Tried a different way to keep my slate clean on a cold water job

I was working on a bridge inspection in Portland last month, and the water was about 45 degrees. My slate kept fogging up inside my drysuit, which was a real pain for writing notes. Instead of the usual spit and wipe, I tried a tiny drop of baby shampoo mixed with water in a small spray bottle I had in my kit. I gave the slate a light spray and wiped it with a cloth before the dive. It worked way better than I thought, no fog for the whole 90 minute dive. The real surprise was that it also seemed to make the pencil marks wipe off cleaner at the surface. I learned that a little bit of that soap film can really cut down on the condensation. Has anyone else found a good trick for keeping a slate readable in cold, murky conditions?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_faith11h ago

Oh, that's a clever fix. I've had the same fogging problem on winter dives up here in the Great Lakes. I always just dealt with the blurry slate and bad handwriting. The baby shampoo idea makes total sense, since it's made to not sting your eyes. I'm definitely stealing that trick for my kit. It's smart that it helps clean the old marks off, too. That's one less thing to scrub at the surface when your hands are freezing.

kim_davis3h ago

I always thought that was a dumb trick until stella111 proved me wrong.

stella1117h ago

My old dive buddy swore by that baby shampoo trick for years. It works better than any fancy anti-fog spray I've ever bought. Just a tiny drop on the slate keeps it clear the whole dive.