What haven't you forgotten?

[TSandM]

There are very few moments as irritating and frustrating as having completely geared up on a hot day and gotten into the water, only to find during your equipment check that you are missing something mission-critical. The moment that is even MORE irritating and frustrating, though, is getting back up to the car, out of the gear, unzipping the drysuit and retrieving the car keys, and then discovering the mission-critical item or items aren't in the car, either.

Having gone through this today, I was going to start a thread about "What have YOU forgotten?" But as I went through my list, I realized the number of things I've never forgotten is MUCH smaller than the embarrassing list of things I've shown up without at a dive site.

I've never forgotten my regulator/s, backplate or wing, and I don't think I've forgotten my dry suit yet. But I've forgotten gauges (today's error), hood, mask, weights, and my husband's fins (not mine yet). I've forgotten my light and my undergarment. I don't think I've shown up without a tank yet . . . But my dive buddy has.

Am I unusually absent-minded, or does everybody have stories like this to tell?

 

[Cheekymonkey]

Ah i've done the no drysuit thing accidently a couple times when i'm focused on bringing gear for the OW students... luckily I keep a spare wetsuit in my trunk

 

[SkullDeformity]

I drove all the way to cove 2 through traffic only to realize I didn't put my contacts in. Bummer. My dive buddy has forgotten our tanks before in Hawaii, but that wasn't a big deal.

 

[Steve50]

Well I forgot my booties on the trip to do my final openwater test to become an Instructor (cold dive site). Fortunately the dive site had some equipment to rent. Their booties fit me better than my own. I was lucky.

Since then I have a checklist that does not get checked until the equipment is in the dive bag or car as appropriate.

 

[SkullDeformity]

My checklist is the order in which I put things in my rubbermaid tub, fragile things on top, things I need last at the bottom, etc. Hasn't failed me yet, although I don't have much gear anyway.

 

[TSandM]

Yeah, my checklist is the order in which I put things in the car, too. Unfortunately, it seems to be easily perturbed by having to do something out of the ordinary. Today, I was bringing some gear for my buddy to try out, and that clearly overloaded my brain

 

[Surelyshirly]

I have forgotten the big stuff, my BC once and my wing once, both times on the floor of the garage, ready to pack up but didnt make the trunk.

I couldnt find my bungee necklace for my pony reg once and remembered I left it on my pony reg, at home on the counter, ready to pack up...doh

And I had a dive buddy who forgot his wetsuit once and wore my shorty, but I promised not to tell who it was.

The best laid plans .......... oddly the big stuff is easier to borrow or rent and not loose the dive over

 

[Buoyant1]

My "dive bag" packing checklist is physically LAYING everything out like a "paper doll" and then packing it from there. Wetsuit, hood, gloves, booties...bc, regs...fins mask...just like I'm kitting up (got that tip from someone here)

The "save a dive" bag is always packed with that stuff, then (once the season starts) has my lights, computer box, my logbook and anything else I need in it as well (it all goes right back in after drying)

Packing the car is just as simple...cylinders first, then my weight bag (to cinch them up on one side), dive bag (to cinch the cylinders up on the other side) and save a dive bag...towels and dry bag go in last, and the small cooler with water/gatorade etc. goes in front with me!

So far (knocking on head to simulate wood) I haven't forgotten anything! Last summer, I pulled up to the quarry, and one of my buddies said "you're never going to guess what I forgot?!?" and since he was doing his drysuit specialty dives, I responded "Dry suit"? Nope..he forgot his regs! (luckily he lived close and his daughter was able to run them by)

 

[lundysd]

I had my inflator on my singles wing and forgot to switch it over to the doubles wing this morning -- that sucked. I had to drive home and get it. Time to actually get off my lazy butt and order a second one I guess.....

 

[SparticleBrane]

I managed to get to the dive site and forget my mask & fins. 1.5 hour trip there and back to go get them to make the dives (all day training dives, couldn't reschedule).