Must Have Accessories?

[scubasavvy]

Yeah, bought a titanium knife. I think it was the first thing I went for. I also went for the storm whistle, some dye slick and a dive signaling tube. Sounds like I'm pretty much on track. Thanks guys...keep the advice coming...

[abcitydiver]

consider a divealert plus, (inline with your inflator) allowing you the loudest signaling device on the surface and a pretty good one for under water.

This might sound silly, but dont forget first aid, and prevenative aid specific to where you are ...or might be traveling.

If you can afford good equipment, make certain your medical coverage is up to speed as well, remember DAN or Diveassure. Whichever card you carry, put it on your BC.

[CODMAN]

SMB and finger spool (the DAN one has the light stick, whisle and glow tube incorporated)
A small light
Cutting tool (your choice, I have shears and a small knife)
A retractor for my SPG
A lanyard for my camera (when I bring it)
A dive slate (sometimes, there are things that must be said underwater that signs just can't handle; also, making a note of something important in case you forget)

Oh, and the best... A seacure mouthpiece!!!! The best buy you'll ever make...

Cheers!

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by terrillja

Also, if you are going to buy a knife, buy a titanium knife. Zero maintenance pretty much other than an occasional sharpening, and no rusting.

Pish. I've had the same stainless steel knife since I started diving in the mid 1980s. I rarely do anything more to it than leave it in it's sheath, attached to the webbing, when I rinse the BC. I don't take it out of the sheath to dry, and I don't generally wipe it with oil or anything like that (I smeared silicone grease on it once, over 10 years ago). I sharpen it once a year, just to maintain the edge.

After over 20 years, it has a few minor tarnish marks, but cuts every bit as well as any other dive knife I've seen. IMHO, titanium is a lot of hype and a waste of money. In my experience, steel works just fine. There's nothing wrong with titanium if that's what you fancy, but if anyone is looking at this who hasn't purchased a knife yet, I advise thinking twice about it before assuming TI is necessary.

That said, the accessories I haven't seen mentioned here that are a standard part of my kit for ocean dives are a glo-toob strobe and a jon line. The former is good for surface signaling at night, gives off enough light to read by, and makes a good anchor line marker. The latter can be a real lifesaver for safety or deco stops in stiff currents, choppy conditions, or on crowded lines.

Also, a DSS lp hose connector "hat" is great for cold water dives with thick gloves. It makes disconnecting the power inflator underwater a snap in case of emergency.

[No Misses]

For a small flashlight I would recommend the UK Mini Q40 in either traditional or LED version.

[MSilvia]

The LED Photon Torpedo is the best "backup" sized light I've tried. It's pricey at just under $100, but I've heard it favorably compared to 10w HIDs. I use two Torpedos, one LED, one incandescant.

[CODMAN]

I've got the Q40 eLed and love it. I'd definetly vote for going LED, rather than tarditional. Longer burn time, better beam, more shock resistant... A better investment in my oppinion..

Originally Posted by No Misses

For a small flashlight I would recommend the UK Mini Q40 in either traditional or LED version.

[scubasavvy]

Originally Posted by abcitydiver

Whichever card you carry, put it on your BC.

This is very interesting...any thoughts on how to go about doing this? Now that you mention it, I was thinking of making like a "dog tag" for my insurance card with one of those plastic picture holders. It might also be a good idea to put all the info that is on the first page of my dive log too (address, emergency contact, insurance info, blood type, etc) I just have to make sure I can attach it securely to my BC...

[abcitydiver]

"This is very interesting...any thoughts on how to go about doing this?"

I took my regular Dan Card to the local copy shop, copied both sides in color, cut them out, laid them up back to back, then had the shop laminate them.
When We trimed the oversized laminated "card" we left one end longer than the card inside. Punched a hole in the side with the extra plastic (that way you still dont expose the interior paper product to water), and put in on the bc with a zip tie. DiveAssure sent two copies of our cards, one for wallets, and one already hole punched to go directly on the bc.
Needless to say, you can type up anything and laminate it this way. Kinkos can do this for you in a heartbeat.

[terrillja]

this sort of falls under accessories, spring straps. I never understood why eveyone was always raving about them, I got a pair of fins with them and now I know why. They are the single best scuba purchase I have ever made. The fins are on and off in a heartbeat and there is nothing to break. Being able to get your fins off quickly becomes very important if you are doing drift dives, since the boat can't really wait for you to get your fins off. When the boat gets there to pick you up, you had better get on quickly, and spring straps help a ton with getting the fins off quickly.