Who brings an adjustable wrench along with them on a cave dive? There is at least one diver who does and it certainly came in handy on a dive. It served as a subtle reminder that divers should carefully consider their gear and put thought into what is brought underwater and what’s left behind on land.
A team of three cave divers was entering a cave system when suddenly one diver’s power inflator released a continuous shower of bubbles. The power inflator hose was quickly disconnected to stop the gas loss, the dive was called, and the team exited the cave. On the surface, it was discovered that a screw-in fitting had simply loosened enough for gas to leak past the O-ring. As the unlucky diver was about to leave the water with his bulky gear to find a tool in his save-a-dive kit one of his buddies said, “I have an adjustable wrench.” With that he unzipped a pouch on his gear and clipped off inside was a small wrench, along with an assortment of other items he might need if something were to go wrong. Using the wrench, the inflator was quickly repaired and the divers resumed their dive. In this case the small wrench had saved a considerable amount of time and trouble but it could easily save a life under different circumstances.
Incidents like this highlight the need for SCUBA divers to check their gear and consider the assortment of equipment carried to be prepared for emergency situations. It’s never a good idea to carry extra equipment you don’t need but having the proper backups and emergency tools may save your life.
The type of diving you do will determine the equipment to bring. Some things are standard but many are dive specific. It is not the purpose of this article to list the equipment to carry. Good training, experience, and common sense will help divers configure their gear correctly. It’s a good idea to periodically check your gear, consider things that could go wrong and be prepared. You just never know when an adjustable wrench might come in handy.