After spending several hours soaking up SCUBA knowledge in the classroom, confined pool, and open water dives, most new divers are anxious to “dive” right in and start having fun in this brand-new underwater world. Many divers fail to see the dangers lurking around dirty dive gear that can hurt physical health. Let’s look at some common culprits of dirty dive gear and how to avoid getting sick from an easily preventable illness.
Would you drink a glass of water straight out of the ocean or swim around your toilet bowl? Probably not, but your wetsuit soaks up all those germs and contamination with each dive. Putting dirty dive gear away without cleaning it properly will result in your wetsuit developing a funky odor and growing bacteria and mold. Wearing that dirty wetsuit on for a future dive will likely give you a full-body rash. Depending on the type of bacteria, this could result in a severe skin infection.
Another concern with dirty dive gear
A regulator that hasn’t been stored and cleaned correctly. Imagine breathing underwater only to inhale a large spider nest or chunk of mold stuck in the hoses. You can pick up dangerous respiratory and lung infections from a regulator & hoses that have not been adequately maintained and stored.
Contaminated air cylinders are another danger that can have deadly consequences. If filling techniques are lax, or if someone isn’t paying attention to what gas they are putting in the tank, it’s possible to get a cylinder of contaminated air. Taking in gas not suitable for breathing can result in unconsciousness or even death. Simply smelling and tasting the gas in your tank before a dive can alert you to this grave mistake.
Conclusion
Diving is a fun sport that is safe with the proper precautions. Ensuring you properly clean and store equipment after using it is as important as putting it on properly before a dive. Dirty dive gear is an entirely preventable health hazard.
