Tips and tricks from the old timers(?)

[leam]

Packing my ready bag today I thought to put my defog bottle into the mask box speed things up. Then I thought "I bet there are a lot of tips and tricks the experienced PSD folks on Scubaboard have for organizing gear and prepparing for a fast deployment."

So how about it guys, can you post some tips and tricks?

Thoughts from the newbie:

Write out a list of all your gear, sorted by bag. Pack them by the list. Include regular clothing and warmth gear. Change the list as you figure out better arrangements.

Keep your "spare parts" bag seperate from your actual "dive bag". If you have to have it, it goes into the dive bag. If it's optional, it's "spare parts". That might lighten your ready bag a little.

Are all your recent dives logged? You might have a chance to go on an adventure dive but not have enough documented experience.

When you log a dive and think of something, write it down. Frequently review your logs to see what you've improved and what you forgot to work on.

On some schedule, annual, semi-annual,or whatever, inventory your equipment. Ensure you have all makes, models, and serial numbers. Ensure everything is marked with a permanenet marker.

ciao!

leam

 

[Gary D.]

This one might take a while to write out as to what we have and where but I will do it for you.

Things are divided a bit between necessary emergency response gear and stuff we use for recovery.

As far as defog goes there are several things you can do so it’s out of mind during an emergency.

I like PSI 500. I clean the mask very well. Then with a very sparing amount on my fingertip I rub it on the mask in a very thin layer. Just make sure the entire lens is coated.

Now the hard part, DON’T TOUCH IT. Let it dry to a milky white film and still DON’T TOUCH IT.

Now when you’re ready for a dive get it wet, the milkiness instantly goes away and you’re ready to go.

When you’re done, DON’T TOUCH IT. It will return to a milky covering.

If you keep your hands off of the coating it can last for weeks and dive after dive.

I still keep a bottle of PSI 500 AND a small bottle of deluted dish soap in my tool box for those times I can't resist messing with the lens. Also sometimes we get a lot of oil contamination and you need to clean thing up a little between dives.

I think this process will also work with baby shampoo. I haven’t tried it but I know others that have and like it. If anyone else has tried something that works please let me know.

That eliminates a step in the getting suited process. Every step you can eliminate is just that much faster that you can get into the water. A few seconds here and a few seconds there can add up to several minutes. Several seconds saved aren’t going to make a difference, but several minutes saved could mean the difference between life and death.

I’ll start working on the other stuff later. Everyone needs to chime in on this one. There are a lot of good working or workable ideas out there that need to be shared.

I got an e-mail a few days ago from a team that wants training ideas for maxamizing their limited training time. He tells me they get together and train once a year for roughly 8 hours in one day.

My advice to him was to quit the team and have the rest of the members follow his lead. They are an acciddent looking for a place to happen. They would be better not to have a team and contract the work out.

Gary D.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

I've got my Save-A-Dive kit rolled up in my boat bag, and my log-book in a small dry bag that's already clipped to the boat bag.

I agree with Gary about the defog. I use 1/3 baby shampoo/water solution for defog. It works great.

In my BC pocket, I've already got everything I'm going to need for the dive. SMB, small plastic mirror, gloves, whistle, and back-up light. When the stuff isn't drying, it stays in that pocket. After it's done drying, it goes back in that pocket.

As much as possible, I leave my gear configuration alone. I know where everything is without having to look for it when I'm underwater, even down to putting my gloves back in the pocket in the same order each time. The right glove goes in first and the left glove goes in on top of it. That may sound a little anal retentive, but it keeps me from fighting my gear.

(P.S. I'm not an old-timer, by any stretch of the imagination...)

 

[Cacia]

mask goes in bootie. thats my big contrubution. weight belt stays in car.

 

[Walter]

mask goes in bootie. thats my big contrubution. weight belt stays in car.

I store mine in my fin.

 

[ItsBruce]

When I use a soft bag for travel, the fins go on the bottom, a mesh bag (with spare parts, etc.) goes on the top. The BC is in between. This reduces the chance of the BC being punctured in transit.

 

[Dean810]

mask goes in bootie. thats my big contrubution. weight belt stays in car.

Sometimes my weight belt stays in the car too. Then I get out of the water and go get it!

 

[Cacia]

lol. and if you jump in the water without....you just say to the captain "excuse me, could you please pass me my extra weight belt?"

 

[Gary D.]

Here goes with unpacking the car. It’s easier this way. Packing is just in reverse with first in last out.

I open the left rear door. Take my jacket, float coat, rain gear and throw them on the car roof.

Now I’m looking at my dry suit, which is folded sort of like an accordion with the zipper open and up. I see my suspenders with two wire ties on them. Red for my right hand and a white one for my left.

If I need my underwear it’s directly under the suit and I can get it without moving the suits position. In most rescue modes underwear isn’t used or an issue.

I grab the two wire or Zip ties and spin 180 degrees so my back is towards the car. The suit has just unfolded and I step into it. Tighten up the Velcro ankle straps then slip the rest of the way into the suit and zip the inner zipper only at this point. The second outer zipper can wait, it’s just a protector.

Grab my top gear bag and toss it onto the trunk.

Undo the seatbelt that holds both tanks in position. I also undo the rubber bunge that holds my main tank extra tight. Pull out the spare tank and drop it at the left rear tire.
Pull my weight belt off the floor and step into it.

Pull out the main assembly, again spin 180 degrees, stick my hands through the BC and throw it over my head. While it’s on my head the air is turned on and then I drop it onto place. Hook up my dry suit hose and my belly buckle only.

Hood, dry gloves, lights and fins are in the first gear bag I tossed onto the trunk.

This is the only time I allow anyone to help. If I have a way to go I will let someone carry the gear bag. If not my dry gloves with liners go on, my light goes over my left wrist and I’ll grab my hood and fins.

Once I have those two I’m ready to get wet. Normally under three minutes. If there is a delay for some reason I will use that time to hook up the other two BC straps and make some minor adjustments. If there isn't a delay I could care less how many straps are hooked as long as one makes it.

There is a tool box with tools and spare parts on the floor next to two of my three weight belts. Any other search goodies are divided between the lower gear bag that is directly on the car seat under everything else.

The rest is in the trunk along with a helmet, PFD, 75’ throw rope, a 300’ and 200’ search lines plus “H” floats, more smaller lines. All total I carry roughly 800’ of rope on board.

There is a bunch more but that’s the basics to get us going.

Gary D.

 

[Dean810]

lol. and if you jump in the water without....you just say to the captain "excuse me, could you please pass me my extra weight belt?"

You think I'm joking?? Story of my life! :11doh: