Life Saving Scuba Diving Equipment List – Stay Alive!

Life saving scuba diving equipment list

When you want to explore the underwater environment through diving, your safety is paramount and you can never be too cautious when going diving. Making sure that you have a full-fledged scuba diving equipment list and gear for your dive is a matter of life and death – very serious. Enjoy a thrilling adventure while underwater and at the same time, stay safe always.

Diving is a very exciting adventure, and due to the excitement ahead of your diving, you may forget or overlook some of the very essential equipments including even the most basic ones.

Proper planning is thus key, and at the same time, you should have a checklist way ahead of your diving. A checklist will help you know whether your diving kit includes all the equipments that you require.

It is also prudent to check the condition of each and every equipment that you are going to use while diving and ensure that it is in good condition and that it is functioning properly.

Scuba diving regulator

This is a life safer. You know it is when it is about the passage of air from the scuba tank to your nose and vice versa. A scuba diving regulator is probably the most important piece in any diver’s gear list.

The scuba diving regulator is the device that scuba divers use to breath from the diving tank and it regulates the air that a diver breathes in. In essence, this is the equipment that makes breathing while underwater become possible.

The air stored in a dive tank is usually under a very high pressure of about 3000 psi and breathing it in without being regulated first is very unsafe. A scuba regulator reduces the high pressure in the air from the dive tank so that you can take it in under a much lower and safer pressure.

A scuba regulator has two stages of regulating the compressed air in the dive tank:

First stage: A valve reduces the pressure to about 140psi. The valve opens to allow the air get into the hose and then it closes. As the air in the tank is used, the pressure reduces even as the diver changes the diving depths and the regulator compensates the pressure.

Second stage: The regulator lowers the pressure of the air coming from the hose to your mouth making it more comfortable for the easy breathing in by the diver. A piston just like the one in the first stage starts and stops the flow of the air. The exhaust valve allows you to exhale without allowing water in.

Scuba diving mask

A scuba diving mask is a very vital piece of your diving equipment because it gives you the best view of the underwater world while preventing water from entering your nose.

Scuba diving masks are quite different from other masks because they are specifically designed for scuba diving. They are made of superior quality materials such as silicon and tempered glass that are sturdy enough to withstand the underwater environments.

They feature an adjustable strap that helps you fit the mask perfectly and they enable you to have a clear focus while underwater so that you can enjoy the thrill in the underwater environment. When buying a mask ensure that it fits comfortably and that it does not allow for any water leakage.

As earlier stated make sure that you go for the scuba diving mask and not the snorkeling mask or any other mask that is made for surface water sports. This is because such masks are made of low quality materials such as plastics, which fog or scratch easily and cannot withstand greater water depths.

Scuba dive tank – scuba diving equipment for breathing

A scuba diving tank is very important because it carries the air that you need for breathing while underwater. These tanks feature a valve that controls the flow of air from the tanks and they connect the tank with the regulator.

They are made of either steel or aluminum alloy; with steel tanks being sturdy and resistant to external damages such as dents but more susceptible to internal rust while the aluminum tanks being more vulnerable to external dents but more resistant to internal corrosion. Scuba tanks come in various sizes depending on the amount of air they carry.

The air contained in scuba tanks is usually Nitrox, which is a blend of pure nitrogen and oxygen, with nitrogen taking a bigger percentage than oxygen.

What??

Scuba tanks cannot be filled with pure oxygen alone because oxygen becomes very toxic at depths and prolonged exposure to pure oxygen can be fatal. In additionally, pure oxygen is very reactive and can cause other things to go up on flames.

A very important rule that every diver should observe is never to allow your tank to be completely empty. This is because an empty tank can allow water to get in and water exposure may compromise the inside of the tank.

Always ensure that you leave some air in the tank and always take it for checkups before embarking on a diving adventure. A tank that is well maintained can serve you up to twenty years.

Before you go out for that diving vacation this summer, make sure everything is working correctly. You will be safe.

BCD Diving Gear – most important scuba gear

A buoyancy compensating or control device (BCD) is a diving jacket that is very essential for every diver due to its various functions.

One, it gives a diver stability while on the surface of the water and while underwater. Divers are able to adjust their buoyancy depending on how deep they are in water so that they do not sink to the floor of the sea or go up to the surface of the water.

Secondly, it is used to hold your diving accessories such as the tank, dive knife, SMB and the dive lamp. In addition, when inflated, it can save you from drowning by allowing you to float up to the surface of the water.

A BCD works by being connected to the air in the dive tank through the first stage of the dive regulator. A hose known as a direct system carries air at a very high pressure to the BCD as soon as a diver uses the inflator. In case a diver wants to deflate the jacket, he does so via any of the two quick purges that are located at the bottom and at the top of the stab.

When buying a BCD, ensure that it fits perfectly and comfortably. A diver should check the parts of his BCD regularly to ensure that they are working as they should. For example, check that the inflator and the deflator buttons are properly functioning to control the bladder and that they do not leak.

Since BCDs are made of sturdy high performance materials, when taken good of, this gear can serve you for many years.

Scuba diving shoes

Scuba diving shoes are an integral part of your diving gear. Not only do they provide insulation against cold to your feet while under water, but they also protect them from being hurt when walking on the ocean or lake floor and giving you better traction at the same time.

