Neat Little Tricks Are Good to Know

[Mike Boswell]

Ive never heard of dipping the cam band in water before tightening it though mine does have alot of rubber on it so it tends to grip pretty well and i always do it really tight. It probably explains why one of the guys i dive with who also never wets his cam band before tightening it has had his bottle slip out about 4 times since ive known him that i can think of off the top of my head Christ the amount of times ive had to "hump" that damn bottle back up into the band.

Nylon absorbs a lot of water and gets soft and expands, and since most modern cam bands are made of nylon, most divers wet the bands before trying to tighten them.

This isn't always convenient where there is no ready source of water, and often the bands are tightened dry, so when the diver gets in the water the band expands, loosens up, and the tank falls out. This is not good.

I went to a scuba tent sale the other day and saw some new Scubapro travel-type BCDs, and they have the stainless steel tank latch instead of the POS cam band rocker handle. So at least Scubapro has caught on.

 

[Splitlip]

If you've gotta hide your spending habits from your wife you have bigger problems then worrying about leaving your wallet lying around where she will find it.

This coming from a single guy.

 

[Splitlip]

I went to a scuba tent sale the other day and saw some new Scubapro travel-type BCDs, and they have the stainless steel tank latch instead of the POS cam band rocker handle. So at least Scubapro has caught on.

Scubapro had them first.

 

[idocsteve]

This coming from a single guy.

Coming from a recently divorced guy who speaks from experience.

 

[Splitlip]

Ah, come on! I bet you hardly remember the 70's, at least if you abused those years like I did.
(edit) OOPS! You had a pic to remind you!

More than one.

There was my disco phase too. (not very proud of that one.)

 

[formula1mb@aol.com]

You can keep an old cell phone in an OMS waterproof canister ( OMS Water Proof Canister reviews and discounts, OMS ) or equivalent with you while diving for emergencies.

As long as you keep it charged, an old cell phone even without service or sim card will still call 911. This way in an emergency you can call for help immediately after surfacing and not risk damaging your good phone.

 

[formula1mb@aol.com]

Also good way to keep your keys with you for shore dives and not risk getting your car broken into because someone found your 'secret' hiding spot.

 

[scubawheels]

Lots of good tricks here.

The only one I have that I haven't seen....

On deep dives, spend an extra minute at your 15 or 20 foot stop. If you often feel tired after a dive or two, the extra time breathing off that Nitrogen will leave you feeling better the rest of the day.

 

[D_B]

forgot about this one that I use to check that the BC quick disconnect is on ... twist the coupler, if it's not on all the way it will come off and it also proves that it's locked on and free
Thanks to my instructor for that one

 

[Lobzilla]

I never liked donning my gear with (short) tanks sitting on the benches during boat dives. To get the tank higher on the bench so I can sit in front of it, I took 2 tank boots and bolted them together on the bottom. Ground them out with coarse sandpaper so they would slide off the tank easily. Together, they will get the tank(s) to a comfortable height and I pull them off before the dive and leave them on the boat. This is also good for going Hogarthian but still being able to store the tank/rig vertically.