"Odd Stuff" I Sometimes Carry
by
Larry "Harris" Taylor, Ph.D.
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Every diver assembles a variety of "dive stuff" they carry with them to dives. Much has been written about the necessity for tool kits, spare parts (often called a re-dive kit), and emergency management equipment (first aid kit, demand oxygen delivery apparatus, Emergency Assistance Plans, etc) on the dive site. This article describes a collection of devices, tools, and implements I have collected over the years that sometimes, depending on the type of dive, accompany me to the dive site. Typically, these are objects intended for a non-diving use or just plain time-killing toys that I have adapted for my personal diving, teaching or amusement between dives. Since these objects were not intended for diving, their use in diving is the sole responsibility of individual divers who must determine if their use meets their individual requirements for the type of diving done.
Beach Scraper
I picked this up in a children's water toy display. It provides a convenient tool for removing light sand, debris or soil in an underwater excavation site.
Boat Fender
Boat fenders (used to protect boats from scraping docks) make excellent sources of floatation. My favorite (shown below, with bottom side up) is a large fender. I added an inner tube around the float to provide means of attaching carabineers to hold objects used in a variety of diving operations. The large carabineer in the center is typically attached to an anchor line.
Camp Towel
This is an REI camp towel - it is small, extremely absorbent and easily cleaned. It folds to about 4" x 8."
Canopy
For some protection from sun and light rain for shore-based operations, I sometimes use a 10' x 12' canopy. This particular one from Swiss Gear easily covers a standard picnic table. I prefer this unit for its overall size, ease in single-person assembly and built-in anchor points free of support lines. These units are heavy, so a carrying case with wheels is a desirable feature.
Carabineers
I consider carabineers (available at most outdoor outfitters) to be extremely useful since they provide dependable, reliable connectors. For diving operations, the 'bineers should "weight bearing," not novelty items intended for nothing heavier than a key chain. I store mine is a food storage container with an O-ring seal.
Distance Estimator
This is an optical device that gives a crude estimate of over-water distance. Mine was acquired at a sailing supply outlet.
Dry Bags
Dry bags have all sorts of uses on the dive site to keep items from getting wet. They can be found at most outdoor outfitters, particularly those that have kayaking supplies. I typically store my clothes in a dry bag while I am diving.
Fishing Thermometer
This is a thermometer found in fishing supply vendors ... it is dropped into the water and left at depth for about 30 seconds. The device records temperature at the max depth (to about 130 fsw). I use about 50 feet of utility cord marked at every foot. This provides a quick estimate of temperature at depth prior to dive.
Folding Buckets
Useful for carrying water or (when weighted) as a means of moving small objects from the surface to underwater and visa versa. They collapse and fold for storage.
Folding Table
A table can always be useful on a dive site. The folding variety made for camping is easy to transport and deploy.
Gardener's Hand Pruners
These are good small-job cutting tools.
Gardener's Saw
This is a tool sold at garden supply stores. The wrist/arm brace makes this a useful underwater tool for light cutting operations. It can be stored in a folded position (right) with the handle opened for use (left). The blade is approximately 10".
Monocular/Binoculars
Occasionally, it is convenient to have an optical device for viewing distant objects. The smaller monocular (left) is always in my car and a larger one (spotting scope from my archery days), is often used when scouting new dive site. Occasionally, I will even carry zoom binoculars.
My Sky
This is a fascinating astronomical tool and just-plain fun diversion for looking at the night-time sky. Using location and GPS satellites, aiming the pointer towards the sky will display the most likely object in the sky that corresponds to the indicated direction. The device contains multi-media video about thousands of objects in the sky. I carry a sound splitter and extra earphones to share the experience. I store the device in a flat cake-pan carrier (department store storage solution or kitchen storage area ... these intended-for-cake-transport make excellent storage and carrying containers for a variety of things. They are not water tight, but they are stackable and quite versatile.)
This device will also, with an appropriate connector cable, aim a Meade telescope such that the scope can be used in a point-and-shoot fashion.
Neoprene Beach Mat
I use this mat to stand upon when changing into dive gear. It rolls to a small package and because of the neoprene material is easily cleaned. It also provides a colorful background for digital photography.
