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After 20 years of wreck diving in the Northeast here�s how my wreck tools and gear have developed. Gear -Twin geni 100�s with manifold or OMS 121 with 30 ft pony -Wings style BC for all rigs -2 totally different regulators with different gages so that I know which tank I�m on, This is very important when diving the big single, in 20 years I have seen too many accidents due to confusion over what tank a diver is on! - I will never use a back plate and harness, instead I use a plane old DACOR hard pack that I can get into and out of by myself in the water. The Tech harnesses and back plates are difficult enough to get into on the boat with people helping but it would take 2 -3 divers to get you back into it on the bottom. The cavers may flame me but I bet they have never been hung up in a wreck where you may have to take your tanks off to get out. -Knifes, on a wreck you must expect to encounter mono-filiment fishing line. You will not see it unless it has been down long enough to collect some scum, you will not be able to break it with out a knife or cutter. So, put one knife on your thigh by using elastic tubing instead of the straps. Place it so that you can easily grab it without having to bend. Place the other knife so that you Other Hand can reach it, such as chest level on your tank harness. Knifes on a gage console will work only if the counsels are clipped in front of you all of the time, you don�t want to have to go looking for it when you need it. Also, get a good pair of stainless steel shears for use with heavy 100+ lb mono and wire leaders. The leaders fisherman are using are up to 20� and can not be cut easily. Fiskars makes a good one for about $8, take the plastic nut and bolt out and replace it with a stainless bolt and aircraft type locking nut. -Wreck Bag and Tools, keep it simple. I use one of the red bags common in the north east the contents are: Small pry bar, medium screw driver, medium punch, medium cold chisel, pair of vise-grips, 2-3 John lines that can also be used for rigging artifacts, set of standard Navy tables for back-up, small goodie bag, penetration reel, 50-100 lb lift bag/marker bag,. My lump hammer or hand sledge has a link of chain welded on the head and is attached to my weight belt by a large dog chain type clip, with the clip on the head it is very manageable, do not put a ring on the handle all you will get is a hurt knee and the hammer head will grab everything on the bottom. All tools and clips are sized so that I can work them with cold water mits and cold hands. Any other tools or large crow bars leave on the boat or home. Almost all artifacts that I have gotten have either been found on one dive and taken a planed dive or two to bring up, were broken off/un-bolted with the hammer and vise-grips, or were loose on the bottom. The bag weights about 5 lbs total. I weight my self so that I am neutral WITHOUT THE BAG so that if I loose it or have to ditch it I can still make my 20 and 10 foot stops without difficulty. I hope that this helps answer you questions and I can�t wait to see the flames from the religious right of the cavers. Pete Johnson -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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