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Picture this...
You're prepping to dive a gorgeous, gorgeous site. There are seahorses and nudibranchs and eagle rays (oh my!). You've got a brand new camera, lights are fully charged, and all your friends are there with you. Masks are on, regulators are in, everyone's fully ready to splash for the dive of your life. Then suddenly.... *POP* something's leaking. Your tank valve o-ring (and your heart) has shattered into a million pieces. How do you fix something like this? Do you have the tools? Can you save your dive?
Save-a-dive kits are relatively cheap and simple to put together, and can be worth their weight in gold in a situation like this. They are essentially a small tool kit for making quick repairs to your diving equipment out in the field. Small leaks & blown o-rings are super common & easily fixed… provided you have the tools needed to do so.
Common last-minute repairs:
O-ring replacement – especially on tank valves
Broken mask / fin strap
Missing / broken mouthpieces
Attachments for accessories – quickly adding bolt snaps to things like lights, SMBs, mesh trash bags, cameras, etc.
O-rings!
Having an assortment of o-rings stashed away when one blows is a great way to save your dive… since normally folks don’t realize something’s leaking until they’re just about to splash in. There are lots of o-ring kits on amazon to help you get started. Here are a few links you can check out:
Look for o-rings for your tank valve specifically (on a standard yoke valve, it’s usually size 014), as these are one of the most common repairs you’ll deal with in the field. The o-rings made out of viton material are oxygen compatible, so they’re the ones you’ll want to start collecting. You can also look for HP o-rings, LP o-rings, and air spool o-rings (which are tiny!), but if you’re not familiar with removing hoses to make these kinds of repairs, you should consider taking an Equipment Specialist Course.
You’ll also want some o-ring picks to help remove the old ones; they get really tricky and brittle when they start failing, so they can be a pain to remove. Stainless steel picks are nice and sturdy, but also look for brass picks. Although these are malleable and break more easily, they won’t scratch the chrome plating off your first stage.
Basic tools to include in your kit:
Adjustable wrenches: The best way to remove hoses from your first stage. Carry at least two in your kit, as you’ll need both for removing an SPG from a HP hose.
Allen keys: These are needed for removing port plugs on your first stage, or DIN to yoke adapters in your tank valve. I recommend having various sizes for different repairs… this style of tool set is my favorite.
Cutting device: My go-to favorites are trauma shears. They’re cheap, tough and easily replaceable when they get rusty. I’m also a fan of z-knives (especially to attach to my gear to wear in the water), since they’re low profile, have replaceable blades, and you’re far less likely to cut yourself with them. A dive knife sure looks cool, and is useful when you’re spearfishing, but in my opinion a z-knife is a much better option for an emergency cutting tool.
Zip Ties: Great for replacing mouthpieces, or quickly attaching a bolt snap to an HP hose, dive light, camera, etc.
Spare items to include when building a basic kit:
Mouthpieces
Replacement silicone straps for mask and/or fins
Snorkel keepers (these are GREAT for stowing your octopus!)
Bolt snaps & double-enders
For a smaller kit containing just the basics, a tackle box is great for carrying o-rings, and a mask box works well for holding your tools. I managed to fit everything shown above in one! There are also lots of the pre-made kits online that come already organized in a compact case. Here are some links to a few pre-built kits:
Everything you need in a tackle & mask box. This was how I started!
As an instructor and technical diver, I like to have spares of just about everything, so my personal save-a-dive kit is a bit more in-depth.
Here are some extra things I like to keep in mine:
Spare mask
Extra first stage, hoses, SPG’s (although when I’m teaching, I typically carry at least one extra complete set of regulators–cleaned, tested & ready to dive)
Batteries for dive computer, dive lights (and sometimes an extra computer or two)
Bungee
Cave line for tying bolt snaps
A lighter for burning the ends of the bungee & cave line
Plyers & wire cutters
Screwdrivers
Spare SMB
Compasses
Rubber bands for stowing backup lights
BC repair items such as an extra inflator mechanism, bolts & tank grips for single tank adapters
Miscellaneous hardware for my doubles set up (bolt extensions, wingnuts, tri-glides, etc.)
LP inflator valve for your tires!
Putting it all together
For a larger kit, I use this 18in organizer case from Harbor Freight to organize everything. It’s hardy like a pelican case, but WAY cheaper. It’s got tons of room for all the extra stuff I like to bring, and it’s easy to customize.
This box lives in my car and has come in handy on multiple occasions! Between pumping up a low tire, to re-tying bolt snaps on a light head, to lending a snorkel keeper for a student's octopus regulator, my kit has saved my dives many times.
Having a save-a-dive kit will really come in handy as you gain more experience and spend more time diving. Having the tools and hardware to mend minor issues will, quite literally, save your dive. I hope this guide was helpful!
Happy diving!
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