We told you to maintain your gears!
Dear readers,
A very good Sunday to all of you! I hope you have been doing well.
Today a short post nevertheless on an important topic: maintain your gears!
Why? Because your dive equipement is your life-support. It is great to dive, I know you like it. But remember that the ocean and doesn't tolerate mistakes. So be sure to be equiped with functionning material.
For those who just rent gears (for whatever reasons), maintenance is less relevant although it is interesting for your to know the basics (I think).
For a deep review, please chcek The Diving Bear website, since I have a specific section on equipment: https://www.thedivingbear.com/equipment-maintenance-1
But let me give you a quick recap:
Always rinse your equipment after each dive and do a deep cleaning after each trip before storage.
After rinsing, let it dry in a cool, shadowed and ideally ventilated area. Outdoor works well but not under the sun please or you will ruine your gears.
Store your gear in dry, tempered area (ideally without dust).
Extra care and professional service is necessary for your BCD and your regulator.
Monitor your equipment for signs of wear and verify the hoses for leaks, cracking or any sign of age. I service my BCD every two years even is it shows no problems. Most divers won't get it service till is doesn't inflate or vent air properly (Low-pressure Inflator hose or LPI). The bladder can also becomes less effetive. As usual I am extra cautious and service is it anyway. And frankly, its cheap so it won't hurt your budget. I have my BCD for fours years and never faced an issue so far.
For the regulator, well, that's a key component isn't it? I think a yearly check is good. Here again I suspect some divers are less regulars. Personnally I think you should get it serviced once a year even if you don't dive frequently. The servicing will cost you (usually) less than a USD 100. I guess your life is worth more so don't try your luck as risk a problem 20m under the surface...
Most of my gears are 5 years old or more as of today and I never had to fix anything or buy anything again.
You have doubts?
(a) Check the manual
(b) Ask a fellow diver to advise
(c) Reach out to a dive centre
I know somes centres offer courses on that topic. Frankly, you won't learn much. Well, it's not really proper training. It's essentially spending a bit of time with a technician, watching him working. I did a PADI course on that when I needed some specialities. I am not saying it wasn't worht it, but unless you are interested in the technical aspects you may find it useless. You can learn the same on the post, learning by doing, when you are with the instructors or just chat to the technicians at your dive centre. You can be sure they will be happy to shaire their knowledge with you.
Conclusion: be smart, invest a bit of time and money in proper maintenance. You will not only save money in the long run but also increae your safety by reducing the risk of failures and incidents.
Two good reasons to be diligent.
Sincerely yours, and Happy Diving.
The Diving Bear
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