Equipment care and storage

In short

Well-maintained equipment is reliable equipment. After each dive, rinsing in fresh water, drying in the shade and careful storage prevent most failures. The regulator and the BCD also need periodic servicing by a professional, and cylinders are subject to regulatory inspections. This guide gives the simple habits to adopt and the signs of wear to watch for.

Why it matters

Salt, sand, chlorine and sunlight damage equipment: they seize mechanisms, harden O-rings and weaken neoprene and straps. A failure underwater often starts with a small oversight at the surface: a regulator stored full of salt, a cracked O-ring nobody noticed. Looking after your equipment also means getting to know it and spotting in time what needs repairing.

After each dive

The regulator

• Dust cap on: before rinsing, put the dust cap back on the first-stage inlet and check that it is dry. Water entering the first stage causes corrosion.
• Rinsing: soak the regulator or hold it under fresh water, without pressing the second stage's purge button while the regulator is not pressurised: this would let water in.
• Drying: in the shade, hoses uncoiled, without sharp bends.

The BCD

• Rinse the outside and the inside: pour a little fresh water into the bladder through the inflator mouthpiece, shake it, then drain it through the lower dump valve.
• Rinse the inflator by pressing its buttons under fresh water.
• Dry it in the shade, slightly inflated, then store it with a little air inside.

The rest

• Wetsuit: rinse in fresh water, dry inside out then right side out, on a wide hanger and in the shade. Rinse zips carefully; a suitable lubricant keeps them smooth.
• Mask: rinse and store in its box to protect the lens and skirt.
• Fins, boots, gloves: rinse and dry, without long exposure to the sun.

Store everything in a dry place, away from heat and sunlight, hoses not kinked.

Periodic servicing

The regulator and the BCD are serviced by a professional according to the manufacturer's recommendations, often every year or every two years, or after a given number of dives. Between two services, watch for:

• Hoses: cracks, bulges, sliding sleeves, corroded fittings.
• O-rings: cracked, flattened or missing.
• Second stage: harder breathing than before, free flow, bitten or torn mouthpiece.
• BCD: air leak, sticking inflator, dump valve that no longer closes properly.
• Straps and buckles: frayed, split or not locking properly.
• Wetsuit: open seams, crushed or torn neoprene.

The cylinder

Regulatory inspections

Cylinders are pressure equipment subject to regulations. In France, these include a periodic visual inspection of the inside and outside of the cylinder, often carried out every year in clubs by people trained for it (TIV), and a periodic requalification (pressure test) whose interval depends on the applicable monitoring scheme. The dates are stamped or labelled on the cylinder. The exact rules are in the official texts listed in the sources; your club or dive centre applies them for you. In another country, check the local regulations.

Good habits

• Never empty a cylinder completely: keep a few tens of bar so that moisture or water cannot get in.
• Valve closed during transport and storage, with a cap or protector if you have one.
• Transport: cylinder wedged flat in the vehicle, never loose in the boot; avoid leaving it in full sun.
• Storage: upright and secured, or lying down and wedged, in a cool place.
• A cylinder that has been dropped, dented or whose paint is badly damaged must be reported before it is filled again.

Computer, lights and accessories

• Computer: rinse in fresh water, pressing the buttons under water; keep an eye on the battery and have it replaced by a professional if the case is not designed for user replacement, so as not to compromise its water tightness.
• Lights: rinse, then open only when dry; keep O-rings clean and lightly greased if the manufacturer says so; charge and store batteries according to its instructions.
• Surface marker buoy, reel, knife: rinse and dry completely to avoid mould and corrosion.

Club or rental equipment

Shared equipment is used by many divers. Check it as carefully as your own and:

• report any defect, even a minor one, to the person in charge of equipment;
• do not use doubtful equipment: ask for another set;
• return it rinsed, or say that it is not, according to the club's organisation.

Key takeaways

• Dry dust cap on the first stage before any rinsing.
• Rinse in fresh water, dry in the shade and store in a dry place after each dive.
• Have the regulator and BCD serviced periodically by a professional.
• Never empty a cylinder completely and respect its inspection dates.
• Report doubtful equipment and keep it out of the water.

Further reading

The scuba equipment guide presents each part of the equipment and the checks before the dive; the dive computer guide covers its settings; the thermal protection guide details how to choose and care for exposure suits.