Condo divers need your advice

[Mouth Breather]

I've lived in West Broward for 20 years but would like to relocate to the Ft. Lauderdale area. For those of you that live in a condo, how do you manage your gear? It's super simple for me now: driveway rinse, drip in the garage and store in the seldom used main bathroom. Is this procedure as big a PITA as I'm imagining from a condo?

Jim

 

[Lorenzoid]

The gear--including two sets of doubles and the hand truck to get them up the elevator--has slowly taken over what used to be the guest/second bedroom. It's basically a storeroom now. Gear gets rinsed/soaked in a plastic tub in the shower in that bedroom. I use a faucet adapter to hook up a garden hose to the faucet in the bathroom. I installed a hardwood rod above the shower to hang stuff from. How I wish I had a house with a driveway and garage. Oh well. Since we dive so much these days, we don't have time for overnight guests anyway.

 

[Bubblesong]

I've lived in West Broward for 20 years but would like to relocate to the Ft. Lauderdale area. For those of you that live in a condo, how do you manage your gear? It's super simple for me now: driveway rinse, drip in the garage and store in the seldom used main bathroom. Is this procedure as big a PITA as I'm imagining from a condo?

Jim

Hold out for a first floor condo, or consider future flooding levels and get a top floor condo with elevator, but pay extra to get parking space next to elevator in garage.

 

[Texasguy]

Well, if you do a shore dive, way less gear is needed. You'd want to keep the minimum.

Boat diving is way more gear. You can rent the tanks, if you want to simplify. However, I do the reverse and dive my own 130HP. Yes, 1st floor is more convenient. Some apartments come with small storage spaces (cells size of a porty potty), located on the first floor, you can keep tanks there. Having an SUV is convenient too. Usually you'd bring your car to the entrance and have a few trips to your condo to bring gear down. A hand truck or a dolly can be helpful on long runs (some hoa might not like the potential of wheels tracking in dirt). If you can afford, you can rent a small storage space elsewhere, just for gear.

You also have to figure out how to wash the gear after the dive. Most marinas offer a hose, I stay after most leave and hug the hose time (after a boat dive). Some condos have a common car washing "port" where you can hose your gear down, also you can do it on your balcony if hoa is cool with it (again, 1st floor helps). After a shore dive most places have a beach shower, I usually hose off salt water, then in depth cleaning at home.

PM me about Ft. Ltd condo living, I got two (edit: no rent).

 

[Texasguy]

... but pay extra to get parking space next to elevator in garage.

It was my experience that when you are buying a condo, it comes with an assigned space "written in stone", in your deed. Thus, you are stuck unless you can unofficially exchange with another resident but it is null and void if he moves).

 

[Mouth Breather]

I beach, rec, tec, a LOT of gear in other words. Hauling it up and down via an elevator and washing etc. sounds like too much of a PITA. Not to mention the $/sqft for a decent place. Maybe I'll stick to Davie lol.

 

[Bubblesong]

If money was not a concern, and you could have second vehicle, second, shady parking just for Scuba, could you just leave tanks and gear in shaded car? This is the SCUBAVAN that The Chairman talks about. I had been looking at what I need to convert my Honda CRV into a dedicated Scuba vehicle, but it doesn’t have the weight bearing capacity for the tanks that we need.

 

[Texasguy]

Problem with leaving scuba items in a car permanently, it retains smell and moisture, specifically noticeable when accumulates. If there is a car break in, you may lose big. Tanks might be ok to leave in, but other crap might degrade quicker due to high temps, most of the year, plus the added UV exposure.

 

[Bubblesong]

Problem with leaving scuba items in a car permanently, it retains smell and moisture, specifically noticeable when accumulates. If there is a car break in, you may lose big. Tanks might be ok to leave in, but other crap might degrade quicker due to high temps, most of the year, plus the added UV exposure.

You had me convinced at “ retains moisture” because i didn’t think about how much fabric there is in a regular car compared to a scubavan- mildewed mess within a week!
My brother- the electrician- got his car full of tools stolen, so unless it is parked in a locked garage, even the van/truck idea won’t work