Human Error - Don't Blame The Rebreather

It all started as any recreational rebreather dive starts; got my gear ready the night before, ran the unit through the necessary checks, packed my bits and bobs, semi dry, towels, bottled water and headed off to sleep.

The next morning I woke up, loaded the car and drove to Cirkewwa, most of the usual suspects were already there or arriving, so between checking my unit and donning my semi dry I was chatting away with my friends and buddies.  Some divers had already entered the water, our small group would soon follow suit and dive the Rozi wreck.  

I finished my positive and negative checks and was about to continue further down my check list when I clearly remember that one of the divers asked me a question about his gear, I went over and we discussed the issue.  Once I returned to my car I put on my unit, grabbed my fins and gloves, locked the car and hobbled to the entry point to get in the water and relieve my back and legs of the strain of carrying a rebreather.

I wore my fins and with the help of another diver done my bailout tanks (air and nitrox), I grabbed my mouthpiece, I signalled that I would jump in the water and so I did.

The water was a bit choppy and I was struggling to clip the bailout back clips to the unit but eventually I managed, always breathing through the mouthpiece not to swallow any water.  I recall feeling slightly “funny”, at the time I thought I was sleepy and kept telling myself that I shouldn’t be feeling sleepy, I was in cold water about to start the dive – I made myself snap out of it … there was an instance when someone spoke to me, to reply, I removed my mouthpiece and then replaced it again …

That’s it …

My next memory is faintly hearing people call my name, a lot of shouting and seeing myself floating face up in the water (at the time I thought, where the hell is my rebreather?).  One of the divers was holding  my neck and head to ensure I was breathing, while a buddy who is also a doctor was shouting “Karla come back with us” and slapping my face … I was towed to the inlet, and carried by several divers to the concrete platform … I saw all this but I couldn't control anything of what was being done to me and what was happening … I felt extremely scared.

The divers who rescued me administered  oxygen and I recall I was feeling dozy and nauseous, which is normal for me when I breathe 100% oxygen at the surface – I tried to remove the oxygen mask several times and I tried to speak but I couldn't formulate the words, the level of fear doubled … I was coming and going I wasn't all there, all I could hear were snippets of words, "ambulance", "conscious", "oxygen", I was stripped from my dive suit and covered with towels still breathing oxygen and still thrashing about trying to get the oxygen mask off [I was later told].

The ambulance arrived and the staff loaded me onto a stretcher and off we whizzed to hospital … I remember being wet and very cold – the ambulance nurse used up all the blankets they had to try and keep me warm.  The nurse informed me that the oxygen in my blood stream had dropped, he kept asking me to speak but I couldn't formulate words the few that came out were slurred speech – I cried all the way to hospital, thinking to myself that was it …

I was rushed into the A&E department at the hospital, the nurses present were told by the ambulance staff that it was a diving related accident and they gave them my vitals … a lovely doctor came to see me and ask me some questions, I was feeling very disoriented at this point, my speech started to return to me … I forced myself to think how I had ended up in the horrible position – what had I done or worse what hadn't I done???

I was soon joined by a couple of friends from Cirkewwa who brought my clothes, personal effects and some towels.  They recounted what they witnessed – it was exactly as I had seen it … I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I had seen my rescue unfold and I was helpless.

Eventually after a lot of thinking it started to came back to me, the moment I was setting and preparing my unit I stopped on several occasions throughout the tests and once I had donned my unit and made my way to the exit point, I hadn’t turned it on !!!

I jumped into the water with a rebreather that was turned OFF, the breaths I was inhaling through the mouthpiece where not being injected with fresh o2.

Over a span of a number of hours the doctor took numerous tests, bloods, pressure, imaging and a brain scan, I was given several doses of saline solution via IV and eventually towards the end of the day I was discharged.

The guilt I felt after this ordeal was immense I had nearly lost my life over a moment of carelessness and distraction and I had scared the rest of the divers who witnessed the incident – Days later I met all those involved in my rescue and thanked them personally, I also explained what lead to my loss of consciences, explaining the importance of all the tests involved in setting up of a rebreather.

I don’t think I will ever fully put this incident behind me – I was lucky my buddies found me floating face down in the water when they did, more time in that state could have given me brain damage or worse still, killed me.

