BCD Storage

[noblesix]

Hi guys. I was wondering if you could share your experience about your favorite way of storing BCD in the equipment room of your dive center. If you are not working at a dive center, have you ever witnessed a really clever way of a dive center storing their BCs? I'd like to get some ideas about some best practices regarding storing; how do you store it? do you use hangers? how do you mark the sizes? do you hang them in one line or multiple lines based on their sizes? how easy to get them down and put them back? etc..
I really appreciate your input. Thank you.

 

[WarrenZ]

I prefer hangers for my bcds

One thing that I thought was kind of cool was each diver is assigned a gear slot in the trailer with a short rod for bcd and wetsuit hanger with space for four tanks below when done diving for the day weach student would store all gear in their spot. one thing I didnt like was the bcd hanger also had a place for the regulator yoke to clamp (built in dustcap). I only saw a few students bother with the dust cap on the regulator. (ala dunked first stages.)

 

[noblesix]

I prefer hangers for my bcds

One thing that I thought was kind of cool was each diver is assigned a gear slot in the trailer with a short rod for bcd and wetsuit hanger with space for four tanks below when done diving for the day weach student would store all gear in their spot. one thing I didnt like was the bcd hanger also had a place for the regulator yoke to clamp (built in dustcap). I only saw a few students bother with the dust cap on the regulator. (ala dunked first stages.)

Hi WarrenZ, thanks for the reply. I like your idea with personal space/storage for individual student, I think it's pretty neat. Thanks.

 

[The Chairman]

Most resorts where I have dived have lockers available. Most have some sort of locking system as well. The airier the better. Major stink builds up when they can't breathe.

 

[noblesix]

Most resorts where I have dived have lockers available. Most have some sort of locking system as well. The airier the better. Major stink builds up when they can't breathe.

Hi NetDoc, thanks for the reply. So BCs are stored inside lockers in the equipment room? Or you mean for students/guests? How did they store them in the equipment room?

 

[The Chairman]

The options are unending. I've seen hangers made out of PVC pipe, commercial hangers, and so forth. Dive Paradise in Cozumel has individual lockers outside for each guest. Rainbow Reef here in Key Largo has locking sheds by their boats. On most liveaboards, they have racks with permanently installed hangers for the wet suits, but you just leave your BC set up on the tank. If your regs are off, they fill the tank. If they are on, then they leave it alone. Me? My sprinter acts as my mobile dive locker. You can't see it in these pictures, but my working tank(s) stand up in the back with BCs attached. Excess BCs hang on that hook by the side door. You can see my fins hanging, my boots have their own way of hanging on the side and beside them, my PDCs, socks and hat dry on the chrome bar.

Back view...

Charging station and rack...

 

[dmaziuk]

Most resorts where I have dived have lockers available. Most have some sort of locking system as well. The airier the better. Major stink builds up when they can't breathe.

+1. GoWest on Curacao has a large room with grate doors road side and shore side so there's breeze blowing through practically always. Anywhere else we take wet stuff back to the room and hang it on the balcony/terrace/whatever there is: lockers may be convenient but it stinks to high heaven.

 

[The Chairman]

They were awesome... always a fresh tank available.

 

[KeithG]

i think there are 2 different discussions going on here...

1) i belive the op is asking about best means for a dive operation to store unassigned gear.
2) the answers seem to be about best means for divers to store assigned gear.

for 2) i prefer a dedicated full time accces lockable locker ala the divi in bonaire or a full time dedicated seat on a liveaboard.

for 1) every dive op i have noticed jams them together on hangers in size order, taking up the least amount of space possible. after each use they spend several hours baking in the sun to try to get them dry before being stuck back on a hanger and jammed into the rack

 

[noblesix]

The options are unending. I've seen hangers made out of PVC pipe, commercial hangers, and so forth. Dive Paradise in Cozumel has individual lockers outside for each guest. Rainbow Reef here in Key Largo has locking sheds by their boats. On most liveaboards, they have racks with permanently installed hangers for the wet suits, but you just leave your BC set up on the tank. If your regs are off, they fill the tank. If they are on, then they leave it alone. Me? My sprinter acts as my mobile dive locker. You can't see it in these pictures, but my working tank(s) stand up in the back with BCs attached. Excess BCs hang on that hook by the side door. You can see my fins hanging, my boots have their own way of hanging on the side and beside them, my PDCs, socks and hat dry on the chrome bar.

Back view...

Charging station and rack...

Hey Doc, the idea of mobile dive locker is very cool. I think on the boat or liveaboard, we can certainly leave the BCs attached to the tanks. I'm looking for how to store the BCs after we come back from the boat or liveaboard. I've seen PVC hangers, they are really quite effective and economical. By the way, what do you charge at the charging station?