They ensure that you have a comfortable and enjoyable experience while underwater. They are specifically designed for water sports with a sturdy heels and toes to give extra protection to your feet ensuring your safety while moving around under water.

Staying warm while diving especially in cold-water environments is very important and scuba diving shoes ensure this. When diving in cold water, dry suit boots or diving shoes can help you prolong your dive period. In addition, they also make your diving shoes feel more comfortable. It is recommended that you choose your diving shoes and fins together so that you ensure that they fit comfortably.

Scuba diving suit

A scuba diving suit has been specifically been designed to be worn by divers in order to protect them from some of the harsh underwater conditions. The primary importance of a scuba diving suit is insulating your body against heat loss while under water and therefore keeping you warm.

Water is known to remove heat from a human body twenty times faster than air. This is why divers should ensure that they put on a diving suit even when diving in warm weather conditions, because the body losses more heat while in water and prolonged loss of heat from the body might lead to hypothermia. A dive suit can help a diver extend his diving time.

Another reason why a diving suit is very important to a scuba diver is that it protects the diver against, stings, abrasions and cuts by sharp and probably poisonous things found on the reefs and the ocean floor. Exposing your skin while underwater can be a great breach of your overall safety.

Diving suits are made of neoprene rubber that is naturally buoyant hence; a dive suit provides a diver with more buoyancy and less drag, which can help him swim faster.

Scuba diving wet suits come in two:

Dry suits

A dry suit is most recommended for divers, kayakers and boating enthusiasts who work or play in water that is very cold and sometimes poisonous. As its name suggests, a drysuit is going to keep you dry throughout the water adventure. It is costlier than the wetsuit because it is designed to keep you totally dry.

Wetsuits – include in scuba diving equipment list

A scuba diving wetsuit is just that; a suit that is designed to keep your body from getting into direct contact with the body, but it does not prevent you from getting wet. It will keep you safe from the stings, abrasions and cuts, some of them poisonous that you would most likely get from the animals under water. Thankfully, scuba wetsuits are very affordable and there is no reason why you should dive without one.

Scuba diving boots

Scuba diving boots are designed to protect divers’ feet in various ways while underwater and even after a dive. The underwater environment contains objects such as corals and shells that can cut your feet. In addition, there are underwater creatures that can bite or sting and the boots will protect the diver’s feet keeping them safe so that they can enjoy a worry free dive.

The dive boots also provide extra comfort when you are wearing the dive fins. This is because the fins has a strap that goes around your heel and when moving in the water without the boots, the strap can cause chafing or blister on your skin making your dive very uncomfortable.

Lastly, the dive boots keeps your feet warm when you are diving in cooler waters. Just like the dive shoes, a diver should choose the dive boots together with the diving fins to ensure a perfect fit.

Best dive computer – best scuba diving equipment

A dive computer is a very important dive gear because it provides a diver with real time dive information that he requires in order to dive well. Thanks to technology, divers can purchase a dive computer the size of a wristwatch, which allows one to wear it all the time so that it does not easily get lost.

With a dive computer constantly monitoring the activities of a diver while underwater such as the depth and working out how long they can stay in water; this enables divers to dive more safely.

A dive computer enables divers to dive safely by providing them with information about their depth and time spent underwater; this information is applied to a decompression model that tracks the amount of nitrogen dissolved in a diver’s body.  The dive computer then informs the diver about the remaining safe dive time.  For a safe diving, a dive computer is therefore a very crucial dive gear.

See some choice dive computers we have reviewed for you.

Waterproof dive watch – must be in scuba diving equipment list

A diver’s watch is a high technology digital waterproof diving watch that is specifically designed to withstand the underwater conditions while keeping a diver on time. Although the dive computers are slowly replacing dive watches, a great diver knows the importance of going underwater while having wearing a dive watch.

In essence, a dive watch measures the bottom time allowing the diver know when he is supposed to get back to the surface. In addition, it enables the diver to determine the dive intervals so that he can know when his next dive will be.

A dive watch ensures a diver enjoys a safe dive by helping him determine how long his tank will last so that he does not run out of air while still underwater.

Scuba dive knife with leg strap

A scuba dive knife is one of the most important scuba diving equipment to take with you. It can save your life or that of another diver during emergencies. These knives are specifically designed for use underwater but the divers should never use them as weapons to hurt or damage the underwater life, unless you are under attack from a sea snake.

During emergencies such as when a diver’s tank is entangled by a fishing rope or even a marine life itself, a dive knife can be used to save a life during such a time. In addition, a diver can use a dive knife to scare away a marine animal that might be a threat to his life but as stated earlier, a dive knife should never be used to harm any marine life.

Today, when you buy a dive knife, make sure you look for one that comes with a leg strap so that you can keep it on your leg, at the handiest place all the time. If you are looking for the best, we have reviewed a few of the top ones for you here. You may also want to carry a knife on your CBD, where it will be easily accessible lest you become entangled and cannot reach your legs.

Next to choosing the best scuba diving gear and equipment for your needs, you also want to know the top scuba diving destinations. You can try some in Dubai, the best snorkeling places in the USA, or the Caribbean.

Stay safe, don’t dive where you shouldn’t and most importantly, don’t forget your scuba diving equipment list and check it for all gear!