The following weekend I made it a point to get back in the water, to do an easy and pleasant dive – diving is my way of escaping the hustle and bustle of my work week, of personal stress, of worry and tension.  I am worry free when I’m diving I’m thinking only of my unit, my safety that of my buddies and the dive we are undertaking.

I always say that keeping rescue skills fresh is necessary – good thing that as a group of friends we believe in the same mantra and practise and re-do our rescue circuit frequently.

This was not an emergency drill but a real life incident – they didn’t call the customary “Pizza Pizza” which we use when we are training not to alert passers-by or other divers but “call an ambulance”.

I will never stop being thankful for still being around and grateful to those present on the day for saving my life and bringing me back.

Keeping skills fresh

Diving like any other physical activity requires training and after the courses and certifications are under one's belt it is good practice to keep skills fresh ... Personally I tend to practice my skill circuit when I'm doing easy relaxing dives such as the familiar shores dives at Cirkewwa and Zurrieq as well as during long decompression on more demanding dives ... Repeating the skills outside the course framework and during normal dives keeps muscle memory tuned in.

A lot can go wrong when diving on a closed circuit rebreather, knowing how to handle issues that crop up before and during a dive will end the dive with a happy face. During TDI training it was drilled into my skull that before getting in the water I must run a series of tests, these test cover all the steps involved in the setup of the unit, so if per chance a step is incorrectly executed or omitted, when going through the pre dive checklist the error is caught and resolved.

There are three main tests;

Pressure Test

­    With the cylinders open, I run gas through all the buttons, counterlungs, ADV (Automatic Diluent Valve) and both the wing inflators (primary and secondary, since I'm using a double bladder wing)

 

The Electronics Test

­     The cylinders are opened, the unit is switched on and the software runs a number of checks;

o   the temp stick (Sofnoline duration),

o   batteries life, and

o   cell reliability (the cells check the partial pressure of Oxygen),

o   this test also gives the option of calibration which I opt to do every time before a dive, the unit calibrates the three cells and gives an average reading.

Positive & Negative Test

­     Closing the cylinders and the mouthpiece, the air is purged into the counterlungs which are further inflated to their maximum capacity orally through the mouthpiece, this tests the counterlungs and connections under positive pressure.
    After a few moments if the pressure remains unchanged the air is vented from the over pressure relief valve &/ the mouthpiece and any air left inside the lungs is sucked out orally, at the same time squeezing the breathing hoses, this tests the counterlungs and connections under negative pressure.

­     If either of these tests fail, all the connections are checked to make sure they are finger tight closed properly.

Once the unit passes all the tests then it is good to dive.

What if I encounter a problem during the dive?

During any type of dive, recreational or technical I always carry enough bailout gas that will enable me to abort and end my dive safely, should something go amiss on the Rebreather.  On recreational dives I normally carry two cylinders one with 21% - Air and the second with a Nitrox Mix, usually 60% or 70%, on technical and more demanding dives I carry a third tank with a Trimix mix suitable for the bottom depth of that particular dive.

There are a number of skills, which once mastered can get any diver through different situations.  Similar to knowing how to remove and replace a mask underwater gets a diver through, partially, fully flooded mask or lost mask.

Mouthpiece removal/replace

Knowing how to safely and comfortably remove a rebreather mouthpiece is a key skill when diving on closed circuit. For those that are not familiar with rebreathers, the mouthpiece must be closed before being removed from the divers’ mouth.  Failing to close the mouthpiece properly will cause water to enter the unit and flood and damage the electronics.  Once the mouthpiece is closed and removed it naturally floats above the divers’ head, since it is positively buoyant.

One starts to breath through the bailout gas, open circuit regulator.  Retrieving the loop and returning it to the mouth before opening it is very important for the same reasons mentioned earlier.  Once the diver has the loop safely in his/her mouth then it is safe to exhale, any water lurking in the mouthpiece will be purged and the diver can start breathing normally.

Gurgling sound in the breathing loop

Sometimes condensation or a little water in the mouth piece can create an annoying gurgling sound, which can be easily cleared, this is done by closing the mouthpiece, extending the loop above the head, stretching the arms as much as possible and tilting slightly to the right, any water lurking in the loop will be safely drained into the counter lung.

