Marking up your gear?

[oregondiver]

At the club dive yesterday, I noticed that I didnt' see a lot of marking up of gear with name/identification. And then I realized, I didn't have my name on any of my gear except my fins. Wonder why that is? Maybe folks DO mark their stuff and I was just glancing around and didn't see it? All my kayaking gear is marked, and has been marked since purchase...since there is awful lot of theft of kayaking gear. Maybe scuba gear isn't stolen as often, more likely it is just misplaced and someone finds it and gets it back to us?

I just spent the last 4 minutes in the rain, where my gear is "drying", putting my name on my stuff. What ID do yo uput on your gear? Name, phone? email addy?

[Aquanautchuck]

To begin with, I keep a record of make, mdl, ID number of all my gear in Excel. In case of theft. In addition I use a paint pen to mark my name under the clear coat of my tanks with my first name. I have also engraved my name on my reg's with one of those vibrateing tools.

Lately, after looking at all the neat, cool and new dive gear out there I hope someone would steal my gear. (Just kidding) Almost all my gear is 10 years old, I can hardly read the small numbers on my old EON computer anymore.

[WylerBear]

I mark all my gear with my "not straight arrow". I started doing it just so I could distinquish it from all the similiar gear at a site or on a boat. But awhile back, I also started putting my phone number on some stuff so if I lose something perhaps someone will give me a call if they find it. Knowing northwest divers as I do, I think there's a pretty good chance I'll get a piece of gear back if I lose it.

[LCF]

I have my initials on things that look like other people's things, except for my Jet fins, where nothing I've used to mark them has stayed on. But I have my initials on my tanks, my canister light, my spools and reel, and my SMB. Both my single and doubles wings are sufficiently unusual to be easily told from other gear on a boat, which is the biggest thing I've worried about.

[renoun]

I have gone to some effort to overcome the black gear with black highlights issue. It is important to me that my gear and I have a distinctive appearance both in and out of the water. Although I try to dive with known buddies I sometimes end up in a threesome which makes tracking people more complex. It just makes sense that we should attempt to have an individual appearance.

I do the usual routine with paint pens. I have my initials in reflective decals on my tanks and can light. I also have made liberal use of orange ribbon with a reflective strip on both the front and back of my gear BC. Finally I have a neon yellow mask strap.

[Nwbrewer]

My gear is so ghetto nobody's gonna mistake it for theirs. My tanks all have my initials on them, my fins have yellow webbing on the springs. Everything else I have is pretty distinctive. I'm more worried about gear getting mixed up than I am about theft. It's not often you see gear retrieved even if it is marked. That's what insurance is for. I know people who put a business card in stuff that stays dry, lights, camera that kind of stuff, so that if it's lost and another diver finds it, it can be returned.

[Tangfish]

I mark all of my tanks with my name, because my tank sherpa has become the tank sherpa for many other bottles lately.

[camerone]

I mark all of my tanks with my name, because my tank sherpa has become the tank sherpa for many other bottles lately.

My big bottles (80 cf+) are all hot neon pink. That guarantees that nobody's going to want to touch them!

[lurch]

My name's on my tanks. My BC setup has a few items on it that few others have (especially in the existing configuration). My fins have spring straps of a make and model I've never seen on anyone else's. It's easy to tell which mask is mine: prescription lenses! (And the strap is off a mask from a competing company)

And no one wants my light.

[Nwbrewer]

And no one wants my light.

That's the last free upgrade you'll be getting.

[lurch]

And no one wants my light.

That's the last free upgrade you'll be getting.

Upgrade?

Being a little generous with the term aren't we?

[Nwbrewer]

On second thought, I'll give you one more. It really needs a paint job. I have some neon pink surveyors paint around somewhere. Bring it by and I'll have it matching your disposition in no time.

[lurch]

That's the same color you did your drysuit in isn't it?

[Nwbrewer]

I need to be visible so you stop losing me.

[lurch]

I try so hard.

But somehow you always make it back to the parking lot with me.

[Nwbrewer]

I try so hard.

But somehow you always make it back to the parking lot with me.

I know, last time it was a real pain following you through the silt cloud you were stirring up with that flailing motion you call a frog kick. Maybe you should just give up and buy some splits.

[lurch]

Silt cloud?

Oh, that. Yeah meant to tell you. Some Lingcod were kicking sand (silt) in your face. Seems the light reflecting from your drysuit was burning their retinas. They were trying to cover the ugly.

[Nwbrewer]

I saw them, I assumed they were fleeing the area after you unleashed the pee valve.

[lurch]

Big words coming from the man wearing a Huggies from his baby's diaper bag he left in his truck.

And next time; you can apply your own rash cream.

[Pez7378]

(SIGH) They grow up so fast. Now Joe and I can move on to bigger and better things.

So long "Chris and Joe"

Hello "Chris and Jake!"

[Nwbrewer]

(SIGH) They grow up so fast. Now Joe and I can move on to bigger and better things.

So long "Chris and Joe"

Hello "Chris and Jake!"

I resent that. I'm smarter than Joe...

[BillZ]

I mark all of my tanks with my name, because my tank sherpa has become the tank sherpa for many other bottles lately.

My big bottles (80 cf+) are all hot neon pink. That guarantees that nobody's going to want to touch them!

Ya those barbie hott pink doubles are a sight to behold. There's definately no mistaking your tanks for anyone elses.

[Zen Diver]

I have my initials on things that look like other people's things, except for my Jet fins, where nothing I've used to mark them has stayed on.

I've had good luck with a plain paint pen on my Jets. Seems to be holding up well, but I'll just repaint when the time comes.

I've my name and phone number on everything this is big enough to hold that amount of info. If I lose something I want the finder to have a means of contacting me. Anything too small has my initials. I've got paint pens and Sharpies in various thicknesses so I can label just about anything.

-Valerie

[lurch]

So long "Chris and Joe"

Hello "Chris and Jake!"

I resent that. I'm smarter than Joe...

Chris since you want to take over for me; have at it.

[girldiver]

I have to say that having my company (and I guess moniker) name emblazened on everything has resulted in gear being returned. (Paint pens and sharpie markers...)

I've had a weight pocket full of lead and a light returned to me from members of the dive community. Also had a flag returned to an LDS that floated away years ago...whoops...got in trouble for that one!!

As far as pink...I was doing a search and recovery dive with a student, had my DM's place a pink weightbelt for the student to find and lift to the surface. Two local divers knew I was at the site that day, so when they spotted the pink weightbelt on the seafloor...they knew EXACTLY who it belonged to and returned it immediately.

The student didn't get to use the lift bag...but the smile on my face for being in such an honest and helpful community hasn't faded yet.