What's in your save-a-dive kit?

[ktb]

So now that my husband and I are trying to dive every weekend, we should probably start a save-a-dive kit. What sort of stuff should we include? Ive heard folks mention o-rings and spare straps, but what else? What sort of things *can* be fixed versus what can't or shouldn't be fixed at the dive site?

Thanks!!

[dwashbur]

We have all that, a couple of octo holders, some Aquaseal, dry suit zipper wax, snorkel holders, mask straps, camera batteries, and one each HP and LP hose. That plus various tank-strap weight pouches, a handful of essential tools, and for whatever reason, an old sea urchin test that we found somewhere. I forget what else is in it, but that's a start.

[spatman]

duct tape. always a handy item.

[kat]

dont forget water and a powerbar or something along the like, energy is good.

[Bric Martin]

It's only a matter of time before you or someone else has something that will break. I try to have an extra of almost everything. Batteries, straps. hoses, o rings, some basic tools, I have an extra reg, an extra flashlight, aquaseal, some innertubing......., the list goes on and on. I try to buy some small replacement stuff each time I go to the shop.

If you have it and are in an isolated location your trip can be saved.

[camerone]

Duct tape is good, but I condier vinyl electrical tape perhaps even more important. You have to search hard for it, but you can find it in white, which is actually more useful than black. It's useful for taping torn latex drysuit seals - saved a few dives that way. If you get the white, it also is useful for writing out deco tables and sticking them on your light head. Carry an extra-fine tipped black sharpie, a regular sharpie, and a regular sharpie in silver or gold for writing on black items. The extra fine tip is for writing on the white tape, the others are for marking gear (or your beer cup at the post-dive drinking party...)

Other key items - Aquaseal + cotol accelerant. Spare bungee cord in 3/16" diameter. Spare bolt snaps. Spare double-ended bolt snap. Spare o-rings. Spare cave line, pre-cut for tying things. Cigarette lighter for burning things. Various wrenches and o-ring picks. Kid's scissors for trimming seals, cutting line or tape, etc.

I have a spare bulb and spare test-tube for my dive light, along with a spare fuse for its charger. They fit really nicely into the West Marine "floatie" tubes that are for boater's keys to keep them waterproof/floating.

This one has been a godsend - Tobin's BC inflator repair tool: https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=1302. It's cheap, flat, tiny, and with the help of a screwdriver, is everything you need to field strip and repair a malfunctioning inflator. He's also got this https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?product=1300 which is handy if you've ever had a valve nut unscrew... it's happened to me once or twice. Those two supplement most good "universal" scuba tools for field essential repairs.

I carry a spare O2 sensor most of the time for the rebreather, too - they're finicky, and since I change every 12 months, I just keep the old cells for emergencies for the next 12 unless they've gone south. They're good for 18 in the unit, and I've occasionally used them past then in a pinch (one only...)

I carry spare batteries for everything that's replacable.

I also carry some seam tape along with some rubber innertube scraps. The inner tube can be used on the harness for retainers, or it can be cut open and used to repair a lot of things in conjunction with the aquaseal. The seam tape (about a foot) backs up larger drysuit repairs when necessary in the field. For long or remote trips, I also take a spare set of wrist seals along just in case.

I carry a spare catheter for the p-valve, along with a spare quick-disconnect in case I drop/lose the one I usually use. Nothing's worse than being glued in and not able to pee in a hurry!

I usually dive with a sugar-free Red Bull stowed in one of my drysuit pockets, too. Chills nicely during the dive, and cleans the salt out of my mouth afterwards It's not so much a save a dive, as a save-my-soul when I'm done. [EDIT]Also useful for bribing Laura to come diving with me [/EDIT]

[airsix]

In my yellow (easy to find) pelican case

double ender
bungee (for improvised mask/fin straps, as well as standard uses)
nylon 'cave line'
lighter
o-rings (tank, reg, hose, canister light)
o-ring pick
full set imperial hex keys
full set metric hex keys
leatherman multi-tool (with fresh edge on the blade)
10" crescent wrench cut down to 5" so it takes up little space
duct tape
silicone grease
aquaseal & cotol
multi-meter ($5 HF basic)
soldering iron & solder
drysuit patch kit
talc
zipper wax
O2 analyzer
tank pressure checker
thermo-pro valve donuts
electrical tape
small piece of sandpaper
assortment of regulator port plugs (are another source of o-rings)
assortment of regulator port adapters

I know I'm forgetting some things, but that's most of it.

