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Traveling With SCUBA Gear

Written by Leisure Pro Staff
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Published on December 26, 2011

Traveling is one of the many benefits that come with SCUBA diving. With so many dive sites to choose from across the globe, it can be difficult to weigh the pros and cons of bringing your own gear, as not all dive sites will require the same type of gear. However, there are clear advantages to both options. Let’s take a closer look at what they are. For the purposes of this article, we will be addressing air travel.

Rental Gear

Renting SCUBA equipment on location has its pros and cons. Dive centers in more active dive communities will tend to have a wider variety of gear, as well as highly trained technicians. A popular dive site, however, is not necessarily a marker of a fully-equipped dive shop, so make sure you do your research beforehand.

One component you’ll definitely be better off renting is your air cylinders. Flying with an air tank requires removal of the valve, which will then require a full inspection by a tech before you can get it refilled, which would be time much better spent diving! If baggage requirements are a limiting factor, consider renting your BCD and fins, unless you are so attached to yours your dive experience will suffer from the lack of them. Both are bulky and take up a lot of space in your luggage, but they will not be impossible to find at the dive shop.

The obvious disadvantage of rental gear is that it is gear you are unfamiliar with, and may come with a slight learning curve to adjust to the differences.

Packing Gear

There are a few essential items of gear that are fortunately lightweight and easy to travel with. One is your mask. Because the number one solution to mask fog is saliva, people tend to shrink back from using a “community” mask, as the likelihood of someone else spitting in it is high. Also, because a mask is a very personal fit, the frustration of an ill-fitting mask that doesn’t belong to you can very well sully your dive experience. Take your mask if you can.

The next item of gear is your regulator. This one hardly needs an explanation, since we know that the regulator is basically our life support system underwater. Unfortunately, rental regulators tend to be entry-level models, and may have more dives between servicing than your own personal regulator.

A dive computer, if you use one, can either be packed with your regulator, or if it is wrist-style, can be simply worn on the plane as a watch. You can’t always guarantee the dive shop you are going to will rent dive computers, and it’s always better to go with what you know when it comes to the technology side of diving.

Your wetsuit, gloves, hood, and boots are items that are optional to pack or rent. These items largely depend on your luggage capacity, and how crucial they are to your dive experience. If a wetsuit is a wetsuit to you, why bother with the extra weight and bulk? If you’ve finally found the wetsuit that fits and suits your needs perfectly, then it will be worth bringing along.

No matter what you choose to do, it is important to carry your certification card and log book with you at all times, rather than packed away in your luggage. Nothing will ruin a dive trip quicker than being unable to dive! Remember your camera, and always the SCUBA mantra: “Take nothing but pictures, and leave nothing but bubbles.” Bon voyage!

Leisure Pro Staff

Leisure Pro Staff

Marketing Director for LeisurePro