What do you do with your keys?

[Gunrock]

Many excellent points. I'd like to emphasize a few of them.

1. Saltwater: is a concern. But I take my key on every dive. It's a Toyota with a chip embedded in the head of the key. I keep it on a brass gate clip, which gets attached to another clip that I installed inside my BCD pocket. Never had a problem in 8.5 years of diving. I just pull it out at the end of the dive and suck the salt off.

2. Containers: as already stated, if you opt for one then do get one that is depth rated. I've tried a variety of commercial container/"waterproof" bag solutions, and every single one of them failed sooner or later. Usually sooner. Usually immediately.

3. Hiding your keys: don't ever do this. In both CA and HI I've found there are thieves who observe surfers and divers and take note of where people stash their keys. I recently overheard a diver say that thieves took his keys while he was underwater -- he came back to find his whole truck gone!

Personally I find it best to minimize the valuables I take with me when I know I'm going to be in the water. I've never had a break-in but I always assume it's going to happen. My wallet has an ID holder that slips out. So I leave the wallet at home and just take this slim holder with one credit card, my DL, and a small amount of cash. It's much easier to hide this than a whole wallet. If it ever does get stolen I only have to contact one bank and replace the driver license. Annoying, but not the crisis of losing all your IDs, ATM and credit cards.

 

[Tug]

I had a key cut that doesn't have any electronics in it and keep it clipped off in my drysuit pocket. My full set if keys gets locked in the car.

The Hitch Safe is another option that some folks use. http://www.hitchsafe.com/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sipps]

I just keep my keys in a pocket under my drysuit, so I have never had any problem with that

 

[Steve_C]

If you have a trailer hitch you an get a combination safe that fits into the hitch. Works great. Keeps keys dry.

http://www.hitchsafe.com/

On a boat I just put in a small water tight container and keep on boat.

 

[avengerki]

I would highly suggest if you get a non-electronic key made that you try it before you need to depend on it. Awhile back I had one made for the wifes car and it wouldn't open the door because it wasn't cut right.

 

[j2s]

Like a lot of divers, I have a 'valet' key which opens the car but won't start it......I hide the regular keys in the car.....I wear the key, along w/an 'info' dog tag, because I dive mostly solo, on a long cord around my neck under my wet suit.....Don't like the trailer hitch hiding place, too easy to pry open........

 

[scjoe]

Valet key shoved up the underside of the arm of your wetsuit. Lick off the salt water before you stick it in the door.

 

[Skittl1321]

Like a lot of divers, I have a 'valet' key which opens the car but won't start it.....

I've never heard of a key that does this. How does the valet get the car back to you when they've parked it? (My valet key just won't allow the trunk or glove box to be opened.)

 

[freewillie]

I have one of those electronic fob keys that opens the door by pushing a button while the key is still in my pocket. I had the dealership make me a "valet" key that simply locks and unlocks the door. The key is on a stainless steel ring with a double sided bolt snap, then clipped on a zip tie on the inside of my BC pocket. I don't usually open the pocket after it is zippered but gives me an extra layer of protection from having my key end up in Neptune's locker. That would seriously suck if the key fell out while diving.

 

[gypsyjim]

Not surprisingly, this question comes up frequently on the Bonaire branch, so take a look there. If your only option is an electronic key, then get a waterproof case and take it with you. In Bonaire, the rental truck keys are the old-fashioned type, so I could just stick it in a BC pocket. But I still take a waterproof case with a phone, cash, etc.

If it were my car, I would go with the valet key, locking the electronic key out of sight in the vehicle.

That would not work in a place like Bonaire where you should never lock the vehicle, or leave anything of value in it.

We were on Bonaire last week, and unlike the old trucks the Toyotas we rented all had an electronic fob attached to the key. The key itself was no problem taking under water, but the electronic fob was not so forgiving. Our group devised several ways to leave the fob hidden in the truck, and carry just the regular metal keys on us for the dive. My brother who is always tinkering found a way to hide his fob inside the dash, where it was close enough to the ignition switch to allow him to use the key without retrieving the fob each time, while I simply hid mine in an easy to reach recess.

Without the key itself, the fob would have been useless, even if someone had found it,