Practicing this skill when there is no water in the loop keeps it fresh for when diving at depth and the skill needs to be performed quickly and effectively.

Bailing out at depth

     

Whilst diving the diver switches to the off board gas, whilst breathing from the bailout tank that way one can identify and resolve most situations that arise. The procedure; Close the mouthpiece and remove it from the  mouth, open the bailout gas suitable for the diving depth, trimix, air or rich nitrox, purge the regulator and breath ... Check the cell readings on the Vision handset and if all is in order, prepare to go back to breathing the CCR ... ahhhh silence at last.

Should the situation not be resolved, switching the rebreather to open circuit, immediately changes the setpoint from high (1.3) to low (0.7), diver should remain on open circuit bailout gas, switch the back up computer to open circuit, check decompression status and begin a safe ascent to abort the dive.

Closing the on board cylinders

Being able to reach the on board cylinders is also a key skill, which is not easy to master especially when carrying one or more bailout tanks.  However with patience and practice it becomes second nature to reach behind and feel for the cylinder knobs and turning them closed.

The manufactures' advice is that the Oxygen cylinder valve is only open by one or two turns max to enable quick closure in case of emergency.

High Oxygen also known as the “Oh Shit !!!” Moment

Several reasons why there could be a High Oxygen warning, these include; an Oxygen Spike, which happens when the descent is too fast, slowing down the descent should resolve the issue.  Another reason could be that the partial pressure of Oxygen (ppO2) is rising quickly, if this happens, the steps to follow are;

Switch to bail out, close the oxygen cylinder, check that the pressure gauge goes to Zero, flush the loop with diluent (this reduced the existing ppO2 in the loop), by pressing  the diluent button and at the same time, pull the overpressure dump valve cord (this is done to avoid a rapid ascent to the surface). Open the O2 Cylinder slowly, check the readings on the handset and check the pressure on the pressure gauge, return to breathing from the loop and monitor the readings on the handset.

I must admit it is an unpleasant experience to hear the buzzer going and see the heads up display flash bright red, the moment I look at the handset and notice a high oxygen warning I’m never happy, but keeping the “Oh Shit” drill fresh gives me confidence that I can perform the skill and solve the problem safely.

In the four years I have been diving Closed Circuit I have encountered very few problems which couldn’t be solved – I am very happy diving my AP Rebreather and if I had to recommend Closed Circuit Rebreather diving to my buddies I would say;

1. Make sure you follow instructions, checklists and manufacturers' warnings.

2. Do not sign up for Rebreather Diving if you’re planning on cutting corners and saving money on batteries, Sofnoline & cells – you’re cutting corners with your life!

3. Take care of the unit, it will take care of you.  Maintain the Rebreather, rinse the unit and lungs after every dive, service it as per manufacturers' instructions & replace consumables as and when necessary.  Send the electronics for periodic servicing to the manufacturer.

4. As in Open Circuit Diving - Know your equipment, set it up diligently and always use a check lists.

Gone diving

The preparation for a dive is nearly as exciting as the actual dive …. I often say this statement and I believe it.

Usually I receive notification of an organised dive in the start of the week, for the dive to take place over the following weekend.  This gives me something to look forward to during my work week and gives me ample time to plan and get my gear together for another underwater adventure!

Since Zeus is behaving very well lately I try not to miss out on any dives unless I have more important commitments planned, hmmm what commitments?  I immediately get on with making arrangements with one of my dive buddies who either dive open or closed circuit.  We discuss dive plans and what gases we will be using for the specific dive. Following that I arrange to have my tanks blended or topped up as necessary, I analyse and label them.  If I’m diving beyond the recreational limits, deeper than 45 meters then I will usually go for a 10/50 Trimix as my diluent gas, 60% Nitrox & Air as a bailouts.  For more demanding dives beyond 75 meters, I will carry a third bailout tank with a suitable Trimix for that depth, which will be used in an emergency until I can switch to air and Nitrox at shallower depths.

Following my training and out of habit I share my dive plan with my buddy/s to make sure we are all on the same page, planned dive time, max depth, available gases, plus a contingency plan, 5 minutes longer 5 meters deeper.  This is usually done over email or Facebook.

