Are you about to take your first dip into the great blue? We don’t mean just going to swim in the ocean as you did on family beach trips when you were a kid. We mean actually taking the plunge and scuba diving.
Scuba diving is defiantly something that should be on everyone’s bucket list. The ocean is vast, fascinating, and beautiful. There are a few things that you’ll need before you start to swim among the fishes though. Accessories that no scuba diver would be caught dead without.
To help you make the most out of your first adventure, here are a few of these important scuba diver accessories and what they do.
1. A Full-Sized Gear Bag
Before you start buying gear, you need something to put it in. Now you may be asking yourself “Can’t I just get any bag”? The reason why you want to get a scuba specific bag is that it can withstand anything.
You won’t have to worry about your gear taking damage from sunny days, getting splashed by saltwater, or being tossed by aggressive handlers at the airport. Most people go with bags that are small and light because airports have gotten a little strict about their luggage size and weight requirements.
If you’re worried about your bag getting lost and with it, all of your gear, you can easily get a name tag for it. If you do, your stuff can be returned to you. Click for more info about getting your very own tag for your scuba bag.
2. Dry Bag
You can put your phone and wallet in your scuba gear bag when you go out, but you may come back from your excursion to a ruined phone and wet money. While the bag is supposed to protect from heavy amounts of water it’s not full-proof. For example, if it falls overboard, your stuff will be drenched.
To be on the safe side, you need to pick up a dry bag. It’s airtight and even if it falls overboard your towel, money, and phone will stay nice and dry.
3. Dive Lights
There is nothing quite like night diving. The ocean is like a completely different place once the sun goes down. If you want to enjoy this dark new world, you’ll need good dive lights to see your way around.
While they are mainly used at night, sometimes even during the day it’s hard to see into little crevices. The lights will help you out with that as well.
4. A Compass
One of the scariest moments when you’re scuba diving is not remembering what direction the boat was in. To avoid the heart pumping panic of getting lost, you should pick up a compass to take with you on your excursion.
A compass will stop you from having to break the surface to find the boat, you’ll just be able to swim to it. Besides, if you think you’re going to be diving a lot, the navigational skills you’ll learn by using a compass will come in handy.
5. Surface Signaling Device
Sometimes you just tend to lose yourself in the ocean and end up surfacing a considerable distance from your boat. If you go too far, it can be a pain to swim your way back. It can be even more of a pain to wait for someone to find you.
To help your friends in their search, you’ll need to have a surface signaling device on hand. it will alert them to your location with mirrors and whistles.
6. GPS Signaling Device
You can’t always surface, and if you can’t then you obviously can’t use the surface signaling device. It’s for this reason why you need a GPS one for good measure.
It will float up to the surface of the water and let any nearby boats know where you are. You can take it up to 425 feet under.
7. Back Up Parts and a Repair Kit
It never fails, you’re about to dive into the water and enjoy your day with the fish and coral when something pops loose on your suit. It’s a very minor problem but you can’t actually start your scuba day until it’s dealt with.
This is why you need to be prepared with back up parts and a repair kit. If you don’t then your dive will be ruined.
8. Dive Knife
You need to be prepared for any emergency. This includes getting trapped in fishing line when you’re diving. If you’re carrying a dive knife you can easily free you or a buddy who has gotten themselves in trouble.
Also, if you notice that some marine life is suffocating in a net, you’ll be able to be a good Samaritan and save them.
9. Tank Banger
If you’re diving with a buddy it can be hard to get the other’s attention if you need to communicate. If you have a tank banger you can alert them and vice versa.
Tank bangers are also a good indicator that there is marine life around. You’ll be alerted when they swim by you if you don’t notice them right away.
10. Suit Hanger with Integrated Heaters
This won’t really help you once you’ve dived into the water but rather when you get back. You’re eventually going to take your suit off even if you have more than one excursion planned. It can be hard or uncomfortable to squeeze back into a wet suit after lunch.
If you have a suit hanger with integrated heaters than your suit will dry while you’re not wearing it. No uncomfortable soggy feeling for you!
Scuba Diver Accessories That Every Diver Needs
If you’re about to venture out into the deep blue, you’re going to need a few scuba diver accessories to make sure your excursion goes off without any hiccups. Pick up some of the things on this list to have fun and stay safe.
Do you want to enjoy your scuba adventure with your favorite person in the entire world? Keep reading for a few great scuba diving resorts for couples.
