Please forgive me as I share some more personal information. I am not just a scuba diver maniac. I also enjoy backpacking. Yes that is when you put on a bag with all the stuff you need on your back and walk for miles at an end. This previous weekend I left my house on Friday and came back on Saturday. Covered approximately 20+ miles.

Not too shabby eh...? lol I assure you I carried as little weight as possible, yet I still averaged around 35lbs to 40lbs. There is a new movement in backpacking called Ultra light backpacking. The goal is to simply carry the most important items only. Also try to get the equipment that weighs the least.

This got me thinking about my diving equipment. I use a Halcyon Backplate, Cave Hoses setup and depending on whether I am diving in a dry suit in doubles or wet suit with a single tank; my weights range from 22lbs to 6lbs. Of course I carry the safety sausage that is stowed in the BC and the other goodies (Mask, Jet Fins)

Apparently I have been following the ultralight Diving philosophy that was created by GUE. I find it amusing when I see some divers with what I call a Christmas tree syndrome. They basically have every single gadget they bought. My personal experience has been that these are the divers that are first back on the boat with minimal amount of air.

Moral of my blog,,, simply make a choice to increase your bottom time by reducing what you carry to the absolute required items.

Cheers Happy Bubbles

Comments

ReefHound - 11/05/2007 9:36 AM I`m also a hogarthian diver that sometimes privately pokes fun of the Christmas tree divers, but in their defense they are usually just newer divers in search of solutions. They just want to secure their octo and their LDS sells them a pile of clips, retractors, magnets, and other gadgets for doing so. With experience they will likely realize all that is needed is a simple bungee loop. Eventually they will find their preferred solutions for various problems and become more streamlined.