Spring Fever
Tom Burns Mar 25, 2021
An annual checkup for your dive gear:
While several of us have been to the Florida Springs over the winter to get our diving fix in, most of us
are looking forward to the lake being warm enough to start our summer diving season. In either case,
April is an excellent month to check over your dive kit and give it a little TLC.
Dive Mask – Since we spent the last year hyper-vigilant about what is near our face, I consider this a
must. A few drops of Dawn dish soap and warm water – give your mask a good wash inside and out. Oils
from your skin, breathe from your nose to say nothing if you use your spit as your defog. Yeah, it needs
a good wash. If you store your mask in a plastic mask box, it would be a good time to wash it as well.
Once your mask is clean, take a few drops of mask scrub and go over both sides of the lenses using the
same procedures you did when it was new. Before you set your mask out to dry, check the mask strap
for wear and tear.
Snorkel – Since you are washing your mask may as well do this too. Check the mouthpiece, make sure
the keeper is in good shape; if you have a dry snorkel, rinse it well and make sure the dry assemble
works as it should. Nothing worse than a dry snorkel that doesn't allow air to flow. I am speaking from
experience.
Fins – give them a good once over. I know my Bungie straps are just about done after 300+ dives. I
know they will go when I least expect it; that is why I have a new set of Bungie straps in my dive kit. If
you have the traditional buckle and strap assembly, give them a good once over. Make sure the straps
aren't worn, and the buckles close and release as they are supposed to.
Exposure protection – Did you put your neoprene away clean and dry last time you use it? Go ahead
check Ill wait. Was your wetsuit hung up or stuffed in your dive bag? I am sure you are not one of those
who PEEs in your wetsuit. It would still be a good time to fill the bathtub with some warm water, put a
cap full or two of Wetsuit/BC wash in the water, give your wetsuit a good rinse and flush water through
the entire suit and let it hang dry in a wetsuit hanger. Do the same with any gloves and hoods you have.
How about those dive boots. Do they have dirt and sand on them? If you dare give them a good sniff
test. Are you with me still? Once you recover, we can continue. Since you don't PEE in your wetsuit,
consider, if you zip your boots over the wetsuit's legs, any fluid between the suit and your body moves
through all of the enclosed space. When you return to land and gravity takes over, where is that fluid
going?? Hence part the fragrance of in your boots. When cleaning your neoprene, always rinse your
boots last! Let them dry on a boot hanger. Laying your boots down to dry doesn't let them drain
property, and the fragrance seems to continue.
Check your Save-Dive-Kit. Do you have a Save-A-Dive kit? Are the tools in good order, or are they
rusted? A little WD-40 and steel wool will help. How is your O ring stock, Tie warps, backup mask strap,
fin strap, etc.
Check your emergency equipment – whistle, signal mirror, reel and SMB. Oh, for fun, unroll and inflate
your SMB. Was it clean and dry when you rolled it up last? No? How funky is it? You might want to run
a new tub of water for this since you orally inflate your SMB and give it a good cleaning. A new tub of
water? Well, you just finished washing all of that non-Peed in exposure protection, just sayin'. Unscrew
the overpressure value fill, rinse and drain the inside of the SMB as well.
Dive Lights – check them. Be bold; turn them on. Did they light up? Check the batteries, are they just
old, or did your light get some moisture in the battery compartment, and now they are crusty and blister
with an acidic aroma. If you need to replace the batteries, does the manufacturer recommend a bit of
seal grease? If the batteries are crusty, what is the best way to clean that mess up?
Dive bag or plastic tub – whichever you use, it works hard transporting your very expensive dive gear
from dive site to dive site. For the dive bag give it a good once over. Check the buckles, straps, zippers
for wear and tear if it is all in good order, give it a good rinse, and hang dry. If you're using a plastic tub,
clean it out of any debris that has accumulated. Check for wear or cracks; if it is good, give it a good rinse
and allow it to dry.
As you know, your BCD, Regulators, and Computers need servicing annually. April is a great month to
drop your gear off at Virginia Scuba for service. This will allow the service team time to get your gear in
top shape for the coming dive season. Things you can do is for this set of equipment is check our octo
keeper, is it in good condition? Do you have a spare in your Save-A-Dive kit? Do you have a spare
battery for your dive computer? How are your regs mouthpieces? Are the tie wraps for the mouthpieces
in good condition? If you use retractors for any of your gear, when was the last time you check them? If
you have snap clips/bolts and tie wraps to hold our equipment to keep you streamlined, have you
checked them lately? Brass and Stainless snap clips/bolts are great, but I find that I have to spray the
springs with a bit of WD-40 to make sure they function properly at least once a year.
Anything you find that is not in good condition or need advice on how to address minor maintenance
you can do yourself; check with shop staff on best practices to get a long life out of your dive gear.
While not all-encompassing, you could use this list to make sure your gear is ready to dive when you are.
Nothing is worse than checking your gear hours before you are ready to leave on a trip ( and the shop is
closed) to find you have a problem or need a replacement part. That is stress no one needs.
I hope you find this helpful.
Sea you on the bottom,
Tom