Come Friday, I get my rebreather put together, the unit would have spent a week dismantled and airing out.  I follow my check list to a tee; checking if I need to change the Sofnolime, I check the units electronics (batteries, cells and other hardware/software checks), I make sure I have the diluent I’m using set up on the Vision Electronics. Finishing off with a positive and negative check to make sure all connections are sealed tight.  I leave the unit on negative while I turn my attention to the other kit.

I pack my semi dry, booties, socks, gloves and a clean towel.  Then I turn to my bucket of other accessories; check my spare mask, knife, slate & depth timer (with plans written and taped up), reel & smb, torch, fins, regulators for bailout tanks, weights, back up dive computer, my Liquivision XEO (with the dive gas selected and batteries checked) and bezel.   I fill a bottle of water with some soapy water for easy donning my semi, that way I don’t have to struggle, the suit slips on like a glove.  I put a couple of bottles of drinking water in the freezer, and pack my wind breaker, towel and a spare swim costume in my dry bag. Last but not least I check that the electronics spares box (batteries & cells) and tool box are all in order.

The unit is purged from negative and if the dive is happening Saturday I pack everything in the car (rebreather, wet box with suit etc, accessories bucket, dry bag, tool box, analyser (just in case, I always re-analyse the cylinders before a dive), 2 x 3 litre tanks (rebreather) and 2 or 3 x 7 litre bailout cylinders), everything fits – I have a system!  The car spends the night safely locked up in the garage in anticipation of an early morning departure.

Come morning, I have a cereal bar washed down with some fresh coffee, if I dare, since if the sea is a little choppy I know I will be turning fifty shades of green by the time we reach our location!  If thats the case I have nothing except a glass of water.  Take the bottles from the freezer, maybe pick up a snack from the cupboard for later and off I go.  For the deeper wreck dives the boat usually leaves from the South of the island so that’s around 40 minute drive at 07:00 on a weekend, it’s rare to come across traffic at that hour and it’s a pleasant and relaxing drive with the right music.

Once on site, I greet the team - if there are any other early risers and start unloading the car, rebreather, tanks, bucket, suit, water, dry bag all check!  Once the tanks are installed on the rebreather and the bailout tanks have the regulators installed, I run through the rebreather check list one more time, better safe than sorry then I’m good to go – 20 or 30 minutes before the boat is scheduled to pick us up I get into my semi dry.  By this time the sun is up and it’s hot, but getting into a wetsuit which is soaked in soapy water isn’t all bad since I find it keeps my body temperature low.

Before a dive there is the usual banter from the other divers, there is always someone with a new piece of equipment to show and tell.  At the moment everyone is flashing new Shearwater Petrels …. Nice piece of kit I must admit.  Once the boat berths and the skipper greets us all and gives us our places in buddy pairs, we start to haul all the gear on board in an organised fashion (not).  But eventually we all get there and everything is in order.

We get our briefing from the skipper; only to jump in as buddy teams, don’t tug at the shot rope, once surfaced, signal and wait by the shot rope buoy for pick up, and finally the bit I like most, wait for the life ring and clip your stages before being towed back to the boat …. Ah to rid myself of the extra weight before boarding the boat, bliss!

Now for the all-important part …. The actual dive.

Diver teams start donning their equipment and getting ready to jump in after the skipper finds the dive site or wreck and sets up the shot and deco ropes.  We jump off in pairs on the skippers’ signal, swim to the marker buoy, make sure everything is ok and we are comfortable, signal descent, acknowledge with an OK and deflate wings to start the descent.

Once beneath the waves I have two concerns, is the shot leading to the wreck? and is my rebreather performing; are the cells reading ok?  I keep an eye on my buddy whilst we descend to 60 or 70 meter.  This takes some time (3/4 minutes) especially if there is a current.  Once we reach the wreck, I take note of the location of the shot. After that it’s all about exploration; if this is my first visit I try to take it all in, if I’ve already been to the site, I usually try to head to parts of the wreck that I haven’t fully explored.  It’s amazing no matter how many dives I make on the same wrecks, I always see something new, something I missed on previous occasions or something that another diver uncovered or moved on the site.  The wrecks that are found in the southern waters of the island are either World War I or II, they vary in size but for sure they never disappoint!

