Perhaps the worse thing for me about being a trainee diver was the prospect of spending well over £1000 on equipment and not knowing what I was doing. As a result I thought it might help future trainees if I put down on paper the conclusions I’ve came to by talking to various members of the Club.

The equipment list in the Club Introduction pack is a reasonable summary, but it is just that, a summary of what you need to get. The problem is that when you go into a dive shop you’ve got a big choice. This is a bit off putting when you don’t know too much about what you want.

What the handout does not also mention is that you can buy quite a lot of the equipment second hand. A lot of Club members have done exactly this. Loot and Exchange & Mart are good places to look.

These pieces of equipment are required within a few weeks of starting your course. Anything else required for pool training will usually be lent by the club.

Fins

Slipper
£20-30

Heel
strap
£35-90

You are going to need two pairs. For pool training and warm water (tropical) diving slipper fins are best as you will not generally be wearing a full length diving suit. Don’t spend a fortune on this pair as you won’t use them in UK waters. For UK waters you will need a larger (foot size) pair of fins (typically heel strap) to fit over the boots (probably integral with the diving suit) you will wear. Sea fins need to be stiffer and it is worth spending a bit more.

Snorkel

£9-18

You are likely to use this most in the pool so just a basic snorkel with no gadgets is fine.

Mask

Typically
around
£25-40

This is an important piece of equipment. A good fit is the most important if you don’t want to spend half the time clearing your mask. To test the fit, hold the mask to your face, breathe in through your nose a little to draw the mask and hold you breath. The mask should not fall off. Toughened glass is not optional. Most people prefer separate lenses for each eye rather than a single large one. Prescription lenses can be fitted. Mine cost an extra £55, but I suspect you can shop around for a better deal. The nose should be enclosed in the rubber as well but be accessible for ear clearing.

It is a Club rule that Club training equipment cannot be used beyond pool training, so before those first outdoor dives you will have to buy the rest of the remaining essential equipment.

BCD/
Stab
Jacket

From
£190-420

It is a Club recommendation that jackets have an emergency air bottle. This is a small air supply that can be used to inflate the jacket in an emergency.

Choosing comes down mostly to personal preference and comfort, but there are a few things to consider. Firstly, this is something that can be bought second hand. If you do, check the following things. Inspect all the various straps for signs of fraying. Assuming the jacket is being sold with the emergency air bottle, take a tank with you or make sure the bottle will be full. Inflate the jacket fully (but not too fast) until the relief valve kicks in. If the valve works before the bladder bursts then they are both in reasonable order. If the bladder bursts offer a lot less and buy a new bladder!! You can also open the jacket to look at the condition of the bladder. Try and get the direct feed hose that goes with the jacket (it may still be attached to their regulator).

Some jackets can come with something called Air 2 or Auto Air (a Buddy variation). This is a simple second demand valve (combined with the buoyancy controls) for use when your main DV fails or your buddy needs to share your air (note that your buddy uses your main DV and you use the backup). Since a Club rule is that all members should have an alternative air source, this is a possible alternative to an Octopus fitted to the regulator 1st stage regulator (especially if you only have 3 low pressure ports) (see Regulators).

Jackets come in a number of sizes. Since the jackets are adjustable this is more about the size of the air bag and therefore it’s lifting power. The bigger the person the more lift you need.

Regulator
(inc.
Octopus)

£220 to a lot

It is a Club rule (and BSAC recommendation) that a diver has an alternative air source. This can either take the form of Air 2 / Auto Air on BCD, as mentioned above, or an octopus your regulator. These seem to be from £70 upwards, but remember it not meant for regular use so all do work reliably.

Things to be careful about (especially if buying second hand or budget equipment) are:

a.) Unbalanced 1st stage. As the tank pressure drops more effort is needed to breathe. Most regulators are now balanced.

b.) Downstream vs. upstream supply. If the 1st stage fails, downstream will fail open or free flow. It is possible to breathe from the continuous supply (keep practising!!). Upstream fails closed. Upstream is almost unheard these days.

