Fish ID cards add fun to a dive.

Smart Editions to Your Dive Bag
We all know the basics we have to have for a dive trip: mask, fins, regulator, BC, wetsuit. A check list might be a good idea if you can’t remember. Beyond your basic dive gear, a small basic repair kit with some spare parts and a few tools are a standard item for many diver’s gear bag. Add a towel and you are all set, right? But there are a few more comfort items, and items that might make your trip go smoother or more fun, that you may want to consider packing.

DRINKING WATER
It is easy to get dehydrated diving. Air is dried before pumping it into your cylinder. The pressure your exposure suit puts on your body make you urinate more. A well hydrated body also helps prevent the bends and is a deterrent to sea sickness. Pack a sports bottle of water in with gear bag.

SNOT RAG
You heard me right — snot rag. We all know that diving can sometimes force certain inner “fluids” out the old beak on ascent. Rinse your face as you exit the water but you still will want to wipe your face off as soon as possible. Keep a small hand towel in your bag for just such an occasion. It will make you, and those around you, more comfortable.

SUN PROTECTION
In your bag keep a hat that you can keep the sun off your face and neck. Pack also sunscreen and sunglasses. The hat and sunglasses should be inexpensive should they become damaged or lost, a likely occurrence on the dive deck of a boat.

For sun protection, I prefer a hat and clothing over sunscreen. Sunscreen, even the water proof variety, rarely stays on through a vigorous day of diving. Also, some sunscreens can gum up your silicone masks causing discoloration.

FIRST AID KIT
Your kit need not be anything elaborate but at least be able to handle minor injuries and stings. If you are on your own boat or at a remote destination then an extensive kit is needed, perhaps even including oxygen. But that would be as a separate kit altogether and not included in your dive bag.

WINDBREAKER JACKET
Even the best thermal protection will lose a great deal of effectiveness in the wind on the surface as evaporation quickly cools the diver. A simple and inexpensive windbreaker jacket, worn directly over the wetsuit, will alleviate a lot of this problem. Even better yet would be a full sized, hooded and lined thigh length jacket.

ZIP LOCK BAGS
Zip Lock bags, especially those with tabs, are excellent ways to keep dry things dry. Put your wallet, cell phone, pager and more in these handy, compact and inexpensive containers.
GPS

If you find a particularly special dive site that you will want to return to, why not record its exact location with a hand held GPS (Global Positioning System). Satellites above tell the units exactly where they are located and it can then be recorded. The units are very accurate and can be purchased for less than $100. Keep your GPS dry in a Zip Lock bag as mentioned above.

SMALL WEIGHTS
Fine tuning your lead needs and buoyancy control is an art and well worth the effort in comfort and lower air consumption. Of course, you will want to put most of your lead on your weight belt or in your integrated weight belt packets. If the boat you are diving on supplies the weights, often they are not in small denominations for fine tuning. Carry one or a couple of single or two pound weights. Ankle weights are perfect. You can clip them on to the hand rail of a boat, handy for fine tuning right at the swimstep. In addition to being clipped on to the ankles they can also be wrapped around a tank valve or just slipped into a BC pocket.

PERSONAL GROOMING
There is no reason to look liked a drowned cat when the day of diving is through. A small packet with a brush and shampoo will clean you up nicely between and after dives and will make you feel much more comfortable and clean on the ride home.

MIRROR
Probably not necessary for personal grooming, but in this instance it would be for tormenting territorial fish. Garibaldi, sheephead, sarcastic fringeheads, and in some cases kelpfish are driven nuts by their own image in a mirror. It can be the source of hours of entertainment underwater.

Do not use a glass mirror! Rather, use a small plastic or metal camping mirrors available in most sporting goods stores that sell camping equipment.

FISH FOOD
Another way of having fun with the fish is to feed them. Busting up urchins on the bottom, however, is not the best way to do this. Why kill one animal to feed another? Fish food pellets and sticks are made specifically for feeding fish and sold through some dive stores. Do not use foods unnatural to fish such as peas, bread or cheese whiz in an aerosol can.

SLATE
Communicated complicated ideas underwater is made much easier with an inexpensive underwater slate. Many instructors use them for check lists. Underwater they are good for fish count surveys. Slates are also good for note taking in wet situations (even if you don’t take it underwater) such as notes for dive logs, mapping a dive site, and noting site coordinates.

FISH ID CARD
Fish identification during or immediately after a dive is fun and educational. Most books are, however, expensive and not waterproof. Plastic ID cards are available that give an overview of the most commonly seen species. Even if you don’t take it underwater, it is a cheap and waterproof way to get to know the fish you are seeing.

TUSA Dive Torch TL240

POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA
Even if you are not a photo aficionado, you should take home some memories of your dive trips. Just taking surface photos of your diving friends can be fun. If you are concerned about your camera getting wet, pick up and inexpensive disposable camera, some of which are water resistant, some even waterproof.

SMALL LIGHT
A small dive light is a must for every diver’s BC pocket. So many interesting creatures live under ledges and in dark crevices. Small dive lights are also handy for finding items at the bottom of your dark dive bag (that is now becoming increasingly more clogged with odds and ends of dive gear).

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Dale Sheckler is Editor and Publisher of California Diving News, Producer of the annual SCUBA Show expo held each June in Long Beach, CA, and co-author of the book A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives, 3rd Edition.