Once you start scuba diving, you’ll quickly realize that it’s a great hobby, and you’ll want to do it more and more. Many people say it’s addictive (in a good way). However, no matter how much you enjoy scuba diving and no matter how much you want to do it, you’ll find that there are times when you can’t get into the water. It might be a timing issue, perhaps your budget won’t stretch, or maybe you’re feeling unwell. Whatever the reason and this is something you’ll need to do between dives anyway, you’ll need to store your scuba equipment in the right way to keep it safe.
Whatever you own regarding your scuba hobby will have cost you a decent amount of money. Whether it’s your fins, wetsuit, air tanks, regulator, or any other type of scuba gear, the last thing you want is for any of these items to be damaged or destroyed entirely. This is why proper storage is so important. With that in mind, here are five things to consider when putting your diving gear into storage.
Prepare Your Gear
It’s a good idea to know how to store your gear when it comes to your scuba equipment. If you don’t do it the right way, you might come back to it when you want to use it only to find it’s moldy and unusable. So, to begin with, you need to wash the gear thoroughly, making sure to rinse away any of the pool, sea, or lake water and any debris that might be on it. You must wash the gear with warm water. You might also want to purchase some specialist scuba gear conditioner, as this will ensure any nasty odors are entirely removed.
Once you have washed it, you’ll then need to dry it. Storing wet items in a storage unit, no matter how good the facility is, will only lead to issues. The best way for the gear to dry is for it to be left in a well-ventilated and shaded area to air dry.
Service Your Gear
At this point, before you actually store your scuba gear, but after it has been cleaned, you might consider having the equipment serviced by a professional. Some of the elements of your setup, including the tank, BCD, and regulator, could benefit from an annual service. However, equally, even if the equipment has been serviced less than a year ago, you might still consider this option if you’ll be storing your gear for long periods of time. In this way, you’ll know that, when you retrieve it from the self storage unit you have chosen, it will be ready to go, and you don’t have to waste any time – you can get straight back into your hobby.
Not only will your gear be ready for you when you want it again, but this additional service means you can be sure that all contaminants such as chlorine and salt are removed so that you can store your equipment safely.
Find The Right Place To Store Your Gear
Once your scuba gear is clean and serviced, you’ll need to find somewhere to store it. It is possible to keep this equipment at home, but it takes up a lot of space – which can sometimes be at a premium – plus it’s not always the most secure place to keep things. Your dive computer and other pieces of equipment might be tempting to burglars, for example. It’s usually a better idea to look for a storage unit, especially if you need to store the equipment for a long time. Begin your search by looking for self storage near me to get a list of all the local storage facilities you could consider.
So what should you be looking out for when it comes to the right storage unit for your scuba gear? The first thing to do is to think about location – you don’t want to have to travel too far to collect or store your gear when you need to. However, this may become a less important consideration if most local facilities aren’t suitable for storing scuba gear for extended periods. If that’s the case, you’ll need to look elsewhere, perhaps further afield. For example, you need to find a storage facility that offers climate-controlled units – the scuba gear must be stored at a steady temperature and must be well-ventilated to keep it protected. On top of this, you don’t want to use a storage facility that’s close to a road or any mechanical processes; the dust and chemicals can be harmful to your gear.
Storing The Scuba Gear
When it comes to storing the scuba gear, you’ll need to invest in some special hangers, as you don’t want your wetsuit or drysuit to touch the floor at any time, as this could make it dirty again. These hangers are more robust than standard clothes hangers and are ideal for the heavy suits. If you can’t find these special hangers, you can use standard ones, but you’ll need three or four per suit to ensure that they keep the equipment off the ground.
Your BCD, regulator, fins, mask, and snorkel should be stored away from direct sunlight – which shouldn’t be an issue if you are using a storage unit, but if you are keeping these items at home, bear this in mind.
Security Measures
We’ve mentioned how costly scuba gear tends to be, which is why using a self storage unit to keep it safe is a good idea. However, this is something you will need to consider when you’re choosing a unit and overall facility; don’t ignore this element since some self storage facilities are more secure than others. Don’t be afraid to ask the facility staff what their security measures are. What do they have in place that will ensure your equipment is safe at all times? When you choose a good facility like Storage Area, you’ll feel at ease because you’ll know that everything is in place and that anything you store, whether scuba gear or anything else, will be secure.