It is a question I ask myself as I look at my collection of dive knives, masks, fins, bc's, regulators, wetsuits, and so on. It started when I worked for a dive shop in Santa Barbara. My net pay was usually just enough to cover my equipment purchases. Since it was a second, part-time job that I had taken to get the experience of working in a dive shop, it didn't matter. I should really start to sell this stuff off. But, it took me at least 30 years to amass this collection, so it may take some time to piece it out. That makes me something of an expert.
Sport Diver magazine just ran an article on 20 essential accessories that every scuba diver needs.
The author prefaces the list with the following statement:
"We scuba divers tend to make fun of our buddies who jingle and jangle due to a bunch of accessories attached to multiple D-rings and jammed into BC pockets. But some accessories come in handy and make your dive easier. And in a serious emergency, some accessories could just mean the difference between life and death. You may not need to take all 20 of these on every dive, but make sure you're prepared for the day's dive conditions, and then accessorize appropriately."
Very good advice. What you need, what is essential for an open water rock reef dive is different than a cave dive (where redundancy and reliability are essential). Here is my take on the list, with my "must have" items for a typical Southern California dive boat day trip marked by an asterisk *: Remeber, there is nothing as hard on a diver's gear as another diver with an opinion as to what is essential equipment.
https://www.sportdiver.com/20-essential-accessories-every-scuba-diver-needs?The author prefaces the list with the following statement:
"We scuba divers tend to make fun of our buddies who jingle and jangle due to a bunch of accessories attached to multiple D-rings and jammed into BC pockets. But some accessories come in handy and make your dive easier. And in a serious emergency, some accessories could just mean the difference between life and death. You may not need to take all 20 of these on every dive, but make sure you're prepared for the day's dive conditions, and then accessorize appropriately."
Very good advice. What you need, what is essential for an open water rock reef dive is different than a cave dive (where redundancy and reliability are essential). Here is my take on the list, with my "must have" items for a typical Southern California dive boat day trip marked by an asterisk *: Remeber, there is nothing as hard on a diver's gear as another diver with an opinion as to what is essential equipment.
1. GPS
locator—Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS—$179. Developed by the skipper of Nautilus Explorer, this equipment is more than I need for the type of diving that I do. A friend of mine who dives in remote locations in pursuit of his underwater photography. He is very frugal, so much so that as an undergraduate, he would rummage through my used gear bin in the shed and get another 30 or 40 dives out of gloves or booties that I was getting ready to discard as unrepairable.
2. Knife*—Spyderco
Dragonfly Hawkbill—$98 Unlike many divers, I don't eschew big knives as I like the feel and look of a of a large, solid dive knife strapped to the inside of my leg. Part of that perspective is an artifact of being certified at the end of the "big knife" era of diving. If the truth be told, in 30+ years of diving, I have seldom used the sharp edge underwater, but have used it on the boat and beach, On more than one occasion, I did find the line cutter to be indispensable. I have a half dozen or so knives, including a folding knife. I think of a dive knife as a knife I take diving, so I look for the qualities of the knife first and the fact that I will use it for diving second. To me, a dive knife is one piece of equipment that represents my self expression and style as a diver.
3. Dive Light—Scubapro Nova 2100 Spot Flood—$600. Do you really need a expensive, bright dive light? Do you do a lot of night or low light dives? Most of us will not. I do. My dive lights span from a 25-year-old, eight D-cell battery light cannon to Princeton Tectonic four C-cell battery lights to a small rechargeable light that shines brighter than all the others in my collection. My lights are functional, they are kept in automobiles and about my house as flashlights in the event of a power failure when they are not diving. But, no single light is worth $600. A light is something that gets banged up, dropped, flooded or lost. When my Princeton Tec light flooded, I could exchange it for a new one, no questions asked. It was my first light purchase is great as a day lights, for night dives, or as a backup light. I do tend to carry it now as a backup, since I prefer to use a rechargeable light rather than constantly dispose of batteries
3. Dive Light—Scubapro Nova 2100 Spot Flood—$600. Do you really need a expensive, bright dive light? Do you do a lot of night or low light dives? Most of us will not. I do. My dive lights span from a 25-year-old, eight D-cell battery light cannon to Princeton Tectonic four C-cell battery lights to a small rechargeable light that shines brighter than all the others in my collection. My lights are functional, they are kept in automobiles and about my house as flashlights in the event of a power failure when they are not diving. But, no single light is worth $600. A light is something that gets banged up, dropped, flooded or lost. When my Princeton Tec light flooded, I could exchange it for a new one, no questions asked. It was my first light purchase is great as a day lights, for night dives, or as a backup light. I do tend to carry it now as a backup, since I prefer to use a rechargeable light rather than constantly dispose of batteries
4. Backup Dive Light*—SL653
Sea Dragon Mini 900 Lumen Dive—$79. I would use a light like this as a primary light for most of my dives.
