Gear Wash Protocol (continued from page 1)

When you receive your confirmation email, go ahead and treat your gear, and give it plenty of time to dry. By washing at home you will save time and avoid donning wet gear on your dive day. You will also avoid transporting potential environmental risks from dive site to dive site. This simple procedure can not only extend the life of costly equipment but help protect the places we enjoy.

INVASIVE SPECIES GEAR WASH PROTOCOL
STEPS & PROCEDURES:
 

1.    Visually inspect all equipment for plant, animal, or foreign material of any kind. Be careful to check pockets, corners, and the tread of shoes and booties.

2.    Pour up a solution of 20% vinegar/ 80% water in a sink, wash tub, or sizable container.
 
3.    Submerge gear in vinegar solution for 20 minutes. Use a cinder block or weight belt to hold down buoyant gear. Be sure to get solution inside BCD by opening dump valves while submerged in solution.

4.    After soaking for full 20 minutes remove gear from solution and rinse thoroughly with fresh water.

5.    Hang gear and allow it to fully air dry.

    Underwater housings, dry suits, cylinders, manifolds, regulators, and any other specialty equipment that cannot or should not be submerged in a vinegar solution should only be cleaned to the manufacturer’s specifications with an appropriate cleanser, thoroughly rinsed, and dried prior to use in Spring Lake.

Gear that has been used exclusively in Spring Lake, a chlorinated pool, or a salt water environment does not require decontamination prior to access at this time.