One of the first things to catch new diver’s eye is the amazing locations scuba diving opens up as vacation destinations. Warm, clear waters, tropical colors and exotic marine life draw divers to locations previously only dreamed of. Hopping on an airplane and traveling to some exciting part of the world presents divers with certain challenges. Diver equipment can be bulky and cumbersome and items found useful for local diving are often not the perfect choice for divers looking to streamline their gear for a vacation.
Many tips can be found about taking care of one’s self as a tourist in foreign countries, but not enough advice is offered toward making the dive travel easier. The following 7 Tips are designed for just this purpose.
1) Many dive bags designed for use at home have heavy wheels, retractable, aluminum framed handles and are made from heavy weight “ballistic” nylon. All this makes for a very durable bag, but it also equals extra weight. The “denier” rating of the fabric of a dive bag actually refers to the “weight” of the material and not the “strength” of the material. Often a 400 denier nylon bag will be as strong as 1000 denier nylon bag with much less weight.
2) Gear designed for the traveling diver doesn’t always mean purchasing specialty equipment using expensive, exotic materials. Many of the newer regulators designed with travel in mind are being made more compact and using lighter weight materials while offering the exact same features and performance of their bulkier counterparts. With manufacturing technique advancing every year, a more compact regulator design doesn’t automatically mean it lacks features or functions.
3) As with regulators, bcds designed more streamlined and lighter weight for travel do not automatically equate into gear inadequate for diving in cooler regions. In fact, frequently it is quite the opposite. Many “travel” bcd’s offer more than adequate lift for the average recreational diver, are extremely streamlined and more comfortable than their bulky, over engineered, “cold water” counterparts. An added benefit with these bcd’s being they teach the diver proper buoyancy in a much more logical fashion due to the lack of overkill in lift.
4) Place items such as defog, odor eliminators and lubricants into a gallon size zip lock bag before placing into your dive bag. This will eliminate the nasty mess in your bag if shifting gear during transport or expansion at altitude causes the top to pop open.
5) Not all gear has to be packed. Consider an air-integrated, wrist style computer. Many of today’s wrist computers can double as a fully functional and stylish wrist watch. The transmitter attached to your regulator will weigh about 4 ounces, and you can wear the wrist unit on your flight.
6) Only take what you need. Save-A-Dive kits can be frequently over thought. Many of them can take the Boy Scouts “Be Prepared” motto to a whole new extreme. A quick inspection of your gear before leaving on a trip can negate the need to take many spare items.
7) Once you get to your destination transfer use a mesh bag
to take your gear to and from the boat/beach and back. The gear bag used to travel with is designed
to make it easy to transport and protect your gear during travel. The mesh bag is smaller and easier to carry, fits
into small rental cars easier and takes up less space on small dive
vessels. It also works as the perfect
item to rinse your gear off at the end of the day.
Released On: 12/1/2017
Views: 3563
Amazon offers scuba diving equipment through third party sellers and this creates dangers that customers must be made aware of, including assembly, proper use and recalls.
Released On: 11/17/2017
Views: 6333
I think one of the reasons that the Sealife camera was able to withstand the cold is the fact that you have a 40' watertight sealed camera that sits inside an outer housing. The camera is very attractive to me for this exact reason. It's nice to ...
Released On: 7/17/2017
Views: 5198
I already loved my DC2000 but after this trip-I know that I will be packing my GoPro less and less often.
Released On: 7/14/2017
Views: 4064
Released On: 4/24/2017
Views: 5993
Scuba.com and it's instructional team has completed their PADI course program just in time for the scuba diving season ahead.
Released On: 4/10/2017
Views: 3893
Released On: 7/18/2016
Views: 5049
rarely caught on film is a Black Seadevil
Released On: 5/9/2016
Views: 4915
An infographic that shows the best snorkeling spots on your next trip to Oahu
Released On: 5/2/2016
Views: 4073
In this article, we talk about regulators and the the 2 main stages of regulators.
Released On: 4/29/2016
Views: 6666
review of the scuba deluxe float strap.
Released On: 4/27/2016
Views: 3860
Ocean Quest Premium Super-Stretch Titanium Diving Gloves review
Released On: 4/18/2016
Views: 3440
An underwater attraction for scuba divers to see. The DC-3 Dakota plane is a WWII plane that is now consider a historic relic. Scuba divers can check it out this marvel in Turkey.
Released On: 4/15/2016
Views: 3465
Here are 7 tips to scuba diving at Puget Sound
Released On: 4/13/2016
Views: 5028
Go over these 7 tips before planning your scuba diving next trip to the Florida Keys
Released On: 4/11/2016
Views: 3424
Here are some information on snorkeling versus scuba diving
Released On: 4/8/2016
Views: 3450
We talk about scuba diving masks and the progress of it when it comes to divers' overall experience. Also in this article is a review on the Ocean Quest Arctic HD dive mask.
Released On: 4/6/2016
Views: 4056
Bob from scuba.com talks about diving fins.
Released On: 4/4/2016
Views: 3165