Proper cleaning

[jmyersfam]

I'm taking my first trip to Cozumel in a couple of days. This is my first salt water dive. I was wanting all you experts out there to give me your best info on cleaning my equipment after each dive.

What are the essentials that I need to take? Will the dive operator clean the stuff for me?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

[String]

Hmm. Cleaning is fairly easy.

Most dive places tend to provide a fresh water dunk tank for that or at least a hose pipe.

At home here i usually just hose the kit down at the same time the boat gets hosed.

Every now and again i make a bath full of neat milton and rinse my kit (except dry suit) in it.

 

[RichLockyer]

My buddy and I did not check our gear in the lockers (in part since we didn't dive with the hotel's operator). We just dropped it in the bathtub and soaked/rinsed it just like we do at home.

 

[chippy]

The bath tub always works fine with me.

Remember to introduce a small amount of freshwater into your BCD and give it a got shake to ensure that the internal bladder gets a good rinse - Salt crystals and bladders don't mix too well!

Incidentally - another question - how many people actually rinse their regs out whilst ensuring that the regs are still under pressure as per (in my case Poseidon) recommendations? I know I don't.

 

[saltwater taffy]

Rinse, rinse, rinse......don't rely on that fresh water tank provided by your operator. Everyone else is using that, too. Some of them may have done the unthinkable in their suits!!!!!

I always take along a small bottle of Amway's LOC. This is great for washing the wetsuit. Then to get the stinky out of your equipment, put a couple of caps of straight Listerine in the final rinse water. For the really yuck smell of your boots, put a capful of Listerine in them and let it sit overnight. I also take along a small bottle of Febreeze and spritz my equipment.

Hope you're clean and smelling like a rose!!!!! Have a safe fun trip

 

[Charlie99]

saltwater taffy once bubbled...
For the really yuck smell of your boots, put a capful of Listerine in them and let it sit overnight.

Thanks for the tip. In a lot of resorts I'll go down to the hot tub and scoop out a bit of the highly chlorinated water to zap the booty smell, but hot tubs are rare in Cozumel.

Another solution to the gear rinse problem is to just never let it dry out until the end of the trip If it's still wet, the salt crystals don't form. Boat dives in morning, shore dives in afternoon, add in a late night dive and you don't have to rinse!

Contrary to what might seem to be common sense, I find that drinking lots and lots of fluids keeps the wetsuit from getting too smelly. Dilution is the solution.

 

[diver_paula]

I'll second the LOC recommendation. Nothing worked on my wetsuit better. And it rinses it very easily.

 

[jmyersfam]

Hey guys, thanks for all your imput. This board is a lifesaver for us newbies out there without a clue.

Mouthwash, Amway, and bathtub...got it!

Thanks again,