Putting your kit away for the winter without ruining it

Every spring somebody arrives at the pier with a suit that has gone hard at the shoulders, or a regulator that has not been touched since the previous August. Both were fine when they were put away. Neither survived the winter.

Salt is the enemy, and it does not evaporate

When seawater dries, the salt stays behind as crystals. Those crystals are abrasive, they hold moisture against metal, and in a zip or a valve they grind away every time you move the thing. Rinsing is not fussiness — it is the whole of gear care, and almost everything else is detail.

Fresh water, and give it long enough to actually get in. A quick splash over the outside does very little. Soak, work the zips and buckles while it is submerged, and change the water if you have been rinsing a pile of kit in it.

Wetsuits

• Rinse inside and out. The inside is where the sweat and salt actually are.

• Dry it inside out first, then turn it. Out of direct sunlight — UV is what makes neoprene go hard and chalky.

• Use a wide hanger, or fold it once over a rail. A thin wire hanger puts the whole weight of a wet 7 mm suit onto two points and permanently deforms the shoulders.

• Never store it folded and never store it damp. Creases in neoprene become permanent, and damp becomes mould.

• Store it somewhere that does not freeze and does not bake. A shed roof in July is as bad as a frost.

Regulators

The one rule that matters: keep the dust cap on and dry when you rinse. If water gets into the first stage through an uncovered inlet, it sits inside the mechanism all winter and corrodes it from within. That is an expensive service and it is entirely avoidable.

Do not press the purge button while rinsing the second stage — that draws water back up the hose. Rinse gently, hang it to dry, and store it loosely coiled rather than tightly wound.

Winter is the right time for a regulator service. Everyone books them in May, when you want to be diving.

BCDs

The bit people forget is the inside of the bladder. Water gets in through the inflator every dive and stays there. Part-fill it with fresh water through the inflator, slosh it around, then drain it through the dump valves and hang it to dry. Store it partly inflated so the insides do not stick together.

Drysuits, cylinders and the rest

• Drysuit: seals are the part that perishes. Keep them clean, use the recommended dressing, and hang the suit rather than folding it across the zip.

• Cylinders: store with a small amount of pressure in them, never completely empty, so nothing can get in. Keep test dates in mind over the winter rather than discovering them in spring.

• Dive computer: check the battery now. A dead computer in April is a lost weekend.

• Torches: take the batteries out. A leaking cell over a winter will destroy the torch.

One last thing worth saying: put it away clean and put it away thinking about the spring. Whatever you leave broken in September, you will discover in April, on a good day, when you cannot do anything about it.

If anything needs replacing, the shop on the pier has its end-of-season deals on now — which is the sensible time to sort out the boots, gloves or hood you spent all summer meaning to upgrade. We are on the East Pier, or ring 085 255 2064.