Lately I’ve been working on improving my trim, while swimming around I try to keep my trim in mind, challenging myself to penetrate tighter spaces than I would normally consider and minimally disturbing the environment/bottom.

Time is always flying when you’re having fun!  Soon it’s the 15 or 20 minute mark and we need to signal to return to the shot unless we are further away in that case we would be on our way earlier than the planned ascent time.  Once at the shot we start the long decompression to the surface.  Deco is usually around 30/40 minutes before we are bobbing at the surface waiting to be picked up.  During the ascent I keep close enough to the shot that I can grab the rope in case of emergency, if there is a current then I ring my thumb and fore finger, during this part of the dive the rebreather is trying to keep to the set point of 1.3, while I’m ascending to shallower depths and the existing content in the counterlungs is expanding rapidly.  I remain focused on reading the cells, monitoring my partial pressure and exhaling occasionally to keep a minimum loop volume and the current deco stop limits and keeping eye contact with my buddy. When we reach our 9 meter mark, we usually swim off to one of the shorter ropes on the deco station, where deco is continued.  As buddy pairs or team members we like to stay close at this stage, since anything can happen during deco as much as while performing the dive at the bottom.

Once the decompression is complete, and so is my buddy’s we remove the back clips of our bailout cylinders, signal to surface, acknowledge and surface.  At the surface we inflate our wings and signal the skipper that we are OK.  Most recently I have adopted a different method to feed my wing, I am using the Air bailout tank, so while the boat is approaching I close the tank, purge the regulator and unclip the LPI from my wing.  I have tried on several occasions to undo the LPI with an open cylinder but it’s a skill I have yet to master! Once the skipper throws in the life ring both tanks are ready to be clipped on, as soon as both divers have ridded themselves of the cylinders, the skipper pulls us back towards the boat.

Back on the boat, I turn off my unit, unclip all the clips and tie it securely it to the bungees, I collect my fins which would have been removed earlier by the skipper and stuff everything in my bucket.  I’m usually bursting to pee …. this would be a good time to get back in the water and relieve myself. AS buddies we all give a helping hand to help the other divers back to the boat, thus relieving the skipper from having to tow each diver/team back.  After the roll call is complete we head back to shore.  Everyone is talking over everyone else, “did you see the grouper?” “did you see the torpedo?” “what about the huge moray eel hidden in the loo?”

Most of the time everything is bigger and larger than reality …. But it’s not our fault, everything appears large underwater, it’s a fact!

Back to shore, all the divers unload their gear, and bring their cars around to load and head off for a cold Cisk or Shandy.

Until the next one....

 

What's in my Dive Bag .... Scuba Gear Challenge

Hmmm

When Tara asked me to join the #ScubaGearChallenge I was in Birmingham attending the DIVE2011 and at that point I thought it was going to be a pretty simple thing, take some photos of my gear and write a post ... when I got down to doing the task it felt like I was in for a project ... I went to my Kit Room / Work Shop / Store Room / Shoe Rack etc etc and started getting my kit out of their dry boxes and onto the kitchen table to start taking some photos ... PLEASE bear in mind 1) I'm a terrible photographer and 2) I do not own a camera - all photos presented here are taken with my smart phone .... [not an Iphone 4S with 8 megapixles & SIRI bla bla]

Where do I start writing about my equipment ... there is a lot of it ... this might get boring for the not so scuba obsessed!!!

The Yellow Box

The place of honour should go to my Unit, my Rebreather .... It's an Inspiration Unit running on Vision Electronics.  I went for an AP rebreather and not another make or model because of the reputation that AP has, the reliability of the unit, the level of service offered, the fact that I could get certified locally, I knew a handful of other divers diving Inpos and got very good feedback from them.

