The Basic Scuba Diving Kit

Wetsuits

As we are aware, diving wetsuits are made of neoprene that acts like a sponge adding buoyancy without absorbing water. The insulation comes from these neoprene cells that contain a gas allowing for the separated bubbles to trap heat and protect. The thicker the suit, the more insulation they provide in accordance with the depth you plan on diving.

Dry Suits

Just as in the past, when you have to leave playtime as soon the real fun starts, the cold makes its presence known as soon as you start enjoying the water. A scuba diving dry suit allows one not only to stay in the water for longer but also to experience rarer dive sites - which are not surprisingly more often the colder ones.

The loose fitting dry suit provides a 'double protection' insulating with a layer of air. The air that fills the suit comes from your tank via an outlet specially designed for this purpose. A release valve provides the outlet and the presence of air inside your suit therefore requires more attention to buoyancy than a wet, tight fitting one. The operating process requires a short course to master the various technicalities involved.

Dry suits seal at the wrist and neck with the added feature of a zipper that keeps the water out and contain special inner garments that form part of the crux of the purpose of the suit itself. These are designed in accordance with how deep you want to dive in a similar manner that the millimeter thickness of a wetsuit provides the correct insulation against water temperatures and depths.

Hoods

Since it's a well known fact that over 70% of your body heat 'escapes' through your head its advised to consider a hood for diving in water temperatures below 70 degrees F.

There are a few variations among which the bibbed hood provides a good amount of insulation as it extends in circumference over the upper part of the chest and is tucked into the wet or dry suit preventing water leaking in through the neck area.

Colder climates will require a suit with a hood as a permanent fixture. Ensure that the fit is snug and comfortable, a tight hood can have detrimental consequences to blood circulation.

Gloves

Protection from the elements is a key when it comes to diving gloves. Your hands may become soft from extended exposure to the water and cut or scraped easily. Cold water will numb your hands and make it hard for you to operate your equipment.

Boots

Protection against cuts and abrasions as well as heat loss will be prevented by acquiring a pair of diving boots. They also allow for more effective control with water propulsion using your fins.

Alternate air sources

Commonly referred to as the octopus or 'octo', the second stage allows you to provide an alternate air source for yourself or your buddy in case of an emergency.

Thermometer

Not an essential accessory, but it does come in handy when monitoring your temperature in accordance with depth and time in the water.

Compass

While underwater it is easy to loose your sense of direction, specifically in bad visibility or unfamiliar surroundings. Using your compass as reference will assist in many a sticky situation.

Submersible Pressure Gauge or SPG

Your SPG is the essential air consumption monitor. Checking your SPG regularly allows you to gauge your average air consumption during a dive so you can monitor temperance. In this way you can log how much air you use on the dive and how much to consciously consume in order to practically maximize your consumption on the next.

Weights

The purpose of weights in diving is not to make you sink, but to ensure that you maintain buoyant with all the floatation and warmth-inducing devices required for the dive. Weight belts are available as a separate fixture or integrated into the BCD or suit.

Weights need to be arranged in an even distribution around the body in order to ensure that you maintain your buoyancy as effortlessly as possible without needing to compensate for a lopsided physical disturbance in the process. A quick test is whether you float at eye level when you are in the water.

The weight belts all come with a quick release system which is their most functional and essential feature in the event of an emergency.