How long does it take you to get ready?

[bwerb]

I know that some people seem to take forever to get their gear assembled and be ready to dive. I think I can be one of them on occassion (when diving dry).

How long does it typically take you, once you arrive at a site and have determined it's a good day to dive, from the time you start to don your gear until you hit the water?

Do you find boat diving faster than shore diving?

Anything you have learned to speed-up the process?

Help!

Brian

 

[notabob]

Pre-assembling your gear is the key. I usually have the BC already attached to the tank when packing the car in the morning. That way when you get to the dive site, all you have to do is attach the reg, test it out real quick, put on your wetsuit & weights, and strap into your BC. From the moment I'm done hauling the gear to the dive site to the point that I'm ready to be in the water can be less than 15mins if you don't stand around talking to other divers.

Getting out of the water and packing up, OTOH, is what takes me the longest. Don't know why, I usually don't tend to hurry much when gearing down and packing things up. Hence I'm typically the last one ready to go. Go figure.

-Roman.

 

[jbd]

in the water in about 20 minutes from making the decision to dive.

Being familiar with your gear and having stuff packed in an order that allows you to handle it once when getting set up helps.

 

[ericfine50]

I agree with the above. I set my gear up the night before and have it ready to walk onto the boat. I only bring what I need for that day and not the entire amount of cr*p, errrrrrr dive gear I own. Once I am all set on a boat 20 minutes till Ihit the water. Land, about 30 minutes, have to BS with my buddy

Eric

 

[Diver0001]

bwerb once bubbled...
I know that some people seem to take forever to get their gear assembled and be ready to dive. I think I can be one of them on occassion (when diving dry).

How long does it typically take you, once you arrive at a site and have determined it's a good day to dive, from the time you start to don your gear until you hit the water?

Do you find boat diving faster than shore diving?

Anything you have learned to speed-up the process?

Help!

Brian

If I were determined to set some kind of personal record it would take me about 10 min from parking the car to being ready. (that's about how long it takes at the pool).

As it is, I usually walk down to the entry point look at the conditions, discuss the plan with my buddy, walk back to the car, start getting ready and all-in-all it takes about 30 min before we're all geared up. In the summer we dive lighter (it's warmer) so you can go a little faster.

What I find helps speed up the process is to pack everything the same way every time (everything has a place and everything in its place) and to put things together in the same order every time. I also use check lists when packing (helps keep the order right). Even after 18 years and a gazillion dives I still read my checklist everytime I pack.

R..

 

[bwerb]

How do you wash your gear? Big bucket (garbage can)? The tub at home? A hose?

Do you pressurize your regulators before dipping them in? Do you clean the first stages?

I have so many questions...it seems that my diving is so much time in the water and double that time on the in and out.

Brian

 

[MechDiver]

bwerb once bubbled...
How do you wash your gear? Big bucket (garbage can)? The tub at home? A hose?

Do you pressurize your regulators before dipping them in? Do you clean the first stages?

I have so many questions...it seems that my diving is so much time in the water and double that time on the in and out.

Brian

Whether diving fresh or salt. What facilities you have available. If there is nothing and I'm diving salt, I'll have a large water bottle that I use to rinse off my first stages. I hate to disconnect first stages unless I can rinse them first. After that, if diving singles and there is a tub, just pressurize the first stage and drop the wholes works in.
There are really too many variables, but my rules are: the equipment gets cleanup up before I do, and I never store equipment that has not been cleaned.
Just depends on how anal you are about it.

MD

 

[Mo2vation]

About 10 - 15 is standard. Pre-assembly of the BP/W before packing is the key - I leave the overrated Scout light in place, keep the Canister on the ACB, pack the safety gear into pockets of the Drysuit, etc. all before I load the dive bag. Could take longer if I'm talking to others, helping, etc.

After, I have a very large plastic trash bin specifically dedicated for the dunking of everything. I use an Aluminim ladder as a drying rack, and dry everything outside under a big shade tree to keep it out of direct sunlight.

You've no doubt seen the parade of drying racks (active and passive) people have made on the board. I'm too low tech for all that goldberg stuff. Plus, in So Cal I can dry outside pretty much year round.

K

 

[Dee]

For local diving, my gear stays in a tub in the van, so I know it's all there and where I expect it to be. From parking at the site to in the water, if you don't count talking to divers in the process, can be as low as 10 min.

What usually takes the most time is checking out each others gear, maybe changing the position of something on yours to try it out, and just BS'ing with other divers. That's also alot of the fun of diving!

 

[Uncle Pug]

not long if it is just Shane and I.

Our rigs are already put together including regs and we usually wear our undergarment to the dive site.

Just jump into the suit (Andy's with attached boots is marginally quicker than DUI with rock boots), pull on the hood and dry gloves, slip into the rig & attach the canister light, put the mask on backwards, grab my fins and I'm ready to go.