Vision Handset

The Vision electronics where a must in my choice of hardware and software, as well as the (Automatic Diluent Valve) ADV and Tempstick which measures the temperature of the absorbent.  In the case of the unit I have I use 1mm - 2.5 mm granule Sofnolime which I change every 3 hours on shallow (40 meter dives) or after every dive (when diving to depths of 60+ meters for over an hour).  I also like the Heads Up Display (HUD) which flashes green and red lights on front of my mask, according to the signal the unit is emitting, the HUD works in conjunction with Audible Warnings.  The unit runs on two 3 litre steel tanks one as diluent, air or trimix and one as pure oxygen.  I also have harness with integrated weights and upgraded the standard AP wing for an OMS Tesseract double bladder Wing which was designed for rebreathers, it has a narrow channel of inflation at the topmost area of the bladder which is an advantage since it does not put any pressure on the hoses coming from the back of the Unit to the mouthpiece.  

3 Litre Diluent & Oxygen Tanks

What's inside the Yellow Box, Sofnoline Canister & Electronics Head + 2, 3 ltr tanks and APEX first stages with Miflex Hoses

Counter Lungs  &  Breathing Hose

Intova back up LED Light
Fixed to one of the Hose T pieces

       

Inhale Hose & Exhale Hose Mouth Piece

 

The next big investment after the Rebreather must be my Computers in my open circuit years i dived with a VR3 and a timer and slate with multiple dive plans - when i switched to CCR, the unit came with the vision electronics which also calculate the dive based on the diluent being used and the set points so it was a dive computer in itself.  But one computer alone is never enough so I still dived with my VR3 and on more demanding dives used a back up timer and slate.

A couple of weeks my VR3 died on me and since I was on the market for a new computer I was warming up to the idea of buying a XEO Computer manufactured in Canada by Liquivision.  At this stage the most important factor in the new product had to be real estate on my arm ...the VR, timer and slate where already taking up all the space from wrist to elbow.  So a smaller unit was key - One of the tech dive buddies on our team had bought a XEO and when i realised how small it was I made up my mind and blew my credit card !!!  (I go into more detail about the XEO on this post - Size Matters)

The XEO is really a fantastic computer, the screen and tapping functions work like a breeze and the fact that you can read it from different angles is also fantastic.

The XEO ready to dive on CCR with a Trimix mix of 10/52

While i was at DIVE2011 I had a chat with Leyla Gurr and handed in the VR3 which had kicked the bucket. A few days later Leyla sent me an email offering me a new NHeO3 unit in exchange for my dead VR + a small cost for the replacement and postage - I immediately took the offer and the unit arrived in time to be included on this post .... I haven't had the possibility to dive with this computer but I'm sure it will not let me down.

NHeO3 coming out of its soft case

Moving on to more toys and gadgets .... where do I start ???

Slate and Timer - I have a normal three page slate, I use yellow duct tape and fine permanent marker to write my dive plans, which I generate on VPlanner & ZPlanner desktop software; 

1. Actual Dive Plan as agreed with my Buddy or Team Members
2. Dive Plan with extended bottom time
3. Dive Plan with lost bailout (in OC mode I would prepare it with lost Rich or Lean Deco Gas) 

I have a Uwatec Depth Timer which is currently on loan at a dive buddy of mine so I got the picture off Scubapro's website - 

I also have a Suunto Stinger which was my very first dive computer, now I use it as a depth timer under water and as a casual watch when going out - I love the chunkiness of it .... 

Knives, I'm not a fan of large knives I keep a Technisub Mini Zak Beta knife inside its shield tucked away in the right pocket of my drysuit or semi dry and an OMS Line Cutter in its kevlar sheath secured to my chest strap on the CCR.  I tend to use the line cutter more than the knife to cut abandoned fishing line from wrecks etc.

Primary and Back Up Masks

Masks - two identical Mares Star masks, one of them is more modern it is made of Liquid Skin silicon which is softer then the normal silicon.  The Star mask is low volume and compact, the back up is bundled up in its own strap and looped into my chest strap for ease of access in an emergency.  If I lose my mask all I have to do is un-clip the chest strap and release the mask - its always clean and ready to use. 

My Reel comes from Custom Divers it's a 40 meter ratchet reel with yellow neon line. Attached to the reel I keep my SMB from Aqualung with a handy Dump Valve and a two way brass clip - all bound together with tick elastic straps.

A Jon Line always comes handy when diving in the blue and in strong currents, I have a small one which tucks itself nicely in my drysuit pocket bound with a simple rubber band.  I must confess I haven't used it much, it is a small skill I need to get used to, but I have used it when the bubbles of other divers started to bother me while decompressing for 40 or so minutes .... 

