by Kyle Tabone Betts

Created on: August 09, 2011

Being made mostly out of rubber, plastic and metal parts, scuba diving gear is susceptible to deterioration due to oxidization through salt, sand and dirt. Apart from that, bacteria, viruses and fungi can cause a diver to suffer various ailments. This necessitates proper scuba diving gear cleaning and sanitization; a process which takes no more than a few minutes and ensures the equipment will provide its valuable service for a long time without harming the diver’s health.  

The cleaning and sanitization of scuba diving gear requires simply some clean freshwater and a non-ionic detergent solution, along with a scrub brush and a piece of non-abrasive cloth. The detergent will annihilate any unwanted contaminant while the freshwater will rinse the detergent and remove any salt, sand and dirt particles present on the gear. All equipment must soak in the detergent for at least 10 minutes; anything less will not be enough to eliminate all traces of viruses and bacteria. Constant detergent application may be required during the 10 minutes as the equipment is liable to drying up quickly. While it is possible to dunk the scuba diving gear in water prior to sanitization (which will require a subsequent rinse anyway), one can always opt to give it a thorough rinse and scrub after applying the detergent.

Regulator

Before cleaning the regulator, it is vital to securely tighten the dust cap in its place after making sure it is completely dry. This will prevent water from entering the first stage regulator as it contains certain components which are sensitive to moisture. Once the dust cap is in place, soak the mouthpiece and second stage parts in the non-ionic detergent solution, making sure that all surfaces are covered. After letting them soak for 10 minutes, rinse the regulator with clean fresh water, giving it a good scrub in the meantime so as to remove all traces of salt, sand and dirt. Submerging the regulator in the water is recommended at this point, although caution must be taken so as to avoid touching the purge button lest any water makes it into the first stage regulator.

BCD

Ideally the Buoyancy Compensation Device is submerged in clean freshwater and scrubbed prior to sanitization. Cleaning should not stop on the outside either; the inside is just as important. Allow water inside the BCD’s bladder by holding down the oral inflator tube and shake it thoroughly in order to clean out any unwanted particles. Once the rinse is complete,

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