Save A Dive Kit.

[Richard Mason]

Most divers would carry some spares with them, what do you carry?

Many times, we dive in remote places, far away from anywhere that has those little spares you sometimes need to keep your gear serviceable, and even when there is a dive shop/dive centre close by, your mates won't thank you for having to head back from Waterfall Bay back to Pirates Bay, jump in the car and drive to the local dive centre. (I know because I did it August last year when I forgot to pack my BCD in the early morning darkness).

This is mine:



It contains:

• Water soluble condom lube for use on drysuit latex wrist seals – works well, especially for a second dive when the seals are damp when talc goes gluggy.

• Multi tool, divers for the use of; bought off eBay for $12. Has spanners with all common sizes for hoses, Allen key for HP/LP port plugs, screwdriver heads, & a pointy thing for getting stones out of horses hooves.

• Allen keys to fit both DIN insert in K-valve and DIN converter in regulator.

• DIN inserts – just in case someone else with A-yoke reg is going to borrow my tanks. (You never know).

• First stage HP & LP plugs (assorted sizes).

• Selection of O-rings, to suit both DIN fittings and the male thread on HP/LP hoses.

• Spare regulator mouthpiece (cheap & nasty one as if you donate it to someone else, chances are you won’t get a replacement) and zip ties.

• Panadol.

• Bike puncture repair kit for repairing minor holes & tears in latex wrist & neck seals on drysuit.

• Aquaseal for repairing small holes in drysuit – more use for overnight trips.

• Gaffer tape.

• Money for phone box (you never know).

• Cut off length of old HP hose (about 100mm). This is useful if you need to put your regulator in a vice, you simply screw the hose in to a port and then grip the hose in the vice, rather than risk damaging the first stage body by clamping it directly.

• Candle stub for lubricating drysuit zip. (I have beeswax but find it’s not as good.)

• Old dive mask box – all the above items fit in here.


• I used to carry a spare strap & buckle for my fins but since I fitted bungee straps to my fins, I haven’t bothered. Usually I have a pair of precut bungee straps too but I ended up using them for something else and forgot to replace them.

Does anybody carry additional stuff? Is there anything I've missed (I'm sure there must be).

It's really a compromise between what you could reasonably foresee needing and space considerations because nobody will thank you for bringing the kitchen sink onto a boat.

I'll be getting a Supercheap Auto tool kit to keep in my own boat too, (spanners, screwdrivers, allen keys, stanley knife etc) so that should leave most bases covered.

[TerryH]

I'd add a quality shifting spanner to that. The multitools are thin and if
nuts are rounded you have no chance.

Maybe not in this kit as such, but I ditch the Din cap and put an A-Clamp
adapter on instead. Is harder to lose a big lump of metal and if you
want to use your mates cylinders and they dont convert, no probs.

[Keith Whittaker]

Spare mask strap ?

[John63]

swiss army knife / leatherman
small torch
large & small cable/zip ties
waterproof marker pen (not really a spare, just lives with all the other crap)
fin strap/ buckle - I've saved a dive by donating one of these to my buddy who didn't have his own spare
boltsnap
length of bungee
lenth of caveline
spg swivel

[frosty the snowman]

Lube? Puncture repair kit? Candle stub? I think you've inadvertently revealed the mark one Mason date saver kit there Richard...

[Sparky]

I've ended up using a small toolbox for my spares as I seem to keep adding to it, so far I've got.

Spare Orings various sizes
Din inserts
Din to A clamp yoke
Spare mouthpiece
Spare weight retainers
Spare hose clips
Small knife
Small torch
Snorkel retainer (although I don't wear one except when teaching)
Adjustable spanner
Pipe grips
Spanners to fit all hose connections
Set of Allen keys
Bungee
Fin Strap
Decant hose
Cable ties (Zip ties) various sizes
Repair kit for dry suit
Spare belt buckle
Spare pistol clips
and a few other bits and pieces that look like they may come in handy possibly!!!

[Treerat]

mask, mask strap, plenty of cable ties, fins strap, fin strap complete with buckles, electical tape, multi tool, small adjustable screwdriver, o rings, snap light, 1st stage blanking plugs, the bit sremoved at the last service, replacement wrist seals and cuff system and sometimes the beaver mini tool kit.

All in a dry bag that is carried everywhere.

[The Penguin]

A small pair of needlenose pliers (often handy).

A small pair of wire cutters for cutting cable-ties on mouthpieces (reduces change of damaging mouthpiece with a knife).

Spare bolts or butterfly nuts (for fixing twins to backplate).

13 mm box spanner (makes adjusting twinset bands a doddle).

13 mm ring spanner (other end of twinset bolts while adjusting).

Spare surgical tubing necklace (never broken one yet, but it always seems to get caught and stretched somewhere during the day).

12" pipe wrench and cloth (removing stubborn DIN handwheels).

And the usual spanners, allen keys, o-rings, etc.

[Big Kahuna]

I started a similar thread that got a few responses - made me think of a few things I had missed. Thought it might be useful:

what do you keep in yours.....

cheers
chris

[Richard Mason]

Originally Posted by Sparky

I've ended up using a small toolbox for my spares as I seem to keep adding to it, so far I've got.

Spare Orings various sizes
Din inserts
Din to A clamp yoke
Spare mouthpiece
Spare weight retainers
Spare hose clips
Small knife
Small torch
Snorkel retainer (although I don't wear one except when teaching)
Adjustable spanner
Pipe grips
Spanners to fit all hose connections
Set of Allen keys
Bungee
Fin Strap
Decant hose
Cable ties (Zip ties) various sizes
Repair kit for dry suit
Spare belt buckle
Spare pistol clips
and a few other bits and pieces that look like they may come in handy possibly!!!

Do you put it all in the liferaft and tow it behind you?