When my husband and I bought our scuba gear, it was important to us that we learn to take care of it, so we could protect our investment and continue to dive with it for a long time. My best friend, who is a former scuba instructor, suggested that we take the equipment techniques course/ equipment specialist course. While we learned a lot through the class, there were some things we took away that everyone who purchases their own equipment should know.
Storage
- You should not store your equipment in the garage. You should store your equipment in a cool, dry place. Storing your equipment in a hot or humid place can damage your equipment.
- You should store your fins on top of your equipment. Piling your other equipment on top of your fins can cause them to warp or be damaged.
- You should store your BCD on a BCD hanger. It should be partially inflated, to keep the insides from sticking together.
- You should store your wetsuit on a wetsuit hanger.
- You should carry your regulator in a crush-proof regulator case.
Cleaning and Maintenance
- You should occasionally clean your BCD with BCD cleaner.
- If your wetsuit gets smelly, you should wash your wetsuit with wetsuit cleaner.
- Repair small tears in wetsuits with wetsuit cement.
Saving a Dive
- Spare fin straps. I recommend stainless steel spring fin straps, which make it way easier to get your fins on and off, especially during a shore dive.
- Zipper lubricant for your wetsuit.
- Replacement snorkel purge valves.
- Spare O-rings.
- Snorkel keepers.
- A dive tool.
The class covered much more than I have mentioned, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has just purchased their own gear. In SSI, the class is called Equipment Techniques, and in PADI, the class is called Equipment Specialist. If you are interested in learning more about taking care of, storing, cleaning, and fixing your equipment, talk to your local SSI or PADI dive center.