"One-Trip Grip"
This is a convenience device for carrying up to 50 pounds of objects (primarily shopping bags) in one hand. However, it can be used for carrying all sorts of objects (buckets, anchors, bags, etc) with minimal stress on the hands. With a lanyard (all my underwater tools have lanyards), it can facilitate carrying odd-shaped objects or bags from the surface support platform to the underwater work site.
A black piece of rubber holds the bottom "grip" open
To use: pressing the gray button opens the ring ... objects that fir through the slot are put into the grip ... the gray button is released is objects are carried in a convenient hand-hold.
Posse Box
This is an aluminum mega-clipboard that is typically found in law-enforcement supply outlets. It provides a sturdy, convenient three-tier storage place for documents associating with dive operations. My box typically contains class rosters, checklists, deco tables. administrative forms, current estimation tables, first aid forms, underwater geometry calculators, a star finder and a tray containing small tools, pencils and pens. I added a clock/timing device to provide uniform time for diving operations (students sign-in and sign-out of the dive site).
Pounding Board
This is simply a piece of wood with an eye hook to allow suspension in the water (below the above boat fender using a small line and a carabineer). Typically students (not in a basic class) are asked to pound 4 nails and drive one screw into the wood while suspended at a depth of 10-15 ffw.
Power Tank
This is a 12 amp-hour portable power supply that was originally designed as a power supply for astronomical telescopes. It makes a great universal DC power supply since it provides 6, 9 or 12 V DC with a variety of outlet connection options. It can be recharged from either car battery or AC current.
Secchi Disk
The colored disk (painted lead) is lowered into the water until the surface observer can no longer distinguish the boundary between light and dark. This provides an estimate of in-water vertical visibility. I added a thermometer to mine, so this version of the Secchi Disk provides both visibility and temperature information prior to entering the water.
Spiral
This is sold as a pivot point for animal leashes. However, it makes a superb center anchor point for running underwater searches. A small wrap of colored duct tape on one end of the top handle can be used as a point of reference for completing a circle.
Stream Machine
Besides the obvious recreational use as squirt guns, these toys make excellent tools for rinsing dive gear at the end of a dive. Addition of an accessory hose assembly (from REI) allows the device to be rapidly filled from a local water source. I carry and store my stream machines in a teacher's tote bag.
Swim "Noodles"
Swim "Noodle" are flexible tubes of buoyancy that have a variety of uses around swimming pools. I use them primarily as Marker Buoys and as cushions to prevent storage chains from scratching my scuba cylinders.
Wind Gauge
This device was acquired at a sailing supply outlet. It provides an estimate of surface wind speed.
Weighted Line
When boat diving, it is often convenient to raise and lower objects into the water using a line. A small 4 pound plastic-coated weight eye-spliced into the line helps keep the line vertical in the water column. I use a 21' line ... the weight has a piece of attached 3 M reflecting tape to facilitate visibility. At night, a strobe can be attached to the line to mark the entrance/exit point.
"Wrap-Rage"
This is one of those "as seen on TV" products that truly is wonderful. This cutting tool makes short work of cutting through modern plastic-encased product packaging and tie-wraps.
Finally, diving is not all in the water. So, social shore stuff is always a part of any diving activity. Here is something I found at an outdoor outfitters that definitely adds a cool refresher to post-dive festivities:
Mega-Ball
The mega-ball can be a source of both amusement and refreshment. It is a plastic ball whose internal cylinder is filled with your favorite ice cream makings. The cylinder is surrounded with an ice/rock salt mix, sealed and then tossed around for about 15 minutes. The movement of the ball churns the ingredients and produces about 1 qt. (0.946 l) of ice cream.
Conclusion
While most diving supplies are best obtained from your friendly, neighborhood dive store, there are all sorts of things that can be found in other places. There are enormous numbers of gadgets that not-intended for diving that can be useful on a dive site. The only limitation is imagination. So, look at every shopping venture as an opportunity to add unusual, occasionally useful objects to your dive kit.
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About The
Author:
Larry
"Harris" Taylor, Ph.D. is a biochemist and Diving Safety Coordinator at the
University of Michigan. He has authored more than 100 scuba related articles.
His personal dive library (See Alert Diver, Mar/Apr, 1997, p. 54) is considered
one of the best recreational sources of information In North America.
All rights reserved.
Use of these articles for personal or organizational profit is specifically denied.
These articles may be used for not-for-profit diving education