If buying second hand, check the service history. Actively used regulators should be serviced every year. You should plan to get it serviced before using it in the sea, which can cost anything up to £50.

On the 1st stage you need 1 high pressure port for the tank pressure gauge and 4 low pressure ports (your DV, Octopus, BC and dry suit) (3 ports if using Air 2 instead of Octopus). One good feature to look for is having the 4 ports 2 each side rather than spread evenly around the 1st stage. This means the hoses come out at more convenient angles.

Consoles
/Gauges

Pressure gauge from £40, triple console from £100

The gauges you need are pressure, depth and a compass. The pressure gauge is attached to the high pressure hose from the 1st stage. You can buy single, double and triple consoles to house the pressure gauge in. Most people would recommend at least a double to contain your depth gauge as well. A triple allows you to put a compass in as well. Some people don’t like this as it can make it harder to use the compass. Others say you hardly use a compass. If it is in a triple console it is at least one less thing to have to strap on.

If you buy a second hand regulator the decision will probably be made for you.

Tanks

£130

These are a good candidate for buying second hand. As long as they are in test it is not really any greater a risk than a new tank. If a tank is looked after it should last many years. Steel is generally lighter than aluminium as it is thinner. Most club members will recommend a 12L tank. Anything smaller will cut your dives short. Anything bigger is harder to carry around. You do need 2 tanks so that you can do at least 2 dives per day.

Dry/Wet Suit

Semi Dry

£350-600

£250

This is one of the more debated subjects. Virtually everybody in the club uses a dry suit. While a wet suit (or semi wet suit) may be a little colder under water, the big difference is one the surface. Sitting on a boat in a wet suit in the wind is very uncomfortable. It is also a lot harder to put a wet wet suit back on for a 2nd dive that you took off a few hours ago. When it comes to dry suits, whoever you talk will almost certainly think that what they use is best. I came down on the side of membrane suits as I am told they are less restrictive and there is more room to add insulating layers underneath. Don’t forget to buy an undersuit of some sort (one may well be included in the price). You will find just as many people that advocate neoprene or crushed neoprene.

Of all the equipment this is probably one of the things you are least likely to buy 2nd hand. You are unlikely to find the right fit and the life left in the seals and zip will be a greater unknown.

It is a good idea to take your BC when you try a suit on to make sure that the direct feed and vents are in compatible locations. It’s no good having the direct feed connector right underneath the BC chest strap.

Consider getting some knee pads to protect your suit. This is the area that will get the most wear and tear. They are considerably cheaper than getting you suit repaired.

Torch

£ 20-70

To start with a small torch is fine. If conditions are such that you need a big torch to see then you probably should not be diving.

Knife

£15-50

It should have the normal sharp knife edge as well as a serrated saw edge. Many also have a small nylon line cutter. If the steel shaft comes out at the base of the handle this can be a useful hammer or a means of attracting your buddies attention.

Weight
Belt

£10-15 normal £30 shot

A shot weight belt is recommended by most as it is more comfortable. Weights for either type are much the same cost (£3/Kg).

Dive
tables

£15

Dive
watch

£25-100+

To start with there is nothing wrong with a Casio from Argos rated 200m. Buying an expensive watch will probably prove a waste if you then go on to buy a dive computer.

Surface
marker
buoy,
reel
and
weight

£70

A small weight is recommended so that the SMB stands up making it easier to see. This should be fixed on to the SMB, not the line attached to the SMB. A Delayed SMB is also something you will want eventually. This is used on dives where it is not safe to used a conventional SMB, and is deployed at the end of the dive as you near the surface.

Dive
Timers

£80

One option for reducing the amount of equipment is the dive timer which performs the function of watch and depth gauge. Dive timers often also include a log of recent dives. They are good back-up gauge. Look at the D-Timer.

Dive
Computers

£200-300

Taking things further, a dive computer includes the functions of a dive timer and also performs the function of decompression tables, but in a much more dynamic way. The static tables are based upon the maximum dive depth and total time. Dive computers take into account the amount of time spent at the various depths of the dive and allows for this varying absorption and release of nitrogen.