Where am I going??? which direction is the wreck??? The land navigation skill comes to mind when I was doing my PADI Advanced Open Water course and Martin my instructor pushed a compass in my hand and threw a smelly towel over my head and told me to navigate my way across the car park .... bad memories ...   


My compass was originally wrist mounted but the strap broke so it ended up hanging off a clip, which is pretty handing since I attach it to one of the D rings off the counterlungs. 

Fins Fins Fins ... I can't count the number of different models I have tried, at dive stores, borrowed off buddies, drooled online (over the Force Fins &  Jet Fins mostly).  But it always boils down to my trusted pair of yellow Mares Avantix 3 fins ... they come in XXS to fit my size 35/36 feet perfectly even with chuncky dry suit boots or wet boots.  There is never a pair of fins that fits as well as the Avantix 3 and I know I should stock up on a back up pair because in the last ten years this is my second pair and I had to get them from a UK Mares agent who told me that XXS where not going to be produced anymore - so as stocking filler this Christmas a spare pair of fins should do nicely - yellow please. 

Open Circuit Regulators I use on my Bailout Tanks - I have a pair of Oxygen Clean Aqualung Calypso Regulators which during OC diving where my deco gas regs - they both have Miflex Hoses and are identified by a Yellow Hose and Legend second stage for my Rich Gas which is normally a trimix fill and a Black Hose and Calypso second stage for my Lean Gas normally a rich nitrox.  On the Lean Gas I also have a low pressure inflator which i can either use on my dry suit but can also double up as a back up for the diluent inflator on the CCR counterlung. Both regs have submersible pressure gauges on short hoses.  As bailout tanks I have two aluminium 7 litre tanks (which are in need of a paint job or else the more fashionable stainless polish finish).  I use cambands and clips from AP diving and attach the tanks to my uppermost D ring on the outside of each counterlung and D rings on my waist band - this system will be changed to something similar to side mounting ... but I need time to make the change and test the system during easy shallow dives.  

And then there was Light - I have a pretty nifty torch these days .. its from an Italian company called FA&Mi or FAMI and its one of their MultiStar umbilical cord range with rechargeable battery pack.  This is the first torch I bought which can be called a primary light - had a smaller FAMI torch from their pocket range (but it was't an actual pocket torch) nevertheless I flooded the thing and the agents in Malta gave me a very good price on the Multistar - so now I own a professional torch! 

On every dive I go I have two boxes, one is a water tight box which I take at dive sites and boat dives and it keeps spare cells and batteries for the CCR, spare batteries for the VR, XEO and back up torch as well as intermediate pressure gauge there for safe keeping.

Water Tight Box with Emergency Spares

Then there is my little green lunch tool box which has everything from cable ties, screw drivers, shifting spanner, allen keys, drysuit wax, zip silicon, normal silicon and o2 grease, duct tape, rope, clips, bungee rope, regulator spares, O rings, first aid kit .... etc etc etc.  I also own an Analox Helium and O2 analyser which has a Peli Box all to itself.  When going on boat dives I like to take my money mobile and car key in a dry bag and this nifty one from Aqualung does the job.

My tool box, Helium and O2 Analyser, duct tape and permanent marker as well as my dry bag for mobile & keys 

One last thing I carry is a small net bag with silicon, o2 and my short rope with loop and clip.  The bag is always tied to the tub I carry all my gadgets in, that way it's always in the same place.  The CCR requires alot of time to prepare and get ready before every dive but no matter how many checks I run at home, I always recheck everything and run the test all over again before getting into the water and if something / anything is off then I drop out of the dive.  I keep the reg dust covers from the first stages and the cylinders caps in the same bag together with the Solenoid protector from the CCR. The rope is used to tie the Unit to the boat and the black mares mat acts as a small carpet when changing into my exposure suit.

All of toys and gadgets are tucked nicely into a Sofnoline Tub "Reuse & Recycle" taking up very little room and can easily be smuggled on the rib / dive boat without being told off for bringing a box on the boat ... It's not a Bag !!! it's not a Box !!! it's a Tub :)

Finally we come to Exposure Suits I have always dived in Aqualung Suits, wet, semi and dry and I will only change if I find a Whites Dry Suit under the tree this Christmas ... but lets get back to what's in MY dive bag and not what's AT my favourite dive store.

