A certain kind of diver makes guides groan. This diver assembles his gear, and then reaches for his dive bag and breaks out the accessories. I watch in disbelief as he slides a mesh tank protector over the rental tank, and then proceeds to clip on to his buoyancy compensator large slates, a magnetic etch-a-sketch, dive tables, blinking tank strobe lights, a tank banger, low pressure hose noise maker, a shaker, a camera, a fish ID slate, a flash light, fancy octopus holder, a surface marker buoy without a reel to deploy it, mesh collecting bags (for trash?), and various types of extra clips and hose retractors "just in case". In the dive industry we call this kind of diver a "Christmas tree diver" (CTD) because he has so many doodads hanging off of him that he looks like a well-ornamented Christmas tree.
While I am all for taking along appropriate accessories, a diver should consider whether he needs each item he brings on a dive. Some items may be unnecessarily redundant (2 different kinds of noise makers) or simply not be needed on a particular kind of dive. For example, I occasionally see a diver strapping on an 8-inch long dive knife for recreational, warm water reef dives with 100 - foot visibility in a marine park. Yeah, they are prepared, but for what? Accessories that are appropriate in a kelp forest are not necessarily needed on a shallow reef.
Besides avoiding the appearance of a holiday decoration, there are other reasons to avoid being a CTD. Carrying too many accessories underwater makes it difficult to properly access the correct ones. With a camera, a buoy, and a noise maker all clipped off to the same d-ring, some divers will find it hard locate and deploy the needed instrument. Excessive accessories sometimes become tangled or dangle and drag against the reef. I have seen CTDs become distracted as they search though a shop's worth of accessories to find a specific item, slowly drifting to the surface or loosing track of the dive group.
Some divers will argue that they need the numerous accessories they carry, and in some cases this is true. However, a diver with many needed accessories can avoid becoming a CTD by properly streamlining and tucking away his gear. Items less likely to be needed (such as a surface marker buoy on a guided dive) can be carried in BCD pockets while gear that will definitely be used on the dive (such as a camera) can be clipped off to a d-ring for easy access. Think about which items are necessary for a particular dive, and then clip them off or store them properly. Practice deploying each of the items to make sure that you can do so comfortably and efficiently.
Christmas tree divers create the potential for problems such as gear entanglement, reef damage and task loading. They also just look silly. Configure your gear for each dive so that you efficiently carry only necessary accessories that are properly stowed.
Speak up! Have you ever been a Christmas Tree Diver?
Image copyright istockphoto.com, dsafanda
Comments
Thanks for that insight! I think it’s just proper to just bring necessary equipments or gears that will really be relevant with a dive. Has there been accidents, or worse, deaths, that occurred because of the excessive baggage of a diver?
Wonder how much extra that guy paid his airline to bring over all his toys?
I have heard of “Christmas Tree Diver” but never heard of them referred to CTD. This is going to be my new inside joke at the dive shop.
CTD’s, sounds like one of them social diseases. That is very funny Natalie, we will be on the look out for this critter. Personally I don’t like to bring extra stuff so I don’t have to clean it later. That being said, I can see why people that only get to dive once in a while would want to load up and use all that stuff the dive shops convince them that they can’t live without and need to look all professional on their vacation dives. I’m pretty sure if I dig in my spare gear bag I will find a Christmas ornament or two. How about the rest of you divers, be honest now.