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What do you consider essential safety equipment on a dive?

48K views 149 replies 79 participants last post by  Azzent 
#1 ·
Interesting discussion on a recent trip, where people were talking about EPIRBs, and then got on to what they considered as essential safety equipment they would carry on every dive. What do you consider essential kit you wouldn't go diving without in the UK, and does this differ from your warm-water set-up?
 
#12 ·
2 masks
2 breathey bits (one can be buddy mounted unless I'm deep)
2 computers for deeper stuff, 1 for club stuff
2 cutty things and a stabby thing for urchin murdering
1 DSMB and spool (my backup is buddy mounted unless I'm deep then I have a backup on my bottom reel)
1 compass- I always set this towards land before jumping off a boat!
1 strobe that lives in the bottom of my pocket under my mask
1 torch that lives on my harness
Used to have a PLB but that's knackered now
 
#18 ·
Max depth 35m, planned no-stop (so allowing for 4-5mins deco worst case):

Spare Mask
2 Air sources plus a buddy (so 3 total)
1 knife
1 pair of shears
2 sources of buoyancy (wing/bcd and drysuit)
1 torch
1 SMB/Reel (spare with my buddy)
1 computer (spare with buddy, and I'd pad the safety stop).
1 compass
As I use my computer for depth I also keep a depth gauge in a pocket in case the computer dies.

Oh and if I was using a wetsuit I'd have a removable weight belt - if I lost bouyancy I'd drop the weight belt on my reel and use this to control my ascent - added bonus of being able to retrieve it later!
 
#42 ·
Oh and if I was using a wetsuit I'd have a removable weight belt - if I lost bouyancy I'd drop the weight belt on my reel and use this to control my ascent - added bonus of being able to retrieve it later!
Brilliant idea. Never heard of that before.

Back to the OP my addage is if you need something to do the dive bring 2
 
#24 ·
Safety... I think it would be cutters.
There's lots of things I wouldn't want not to take, yes I have a EPIRP, but I've heard too many scary stories that cutters solve.
I've cut line I could not see and realised that netting was dragging over my rebreather shell (where the first stage would be on OC) but never yet been snagged up solidly myself but the first time doesn't want to be the last time.
 
#30 ·
For sea diving (where you can't just pop to the surface), I wouldn't like to do any dive without: 2 DSMBs (+ reels/spools), a spare mask, at least 2 knives/razors/scissors, a redundant source of buoyancy and a redundant gas source. If it's anything more than a few minutes of air deco then also a second depth gauge and tables.
 
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