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7 Deadly Equipment
Sins
Not
wetting your BCD Strap.
If your BCD is fairly new or has
not been used in a while you should wet your BCD strap prior to putting
it on a cylinder. This
allows a new strap to stretch prior to tightening it and softens an old
strap making it easier to tighten properly.
Not
turning your air off and purging the line after your initial check.
When you board a dive boat or
prior to a shore dive it is customary to assemble your equipment, turn
on the air and check to make sure everything is functioning properly.
Since there is often a delay prior to getting into the water it
is extremely important to turn the air off and purge the line during
this wait. Failure to do so
allows the heat to increase the pressure in the line often resulting in
a blown 1st stage seat prior to the dive or even worse for
the seat to dislodge during the dive.
Not
opening the valve all the way and back ¼ turn.
When getting ready to dive you
need to make sure that your air is turned all the way on.
A cylinder valve only partially opened will breathe normally
during testing but when you reach depth it will often become very
hard or impossible to breathe from.
Since a tight valve is often
hard to open when trying to turn your air on – you may think it is
already open. By closing it
only ¼ turn it is still open all the way but will move slightly letting
you know that it is open.
Not
looking at your gauges while checking your air.
As stated above a partially
opened cylinder valve will give air on the surface.
However, under water the external pressure increases and it may
not continue to breathe properly. By
looking at your gauges as you either breathe from the regulator or press
on the purge, if the valve is not opened or functioning properly you
will see the SPG
needle will move during this test.
Not
doing a buddy check prior to the dive.
A pre-dive buddy check is one of
the first things we are taught in the Open Water course and many divers
neglect this. There have
been numerous accidents, even deaths where a diver entered the water
without turning on his/her air. A
simple buddy check will prevent this from happening.
Using
high pressure air to clean your dust cap.
Everyone does it, but try never
to use the cylinder air to clean or dry your dust cap.
It pushes moisture in past the 1st stage filter into
the regulator, causing flooding. Either
wipe or orally blow on the dust cap to clean it prior to replacing it.
Not having your regulator and BCD
serviced once a year.
Your regulator and BCD need to be
serviced at least annually. This is the recommended interval from
the manufacturer and is necessary to not only maintain your warranty but
for safety. Even if not used rubber o-rings and diaphragms can dry
rot or get out of tune. Annual service is designed to prevent
equipment problems during the dive.
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