Which accessories are actually useful for shore diving?

[rjpv]

TSandM got it right... I've your basic OW diver, been diving the rental kit for a few months and pondering a shopping list. I have an idea what is needed, but with all the different accessories on the market I wanted to see if I was missing something. (Asked about shore diving because thats 95% of my diving)

Still, it was interesting to see what differences if any people made between the two kits. I guess I won't start to see any major differences in the basic basket of tools until you get to deep or penetration type dives.

 

[HBDiveGirl]

The gear items that made the most fantastic improvement in my shore diving (which is 80% of my diving):

1. Long-hose primary regulator and bungied back-up reg. I dived the 36" primary with an octo clipped to my BC for two years. I got severely rolled on sand and rocks a few times. The octo-clip came loose and my back-up reg was unavailable to me. When I lost my primary, it went behind me and was nowhere to be seen. Ugly. Now, my back-up is under my chin, all the time. In really rough surf, I clip off my primary and enter using my back-up. Rock solid. Never fails. Nothing comes loose.
2. Back-plate and wing. This offers dramatically less resistance to the waves and better streamling. The tank stays firmly against my back through every wave.
3. Spring straps on my fins. I enter the surf with my fins in my hand. Facing out to sea, in chest deep water, reg in, I put one fin on fast. If a wave is looming, I kick out with one fin and get the second one on when I can. If all is clear, I put the second fin on and kick out.
4. Wrist mounts for my gauges. This is more streamlined than the console-on-a-retractor that I dived the first two years. More streamlined means I get out through the surf faster. This is a good thing.
5. Fin clip. Mo2vation said it all. It's a great little tool for the job.
6. HID cannister light. Face it: Shore diving viz is generally worse than boat diving viz. I go underwater to see stuff. I see more stuff with my 10W HID cannister light. I signal my buddy easily without needing to bang my tank or use an evil quacker. No more pistol-grip lights swinging wildly in the surf, either. My HID battery cannister is threaded firmly on my harness webbing, and the light head is clipped to my harness.
7. Lobster bag. Yum. Beats the heck outta hugging the little darlings all the way back to the car. Also solves the dilemma of being a two-handed aquatic mammal in a Limit-of-7 world.

Make your gear work for you, and have more fun.

Claudette

 

[Patty]

I've been toying with getting a hand truck or trolley for shore diving. Has anyone had any success with one?

 

[Walter]

Claudette, I'm afraid I must disagree with several of your assumptions. Any regulator can come loose from any connection. Your set up is more secure than most, but it's not "rock solid," none of them are unless you've secured it in an unsafe manner.

A back plate/wing is not inherently more streamlined that other types of BCs. Most BCs of other types have had their basic streamlined design screwed up with junk, such as padding and cummerbunds, but there are still some that retain the streamlining of the original design. Most BP/wings are not all that streamlined when compared to a well designed vest.

If you enter the water with your fins in your hands, (a practice I recommend) why would you want/need fin clips? What do spring straps have to do with your method of donning your fins?

You're concerned about the nonexistent difference in streamlining between a wrist mount gauge and a console, yet you dive with a canister light. Do you need att that light? Isn't it like driving in the fog with your brights? Light angle and color (amber for low viz) is a better solution than a brighter light. I hate diving with buddies who have canister lights!

Wrist mounts are no more streamlined than a console, probably less so than a well positioned console.

 

[rjpv]

I've been toying with getting a hand truck or trolley for shore diving. Has anyone had any success with one?

Theres a group of maybe half a dozen 'old timers' that dive in the area, always superlatively well prepared. They use a these big (say, 4' by 2') chests on wheels that can be pulled along. Assuming you have level terrain, it seems to work well.

 

[Sharky1948]

I've been toying with getting a hand truck or trolley for shore diving. Has anyone had any success with one?

I use the Wheeleez (formerly Roleez) Sports Caddy: http://www.wheeleez.com/beach-carts.php

It takes two trips (one for the tanks, one for the rest of the gear), but it works well on all kinds of terrain.

 

[shark.byte.usa]

The best investment for my shore diving was Spring Straps, the stock rubber straps were a pain especially with thick gloves, always got twisted or or slipped a couple notches and needed to be adjusted and not as quick to get off.

-Garrett

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Claudette, I'm afraid I must disagree with several of your assumptions..

Do what ya' gotta do there, chief.

What I wrote are not my assumptions. They are my experiences based on very frequent shore diving with strong surf; first with a BC, brick, etc, and then with the gear I listed in my post.

This thread was started by a new diver asking what gear others had chosen to buy that they would recommend as having improved their diving... specifically beach diving.

That's what I posted.
My experience and hard-earned knowledge stands as I wrote it.

YMMV.

Claudette

 

[sea nmf]

If you enter the water with your fins in your hands, (a practice I recommend) why would you want/need fin clips? What do spring straps have to do with your method of donning your fins?

Walter,

A couple of the shore entries here are through large rocks. I like to have both of my hands completely available to get through them, both entering and exiting. That's why I like to have them on a clip. The flat water conditions work well for this. Once in the water, no problem easily detatching and donning the fins. If the water is too rough, I don't dive.

 

[Walter]

A couple of the shore entries here are through large rocks. I like to have both of my hands completely available to get through them, both entering and exiting. That's why I like to have them on a clip.

Yes, but the question was why have a clip if you enter with your fins in your hands. Apparently, that's not something you do.