Dive shoes with stiff sole
Your traditional soft sole diving shoe will offer you absolutely zero ankle support as you walk across loose gravel. If you need to cross gravel or rocks, get something with a stiffer sole.
Clip off fins
If you run an SPG, you can string your fins through the SPG hose and then clip the SPG to your left waist D-ring. If you do not run an SPG, you can also use a large double-ender to clip the fins to your hip or chest drings.
If you have the fins in your hands and you enter the water up to your waist, then how are you going to put your fins on without letting go of one of them and they float away or sink? Just clip them off and remove one at a time.
Clip off primary regulator
This will be a bit difficult if you use the traditional hose routing technique, however if you are using sorta-long hose or long-hose...you can use the boltsnap on the primary regulator to stow/clip-off the regulator to your right chest d-ring. In an emergency, such as falling over in the water, there is a regulator on a necklace under your chin.
Use neoprene strap
Neoprene is just nicer for anyone with hair, sliding over a hood and replacing a mask that has been knocked off or taken off. Also, once they are properly fitted to your face they will not accidently change strap length. Once you use one...you'll never go back.
You may want to have the traditional strap on any backup mask you use so that anyone in your dive team can use it easily, because their head is different size than yours and resizing the mask using the adjustable "click" system is easier than velcro in an emergency.
[GUE YouTube] Replacing mask with one hand - Hey! That's my GUE instructor!
You may want to have the traditional strap on any backup mask you use so that anyone in your dive team can use it easily, because their head is different size than yours and resizing the mask using the adjustable "click" system is easier than velcro in an emergency.
Mask on head - backwards?
Anyone who says that a mask on your forehead means you are in distress is...how should we say...not thinking clearly. That is not how a distressed diver looks on the surface. However, you could face inappropriate social angst...so spin it around and put the strap on your forehead and the mask on the back side.
The worst option is to have your mask in your hand or around your arm...it will fall/get in the water and ruin the defog.
The worst option is to have your mask in your hand or around your arm...it will fall/get in the water and ruin the defog.
Careful of the defog
If you choose to not store your mask on your head as you enter the water, you need to be VERY careful of whatever defog you have put in your mask. Once the inside of the mask hits the water you have only a few seconds before the defog is washed off.Pre-walk additional equipment
Don't try and save yourself a trip and carry everything at once. You want your hands free as you transport whatever back gas you are carrying. If you have a pony bottle or a DPV or other additional heavy equipment...take that down first. Lay it next to the water. And then go back and get suited up and walk your main gear to the waters edge.
Dump weights in hand
If you have clipped off your fins and you have your mask on your head already...then your hands are free. Walking on sand, gravel or rock while having 40lb of gear on your body isn't always great for your ankles or your stability. One way to reduce some of that feeling of being "top heavy" as you walk is to put any ditchable weights in your hands. Typically you can drop them if you feel like you are about to fall over and you can always put them back in once you get to thigh level in the water.