Which accessories are actually useful for shore diving?

Hi folks,

Question: which of the bazillion accessories for sale are actually worth buying and attaching to yourself during your basic shore dive? I get the sense that a fair amount of the stuff sold is gimmicky.

I can't think of anything I use on shore dives I don't use on boat dives. I do always carry a flag on shore dive while I only somestimes carry one on boat dives.

On some shore dives you don't need a watch, depth gauge, or computer, but you need a compass. On wreck dives the compass doesn't really work, but you might want want one if you somehow get blown off the wreck.

Have someone there to hold your car keys, equipped with a cell phone, food, hot drinks and a cheery attitude. Makes all the difference in the world.

X

What's useful often depends on where you dive.

I think a light is always useful. Even in the daytime, you may want to look under ledges or into cavities. If you dive where visibility is limited, lights are good communication devices.

I almost always carry an SMB and spool. Although you might think them of limited usefulness in simple shore dives, if for some reason you had to come up where you didn't plan to, and especially if you are in an area with boat traffic, it's just a way to warn people there's something underneath them and hopefully make your ascent a little safer. You have to learn to use it, though.

I don't carry a whistle or a DiveAlert or anything of that sort, although I have to admit I've seen them used, and they get the attention of people on shore very quickly. I'm pretty good at yelling, though.

When diving from a boat, it's a little more critical to have ways of getting someone's attention, since ostensibly a simple swim to shore is not feasible.

(Edited because I read X's post after I wrote the original) I like X's ideas, too!

Waterproof pouch for my car key that fits inside the zipper pocket of my BC.

Silly of me - shoestring to put the car key around my neck. Yep, a shoestring is the one accessory I use on shore dives, but not on boat dives. Thanks for the reminder, Steve.

Those wacky Cetacea fin clip thingys.

Not the ones that have a piece clipped to each fin, ect. Its just a loop of webbing with a clip for your chest Dring, and a fastex buckle to close the loop.

When carrying the camera, I need 1 hand free when rock hopping. Same on the exit.

Its the only time I ever "add" something to the kit for a shore dive.

---
Ken

For local diving....
piece-o-tarp and an extra bottle of water (for rinsing some immediate mud&crud).

EDIT: too early on Sunday morning... you DO NOT attach these to yourself....

Mo2vation:

Those wacky Cetacea fin clip thingys.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure if this is what you meant but we swear by these:
http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/AQUF...l&AdvSrchSortField=Relevance&SortDesc=0&Hit=1
I have them on all of our spring straps with the double reciever high enough on our BCs so the fins are up out of the way.

No fins under the arm or getting lost in the surf. We only need to deal with one at a time while donning and doffing. We each have 2 free hands to help each other negotiate a slippery, steep or rocky entry or exit. I can go on and on but it's truly like having an extra pair of hands.

Adding them made me a hero in my wifes eyes. Works for me

Actually the description is wrong. The fin halves are 1 male and 1 female. The Fixed portion has on male and one female. If you are skin diving or just packing gear a set of fins can be clipped together to carry as one.

Pete