I'm currently diving in a Aqualung Blizzard Pro Dry suit  which fits me perfect - just like a wet suit ... I'm very happy with it and if I wear a heavy pair of socks then the boots aren't too big. Its 4mm compressed Neoprene with hard boots and latex wrist and neck seals.  As a base layer I have one set - Fourth Element Thermocline Explorer longjohn and long sleeve top.

Poncho Towel, Hood, Thermocline Top, Ninja Gloves, Thermocline Long John - I wear Hello Kitty Socks which are not technically diving equipment therefore could not be included in the photoshoot.

The Dry Suit comes with it's own hood, size small for a small head ... I also have a pair of "Ninga Gloves" stole that term off Tara also from Forth Element they are the 3mm size small.  I recently purchased a poncho towel which is proving to be very handy when changing at dive sites ... it covers all the bits and keeps me warm.

Soft Weight Belt

Since I'm diving dry I need some extra weights apart from the ones integrated in the harness of the rebreather - I got myself a soft weight belt from Aqualung.  I'm still fine tuning the quantity of lead I need - but I definitely need it since with the unit on my back and two bail out tanks I'm still pretty buoyant.      

I think this pretty much sums up my Dive Bag for the time being ... I do leave some stuff at home - That's my open circuit gear which from time to time I might use - though come to think of it, I've owned the CCR for just over two years now and I can't recall any diving I've done on OC since then ... I'm such a hoarder.

  

Custom Divers double bladder TCW Wing with sport harness and stainless steel back plate + soft back cover.  I used this on twin 12 litre steel tanks.

As primary and secondary Regs I used Legend LX ACD Supreme which I have to say have never let me down, they are serviced and certified yearly at the agents by the technical Guru Jason at M & A.  I have been considering using these regs on my bailout tanks. The Primary set has a long hose, low pressure inflater and SPG from Suunto (from my recreational diving days).


The Secondary set has a second stage on a standard hose with a bungee that goes around my neck and an LPI for the second bladder.

I own a brand new 7mm semi dry which was cordially replaced by Aqualung since my original one developed a defect, the new one was shipped to M&A a few weeks ago and hasn't been used yet, thus it is homed in my wardrobe ready for next summer season.  I had grown very fond of the semi, I like it's girlie touches and due to its anatomic design it fits like second skin.

When I'm cold I wear another Forth Element layer from their Proteus range I use the 3mm short john, it also helps to get into and out of the semi.

The Manifold on my Twin Set

12 Litre Steel Faber Tanks
from Aqualung

7 Litre Ali Tanks used as bailouts or deco tanks

I feel I have to come clean on a little lie - I have a dive bag it's a mares wheelie bag which when I bought had one purpose in life that of hauling my diving equipment from home A on the bus and through Valletta bus terminus B to enable me to cross over to the other side of the Island C to attend my dive course - that was pre owning a car days.  When I bought my first car a Ford Ka not much fit in the boot so I bought some plastic crates which fit nicely on the collapsed back seats of the car - but that was when I was a recreational diver and everything I owned fit in one box.

This is actually one of the buses I would have travelled on a 45 route

Map, A St Paul's Bay my home, B Bus Terminus Valletta &
C Dive Centre at Marsascala

Will and my Mares Bag

One of the Boxes and 2 tubs of Sofno

Now the Mares dive bag doubles up as a hiding place for one of my cats, Will or Grace and my equipment fits in two deep boxes and one recycled Sofno Tub excluding tanks & lead of course.  They all pile up in the back of my Honda - no more seat collapsing :)  and the car is high enough for me to done my unit and walk away without breaking my back!!!

Links to other Scuba Gear Challenges;

Dive Mistress .... The one that got us started http://www.divemistress.net/tag/scuba-gear-challenge/

Andy .... The Deep Sea Diver http://iarediver.blogspot.com/2011/10/whats-in-my-dive-bag.html

Suzy .... The Squirrel http://suzywalker.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/whats-in-my-dive-bag/

Clare .... The Bunny http://divebunnie.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-is-in-my-dive-bag.html