BC Scotchguard

Has anyone ever had any success with using some sort of fabric protectant on a BC? I have a brand new bright red BC that I would like to keep that way by protecting from UV and the sort.

I'm getting ready to assist with teaching a pool session and I'm pretty sure the chlorine is a bad idea. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Not much you'll be able to do about chlorine bleaching out the gear. A lot of us have to dive a lot to get faded gear, it shows that you've actually been diving...

If you really want to try and keep it shiny new rinse the gear after you get out of the water, get a UV protected sheet/blanket to lay over the gear when it's in the sun, etc.

If you want to keep it new looking why use it in the pool? Do you still have your old bc? if so to assist with a teaching session it may be better to use the old familiar one and not be the guy in the red bc that "I was so busy looking at I missed how to do the bc off and on underwater". Plus if you dive regularly it's gonna fade anyhow. a couple pool sessions followed by a good rinse with some equipment wash will keep it from fading all that fast. I have two at the moment one oceanic probe and a seaquest advance. I use the advance for pool and the probe for open water. The advance I got for 25 bucks from a guy no longer able to dive. It had 28 dives on it. Great for assisting in the pool. Unobtrusive, yet functional. It makes me almost invisible for purposes of assisting the instuctor who decides when it is time for me to be noticed. Jim PADI Master Scuba Diver and Divemaster Candidate.




It's about function not fashion.Fish don't care how good I look.

Sounds like a plan. I'll use my old one in the pool.

Believe me, I could care less what I look like in the water as far as fashion goes. I bought the red as a function. I do all of my diving off of NC where it can be a bit challenging and accidently drifting off the wreck and getting caught in the current is a near certain disaster. Its all about visibility for me. I've been in the helos, C-130s and boats looking for a person, and know how close to impossible it would be to find someone in some of the conditions out here without something that makes them stand out. Being on that side of a search gives you a whole different perspective on what your gear should look like.

Thanks!

OBX - I sure hope you're using something besides the color of your bc as the mainstay of your rescue-at-sea plan. You may want to peruse the two links here for some other options.
http://www.equipped.com/signal.htm
http://www.rescuestreamer.com/
If you do a Google search for "vinyl scuba buoyancy compensator slipcovers', you will find a wealth of information that will keep your bc looking like it was sitting in your grandparent's living room for 20 years.

No, it is just one component. I carry smoke/flares, rescue sausage, mirror, whistles, strobelight and a cyulume PML. It's a lot of stuff, but it all fits in one bc pocket believe it or not. I'm also ordering an EPIRB and dive canister for it. It may sound excessive to some, and I'm not even Mr. Paranoid of the Ocean Guy either. I have more survival training than the average Joe and consider my diving and water skills advanced. Its just that I know s**t happens, and all too often I get first hand experience with the results. Sometimes something as simple as the color of the clothing makes a tremendous difference in a search. Its all of the little details that can add up to a successful rescue.