[Zen Diver]

an assortment of zip ties in different sizes/lengths is always handy as well.

[Mattleycrue76]

I usually dive with a sugar-free Red Bull stowed in one of my drysuit pockets, too. Chills nicely during the dive, and cleans the salt out of my mouth afterwards [/EDIT]

I think I'm gonna have to adopt that one. And then maybe substitute it with a beer for the last dive of the day. Nothing like a cold one to make the surface swim back more pleasant :occasion5:

[airsix]

an assortment of zip ties in different sizes/lengths is always handy as well.

Definitely. I forgot to list these but they're in the box.

[camerone]

I usually dive with a sugar-free Red Bull stowed in one of my drysuit pockets, too. Chills nicely during the dive, and cleans the salt out of my mouth afterwards

I think I'm gonna have to adopt that one. And then maybe substitute it with a beer for the last dive of the day. Nothing like a cold one to make the surface swim back more pleasant :occasion5:

I have a old tank bag that I used on the motorcycle to hold maps and minor goodies. I wonder if it would work underwater on the nose of the scooter to hold a whole six-pack. That would rock...wonder what the drag would do, though...

[dwashbur]

wonder what the drag would do, though...

The drag would be if you forgot to put the six-pack in the bag, heh heh...

[Pez7378]

An extra first stage has come in handy more than once, and saved someone from having to sit out during a dive but honestly, I've managed to live without my SADK and rarely ever carry it with me unless I'm going on a multi day trip.

[Sounder]

An extra first stage has come in handy more than once, and saved someone from having to sit out during a dive but honestly, I've managed to live without my SADK and rarely ever carry it with me unless I'm going on a multi day trip.

Really? Wow - I bring mine on every dive. I have it in a small tool-box so it's easy to grab and I keep it right next to my O2 kit so I grab them boat at the same time.

One side note - your SADK will start "growing" with crap. Once in a while it's good to dump it out and re-stock it without all the extra crapola you'll pick up along the way.

[spatman]

...but honestly, I've managed to live without my SADK and rarely ever carry it with me unless I'm going on a multi day trip.

i have yet to use mine for a problem i have had, but i have used it to help other divers...

[Sounder]

...but honestly, I've managed to live without my SADK and rarely ever carry it with me unless I'm going on a multi day trip.

i have yet to use mine for a problem i have had, but i have used it to help other divers...

...amd if it's just you and a buddy, sometimes that'll save your dive!

[spatman]

...but honestly, I've managed to live without my SADK and rarely ever carry it with me unless I'm going on a multi day trip.

i have yet to use mine for a problem i have had, but i have used it to help other divers...

...amd if it's just you and a buddy, sometimes that'll save your dive!

very true. and it would especially suck after having driven 150 miles to get to the dive site...

[scottsax]

This is a great thread, and it's a good reminder to me to restock my o-ring kit. I've replaced the tiny ones on SPGs (mine and others) a handful of times, and I think I'm out of that tiny size now...

[Sounder]

This is a great thread, and it's a good reminder to me to restock my o-ring kit. I've replaced the tiny ones on SPGs (mine and others) a handful of times, and I think I'm out of that tiny size now...

There is also an older thread here somewhere which has SADK contents too just in case we left anything out.

[scottsax]

LINK

[ktb]

In my yellow (easy to find) pelican case

double ender

Um . . . (cough) . . . uh . . . what is this? There are items I've seen that could be called by this name, but they don't involve scuba.

[Nwbrewer]

In my yellow (easy to find) pelican case

double ender

Um . . . (cough) . . . uh . . . what is this? There are items I've seen that could be called by this name, but they don't involve scuba.

Two ended bolt snap, very handy for lots of things.

http://www.reefscuba.com/ss.htm

[spatman]

Um . . . (cough) . . . uh . . . what is this? There are items I've seen that could be called by this name, but they don't involve scuba.

though i bet in some case they just might involve scuba!

[Sounder]

Um . . . (cough) . . . uh . . . what is this? There are items I've seen that could be called by this name, but they don't involve scuba.

though i bet in some case they just might involve scuba!

There's a movie out there for everyone.

[Nwbrewer]

I thought the only thing in Sounders save a dive kit was a cell phone pre-programmed with the numbers to Salvo, Deep Sea Supply, and Dive Xtras.