Best Practices for Disinfecting Dive Equipment

AFTER THE INITAL SCARE AND LOCKDOWNS FROM COVID-19, divers soon started to explore ways to safely get back into the water. Disinfection has always been a consideration in diving, but […]

Disinfection of dive gear, cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting dive gear, cleaning dive gear, pathogens in dive gear, surface contaminants, infectious germs, fungus, mold, bacteria, communal rinse buckets, sanitizing solutions, rental dive gear, immerse dive gear for two minutes in a 2 percent solution of bleach and water, precautions to achieve infection control, Alert Diver magazine Q4 2023

Learning from the Conception

On Sept. 2, 2019, the small passenger vessel Conception burned to the waterline off Santa Cruz Island, California, killing 34 people. This wasn’t the first liveaboard fire, but the fearful reactions to this deadly tragedy echoed throughout the scuba industry. Liveaboard fires that have occurred since this incident have further fueled industry concerns.

A safety drill, including what to do in case of fire or abandoning ship, should occur at the beginning of every cruise.

Understanding Dive Equipment Regulations

Most divers know their scuba cylinders need a visual inspection every year and a hydrostatic test every five years (referred to as a requalification or a hydro). The actual regulations for cylinders and other dive equipment, however, are less clear.

Regulations help prevent cylinder incidents and protect you and others from harm.