5. Beacon Light—IST
Sports Beacon Lights—$8 Useful as a marker while night diving in lieu of a chemical light. In my experience, chemical lights (light sticks, cylume, etc.) work well but tend to end up as plastic in the ocean once they go out or come loose.
6. Safety Sausage*—Divers
Alert Network Signaling Sausage—$60. An essential piece of gear if you are going to dive on a boat. I don't dive off a boat without one. This model is mid-price for safety sausages/
7. Whistle*—Windstorm
Safety Whistle—$7 Another essential piece of equipment that we really won't think about until we need it.
8. Signaling Mirror—Divers
Alert Network Rescue Flash Signal Mirror—$5 I carry a signal mirror in my bc pocket when I am boat diving in a remote location, most recently in Fiji.
9. First Aid Kit—Divers
Alert Network Coast Guard Complete First Aid Kit—$160. I have had a first aid kit as long as I have been diving. They need not be as extensive or expensive as this DAN kit. Many divers design their own.
10. Alternate Air
Source—Submersible Air Systems Spare Air—$270. This is not a device that I have used.
11. Dry bag—Cressi
Gara Dry Bag—$80. I never used a dedicated dry bag. If I did, the Costco model in the same size is a lot cheaper.
12. Regulator Bag—Cressi
360 Regulator Bag—$30. I don't use one. My rig with two regulators, a console and inflator hoses do not really fit in the bas. When I transport my gear, I cocoon my regulator with the bc and wetsuit and a towel which provides the protection for the regulator.
13. Octopus
Regulator—Cressi Compact Pro Octo—$130. I use an octo regulator. Never had a circumstance where it was needed. You carry an octo for your buddy. Good air management discipline should eliminate the need for one. That said, I consider this an essential piece of life support equipment, not an accessory.
14. Compass*—Cressi
Luminous Compass--$30. Essential piece of equipment.
15. Tank
Banger—Trident Tank Banger Signaling Device—$6. I have no use for this device. If I need to get my buddy's attention, I bang my dive knife on my tank. Come to think of it, it is the one thing for which I have consistently used my knife over the years. People I know who have tank bangers tend to use them with an irritating frequency.
16. Boat Bag*—Cressi
Gorgona Boat Bag—$30. Essentially a mesh duffel bag, which I find indispensable for boat diving. I use a generic brand purchased as sporting goods stores.
17. Mask Defog—McNett
Sea Drops—$5. Save your money, use baby shampoo or regular shampoo like many divers or use spit like the other divers I know. Mask defog is probably the most oversold, overpriced accessory.
18. Neoprene Patch
Kit—Stormshore Neoprene Queen Adhesive and Patches—$10. I carry it on boat dives. If you split a seam on a wetsuit on a liveaboard dive boat, you will be glad you had it.
19. Soft Weights—Seasoft
Scuba Seabags—$5/pound. Soft weights are good, the lead pellets are an environmental toxin if they leak from the pouch and are consumed by birds. For that reason, aquariums usually don't allow them to be used by exhibit divers.
20. Mesh
Bag—Innovative Scuba Concepts Econo Mesh Bag—$6.
Total for all 20 items comes to about $1885.00 assuming 16 pounds of soft weights. My essental list would be $300 maximum and probably less for non-premier branded items.
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