wreck where it would help a lot to see to exit, it becomes worth the cost.

Mostly, the spare mask comes in handy when the ability to read your gauges is mission-critical. For example, if you're doing a dive that requires several mandatory decompression stops at precise depths and durations, you can plan on a trip to the chamber (or worse) if you lose your only mask at the bottom. If you can just ascend and survive without injury, it's superfluous.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

I carry......
my buddy and everything he is carrying!

Carrying all that around could make you tired after a while, don't you think....