Let’s picture this for a minute. The hype is there, the excitement… of going diving. You get to the dive, put your gear together, and BAM, you’re missing something. Something important such as an O-ring, you have dead batteries, you’re diving with a DIN and need to make the valve fit… endless possibilities. So no dive for you, right? SAD! Oh, wait… SAD could be an acronym for Save-A-Dive Kit! No more “sad day” for you!!
You’ll get into your Save-a-Dive Kit, pull out what you need, save the dive, and have fun. But you say you don’t have a Save-a-Dive Kit? Never Fear! We’re here to help you create a SAD (no more) Kit so you won’t have to be sad. (I wonder if Deb is shaking her head at me… for my punniness…)
Save-A-Dive Kit – Per Grady
Last week Grady was sitting across from me in the classroom and I mentioned to him, what do we need in a Save-A-Dive Kit. Here is his list:
- Crescent Wrench
- Pliers
- Multi-tool with Allens
- Computer batteries
- O-Ring Kit with multiple sizes
- Extra Mouthpiece
- Tie Wraps
Crescent Wrench
Why would you need a Crescent Wrench? This is in case you need to remove a Hose, transmitter, etc.
Pliers
Why do I want pliers? Example: Say you need to remove a pair of fin straps. Things that you might need to grab ahold of and pull through. They help get you a good grip on things.
Multi-tool with Allens
Why? All of the ports (high pressure/ low-pressure port plugs) should you need to remove one of those.
Computer Batteries
This should be a given… If your battery is dead, your computer won’t work. Not having a computer while diving is not safe. We like to be safe!
O-Ring Kit with multiple sizes
Tank vales, between hoses and the first stage, regulator… they all contain o-rings and they all tend to be different sizes. This is why it’s best to have multiple sizes on hand at any given point in time.
Extra Mouthpiece
Did you happen to catch the picture of Doug’s mouthpiece this last summer at the lake? That is one example of why you need a spare mouthpiece… if it gets left out in the heat, it could melt. You can bite through them.
Tie Wraps
Also known as zip ties. For one, they hold your mouthpiece to the second stage of the regulator. But, they come in handy to hold multiple things to your BC, or for quick repairs. It’s definitely a good idea to have multiple sizes of these as well. You never know how they could save your dive.
Optional: DIN Conversion Kit for your regulator
Say you dive DIN, it might be handy to have this on hand as well.