A February morning, a stranger at the waterline, and ninety dives on the one piece of gear I will not hunt sand without.
Eighteen months and about ninety sand hunts on a waterproof pinpointer, with the leaks, the limits and the one alarm that has saved it twice.
One is a pinpointer that converts into a small detector. The other is a pinpointer, done very well. Which one belongs in a diver's bag depends on where you actually hunt.
Three years of hunting sand with a land machine in a dry bag taught me one thing: the waterline is where people lose things, and it is where a dry bag cannot follow. Here is what changed when I put a real underwater unit in the kit.
A February morning, a stranger at the waterline, and ninety dives on the one piece of gear I will not hunt sand without.
The five-step routine I run on every sand hunt, from marking the spot to rinsing the salt out of the seals. About 90 dives on the PulseDive and a few mistakes I would rather you skip.
Eighteen months and about ninety salt water dives on one hand-held unit. What the product page leaves out: the weight, the dry-hands settings, and the one feature that has saved my tool three times.
About 90 dives on a 1000 lumen rechargeable torch, from guided night charters to poking under ledges in daylight. What holds up, what the spec sheet leaves out, and who should buy something else.
A retired marine electrician compares the Genwiss kit he has used for about 90 dives with the Wurkkos DL08, a brighter torch he has not owned.
Eighteen months, about 90 dives, one rechargeable light. Here is what earns it a permanent spot in the bag and what it will not do for you.
Eighteen months, about ninety dives, and one night on the outer reef where a coral ledge I had stared at a dozen times finally showed me its face.
Five steps, in the order I would tell a new diver, for getting reds and oranges back out of black water at twenty to sixty feet.
A working diver's honest look at the Genwiss dive light after 18 months and about 90 dives, including the spec panel mismatch the listing does not explain.
Eighteen months and about 90 dives on one pair of zippered neoprene boots, from a wet charter deck in Key Largo to a limestone shore entry I would not have attempted in thin surf booties.
One pair has 90 dives on it and a rinse log. The other I know from the published listing and a buddy's opinion. Here is the honest split.
Eighteen months and about 90 dives on one pair of Cressi neoprene boots, and I would not walk a limestone entry barefoot again. Here are the ten things that changed.
A hot dock, a pair of thin surf booties, and the Cressi neoprene boots that ended the compromise.
Five steps I actually use on rough limestone entries, hot docks and long walks back to the 4Runner, from a diver with roughly 90 dives on one pair of zippered neoprene boots.
Eighteen months and roughly 90 dives on a pair of zippered neoprene boots. What the sizing chart will not tell you, what the rubber sole actually does on a wet ladder, and the two things that will annoy you.
Eighteen months, about 90 dives, one 4Runner, and a bag that is supposed to get wet.
One bag has 18 months and about 90 dives on it. The other I compared from its published listing. Here is where each one actually wins, and where they tie.
A mesh duffle and a hard duffel do different jobs. After fourteen years of salt water, here is which one earns its space in the 4Runner.
A retired marine electrician on the plastic tote that held water, the old mesh bag that split, and the 37-inch mesh duffle that replaced both.
Salt does its damage after the dive, not during it. The rinse takes four minutes and the drying decides whether your gear lasts four years or fourteen. Here is the routine I use, 18 months and roughly 90 dives into this bag.
Eighteen months and about 90 dives on a 37 inch mesh duffle. What it carries, what it refuses to do, and who should buy something else.
Eighteen months, about 90 dives, and one wrist strap I would redesign. A working take on a 3mm neoprene glove that costs little and fails slowly.
One pair I have dived for eighteen months, one pair I have only handled on a shop counter. Here is where the cheaper glove actually wins, and the one job where it does not.
Eighteen months, about 90 dives, and one pair of 3mm gloves that finally made January water in Tavernier something I could work through instead of just survive.
A 61-year-old diver on the 3mm pair he bought with the rest of his kit, what they actually fix, and the one thing they will never do.
The twenty feet between the 4Runner and the water is where divers get cut. Five steps I run on every limestone entry, plus the honest limits of a 3mm glove.
Eighteen months, about ninety dives, and one pair of 3mm neoprene gloves. What holds up, what does not, and who should buy something else.
Eighteen months and about ninety sand hunts on a waterproof pinpointer, with the leaks, the limits and the one alarm that has saved it twice.
Eighteen months and about ninety salt water dives on one hand-held unit. What the product page leaves out: the weight, the dry-hands settings, and the one feature that has saved my tool three times.
About 90 dives on a 1000 lumen rechargeable torch, from guided night charters to poking under ledges in daylight. What holds up, what the spec sheet leaves out, and who should buy something else.
A working diver's honest look at the Genwiss dive light after 18 months and about 90 dives, including the spec panel mismatch the listing does not explain.
Eighteen months and about 90 dives on one pair of zippered neoprene boots, from a wet charter deck in Key Largo to a limestone shore entry I would not have attempted in thin surf booties.
Eighteen months and roughly 90 dives on a pair of zippered neoprene boots. What the sizing chart will not tell you, what the rubber sole actually does on a wet ladder, and the two things that will annoy you.
Eighteen months, about 90 dives, one 4Runner, and a bag that is supposed to get wet.
Eighteen months and about 90 dives on a 37 inch mesh duffle. What it carries, what it refuses to do, and who should buy something else.
Eighteen months, about 90 dives, and one wrist strap I would redesign. A working take on a 3mm neoprene glove that costs little and fails slowly.
Eighteen months, about ninety dives, and one pair of 3mm neoprene gloves. What holds up, what does not, and who should buy something else.
