"CAT - tourniquet" - are you forces or ex-forces?
I currently carry only a
whistle on the float (had actually forgotten that it was attached until I started this thread)
+ cray bag + fish stringer. And on my leg, a knife (cheap, simple, flat spearo dagger).
But I am thinking perhaps I should carry a little more than that:
I bought an
LED dive torch &
small LED mask torch last year (mainly for lobsters/crabs/scallops but could be used for emergency signalling/locating). As a consequence I need to upgrade my10 year old float to carry the torch!
It would be nice to be able to carry a small
bottle of water too. And to lift my net & stringer out of the water when not in use.
I recently got
RA reef-hook. I have tentatively attached it to a float-line for evaluation. Several uses:
1. To anchor float at hot spots as a marker 2. To anchor float against strong currents, freeing me to spear 3. As an emergency anchor for me in strong current. For the latter I am wondering if attaching the reef-hook to my weight belt rather than my float line might work better than trying to hang-on my float (although I suppose I could tie-in my weight belt to the float-line). I have heard of at least 2 specific instances of reef-hooks being used successfully in emergencies. Might get a small 500g folding anchor too - but perhaps that is going too far?
I can't help thinking some kind of
emergency marker might be useful (recalling member Spyders story several years ago). In the USA sea kayakers commonly carry
mini-flares but (typically for the UK) I have been unable to find any in this country.
Dye markers or very
long, flat floating plastic markers strips might be useful, as I often see the rescue helicopter patrolling - but again hard to find in this country & surprisingly expensive. Perhaps some kind of
bright light beacon is the most realistic option these days, with bright, efficient LED lighting (there are also some kind of laser beacons available).
First Aid Stuff:
Perhaps more for shore-use or back at the car/boat. On a Spanish dive store website I saw packs (probably of special wipes) for jelly fish stings. Worth having. I got a nasty sting on my face in Cornwall a few years ago from an anemone not a jelly fish. The Cornish Lifeguard & Pharmacists had nothing for it - so I bought some antiseptic wipes & cream after a few days of it getting worse. Butterfly plasters are useful for self treatment in lieu of stitches, in remote spots. Silver plasters aid clean healing of large cuts
. A cheap, disposable mask for mouth-to-mouth is a good idea (~80p). A tourniquet sounds like a good idea for serious bleeding - if you know how to use it (usually only military teach this). Celox?