Scuba kit safety over style

Contrary to popular belief I have interests outside diving and one such interest presented me with a conundrum recently. The governing body of F1 motor racing has recently declared that the ‘halo’ head safety protection device will be used from the 2018 season onwards.

The conundrum arises from the fact that everyone seems to be agreed that safety is paramount. There is also agreement that protecting the driver’s head is perhaps the last remaining safety risk but then everyone seems to be determined to oppose the introduction on the basis of very minor objections.

For once in a multi-million dollar industry doesn’t seem to centre on the cost but on aesthetics, spectator view, the media, or pure “I just don’t like it”. The ongoing arguments are quite vociferous at times yet everyone still agrees that “safety is paramount”, whilst continuing to argue trivialities.

Of course, diving has no such comparable misgivings in relation to safety. We always take the safety conscious route overlooks, cost or other factors and don’t let anything compromise our safety, don’t we?

How does my diving kit look…

Fashion may not have always been a factor for divers but increasingly the look and style of equipment has become more important.

By all means make use of more colourful or stylish offerings but it remains essential that any equipment can be operated effectively by the user. Placing buoyancy behind the diver may keep the frontal area clear but if it places essential controls out of the way and difficult to operate is that the safest solution? On the other hand, changes may be for safety reasons rather than aesthetics.

Wing configurations can ride up behind the diver and so require a crotch strap fitting to control this. As we have seen previously such a strap can impact on the release of a weightbelt in an emergency. By all means, consider equipment for its style but understand and don’t disregard the primary functions, especially your own safety.

Cost of scuba safety equipment

Cost should never be the question when considering safety equipment.

The nature of diving equipment is such that minimum standards for manufacture are imposed on life-critical systems and so we can rely on all equipment being manufactured to those minimum standards allowing us the choice of basic through to high-end equipment appropriate to our wallets and so there should be little risk to our safety on cost alone.

There are still potential pitfalls for the unwary though, for example, some regulators are manufactured for use in waters above 10 degrees C and may not always be suitable for use in UK waters.

The cost of maintenance and routine servicing should not be neglected either.

Remember what your kit is for

At the end of the day, the equipment you use is designed to keep you alive underwater. Buy the best you can afford, don’t just copy your instructor ensure it works for you (keep practised in its use too) and keep it maintained.

Think SAFE – Dive SAFE

Jim Watson

BSAC Safety and Development manager