Tips and Tricks for all divers

[Sbiriguda]

May I go bullsh1&@ing? After many trials and attempts I found out that spitting on the mask is the best way to defog it. 5 or 10 minutes before the dive one spit on the internal left side of the mask, then another one on the internal right side. You spread the spit over the glass with the finger and it’s done. You can’t forget this defogger at home and the result is guaranteed. No environmental pollution, no chemicals in contact with your eyes

 

[jonhall]

Passing along what a guide had me do in Mexico when I used the ops 5mm suit. He gave me a plastic bag like you get at the grocery store to put around my foot so it would slide into the wetsuit easier. Can use it for your hands also.

 

[aviator8]

Here is one I have not had to do, but was passed along to me. If you dive in a hood. heat up a clothes hanger or like sized implement, and burn a hole in the top of the hood. If you subconsciously breath out of your nose you may find air works its way from your mask into your hood creating a bubble. This hole lets the air out.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Here is one I have not had to do, but was passed along to me. If you dive in a hood. heat up a clothes hanger or like sized implement, and burn a hole in the top of the hood. If you subconsciously breath out of your nose you may find air works its way from your mask into your hood creating a bubble. This hole lets the air out.

Even if you don't breathe into your hood, a hole or two is a good idea.

 

[Rich Keller]

Some people (me, for example) believe the use of a fastener with the sort of spring-loaded gate that deflects inward is hazardous. This includes 'biners, unless they are safety carabiners with a threaded collar that locks the gate, and snaps other than bolt snaps. The reason is that running to line can operate the gate and the line can become trapped inside the fastener, causing entanglement. (I know someone who even files the tab on the bolt snaps so fishing line won't snag on it on the outside.).

I have heard that many times on Scubaboard. There is an argument to be made with the teardrop shaped brass clips due to their sharp. The carabiners on the other hand do not have the same issues in my opinion again due to their sharp. What is more concerning to me is that a lot of divers no longer carry knives to cut themselves out of such a situation. Fishing line being the number one concern as it’s very hard to see that type of line in the water. Even people who do carry knives if not sharpened properly can have a problem with fishing line. Most people use a sharpening stone to get a razor sharp edge on their knives that is not very effective against fishing line. I us an 8” bastard file to sharpen my knives but this goes against the conventional wisdom. The file will create lots of burrs on the blade that the people using stones are working hard to avoid. The burrs create a microscopic saw blade along the edge of the blade that is perfect for cutting fishing line. In almost all the cases I have had I just needed to touch the knife to the line to cut through it. I know this sounds like the wrong way to sharpen a knife but for fishing line there’s nothing better. You don’t need a foot long shark killer knife for this, almost any size knife properly sharpened will work.

 

[TrimixToo]

I have heard that many times on Scubaboard. There is an argument to be made with the teardrop shaped brass clips due to their sharp. The carabiners on the other hand do not have the same issues in my opinion again due to their sharp. <snip>.

Sorry, not following what you mean. Please explain.

I do agree with your other points (not quoted) that everyone should carry a cutting implement, especially offshore where 300# test PowerPro and similar lines are used that simply cannot be broken by a human, and that razor-sharp knives are not always best for cutting certain materials.

 

[BlueTrin]

Instead of grabbing the pull cord on the bottom dump valve, grab the valve itself and use your index to follow the edge of the valve until the cord wraps around your index to get the dump valve cord.

Works better than trying to grab the cord when wearing thick gloves, you may want to do small knots on the dump valve cord to get a better grip.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Learn how to find everything you carry, use, may need on your body and on your gear, with your eyes CLOSED. Be able to do and/or find what you need by feel, almost instinctively.

 

[happy-diver]

Yeah perfect, on the boat I slide my left arm into the harness first and plonk into my gear
then buckle in only by feel, taking in the scenery and never looking down at what I'm doing

That's after the fins which I do look at because they are left and right shaped

 

[Storker]

Buy a small tube of Aquasure (EU) / Aquaseal (US). There isn't anything better for repairing torn neoprene, or patching leaking drysuits, or generally gluing anything soft and rubber-like. It usually takes some 24h to cure properly, but you can mix in some accelerator stuff to speed up the process.

When you've broken the seal on the tube, make sure to wipe clean the threads both on the tube tip and inside the cap, and store the tube in the freezer. It'll keep fresh for very, very long before the tip gets clogged. When you need to use it, put the tube in a cup of warm water, tip just above the water, for ten to thirty minutes.