Is Your Gear Ready For Some Summer Diving?

It's that time of year. The sun is shining, the weather is warming up, kids are finishing up the school year, and that blue water is calling your name. But before you dust off your dive gear and jump right in, we have a few tips on what you should do before-hand to get diving again.

Here are our top 5 Tips to get your gear summer ready!

Tip #1: Schedule a Regulator Servicing

Your regulator is one of the most important pieces of equipment with which you dive. If your regulator fails, well then, things don't go so well. The first and second stage of your primary regulator and your octopus, or secondary air source, should be serviced annually. Many manufacturers only require a total overhaul of the regulator every other year, however, to keep it in tip-top shape, you should be getting it tuned up annually.

Tip #2: Thoroughly Check Your Buoyancy Compensator

You do not necessarily need to send your BC in for servicing unless there is an obvious problem with it. You can, however, run it through a few checks by yourself at home. Here's our recommendation:

Make sure your BC holds air. Orally inflate your BC and check it for any leaks by holding it underwater in your bathtub.
Make sure all of your dump valves are working properly by deflating your BC through the use of each valve individually.

Tip #3: Check Your Dive Computer

Turn on all of your dive computers, yes we said dive computers (plural), as in more than one. You should always be diving with a backup computer, usually a wrist model, in case your primary computer malfunctions during a dive. Make sure each of your dive computers is functioning with a full battery. If you get any low battery indicators, make sure you either change the battery yourself, as some computers allow you to do, or send them to your nearest service center to get a battery change. Do this before you go on any dives!

Tip #4: Check Your Wetsuit

There may not be much to check on your wetsuit, but you may want to make sure it still fits properly. That winter weight can sure creep up on you, and there's nothing more embarrassing than getting on a dive boat and trying to squeeze into a wetsuit that is one or two sizes too small! Also, if you've had your wetsuit for a couple of seasons and it's starting to get a little bit crunchy, it may be time to invest in a new one. Remember, most wetsuits (especially the hyper flex ones) only last around 100 dives or so as the neoprene permanently compresses a little each time you dive. An older wetsuit will not keep you nearly as warm as it should.

Tip #5: Check Your Scuba Cylinder

Every scuba cylinder requires an annual visual inspection. You should have a sticker on your cylinder marking the month and year of the last visual inspection. If you are coming upon that month, then make sure you take it into your local dive store to get it visually inspected. This doesn't take that long but is essential to your safety, and the safety of those filling your cylinder.