Diving Equipment List
With only a 23kg luggage allowance it’s important to select your diving equipment accordingly, I have two sets of diving equipment, a set for diving in the UK with my dry suit etc. and a set for holiday diving, I actually consider my warm water set to be the superior of the two and when I select new equipment I always take weight and size into account.
Packing is always tricky as this 23kg comprises of your diving equipment, clothes and toiletries etc.
Personal Note: Don’t forget that you get 23kg hold allowance but on normal (non charter) flights you are also entitled to take a piece of hand luggage as well as a laptop bag, this can be used to your advantage so plan your packing accordingly.
Most manufacturers of equipment, especially BCD’s produce travel models which are still built to a high standard but are lighter in weight and smaller in size, the same can be said for a great deal of diving equipment.
I have over 150 dives logged in the Red Sea over holidays that are both hotel based with day diving and on liveabords as well. The information in this page is my personal choices from my experiences and is not meant as literal recommendation just an insight for people who are not sure what diving equipment to take on their own diving holiday.
BCD
For my BCD I am taking a Halcyon Traveller wing, this is a great piece of equipment and weighs less than 3kg (6lbs) – Halcyon have managed to produce this by fabricating a traditional wing system rather than a jacket type BCD but switched the metal backplate with one made from Nylon that has an integrated single tank carrier and Cinch quick adjust system providing a secure, lightweight and easily adjustable BC system.
The integrated system is specifically designed for single tank diving, eliminating the need for a single type adaptor and keeping the tank close to the divers back.
Due to the fact that this doesn’t have a quick release system like a jacket type BCD I always carry a small knife on my belt so that if I get into trouble my dive buddy can just cut me free.
Key Features:
Ideal for travel due to it’s light weight – less than 3kg.
Unique weight attachment system – Add up to 12 pounds of weight in the four integrated pockets.
Optional extra pockets available
Padded shoulder straps
14kg (30lbs) lift capacity
Regulators
My preferred brand choice for regulators is Apeks, though there are lots of other good brands available and for general usage you will find that a lot of it comes down to personal preference some people stick with one brand even if they have multiple regulators other people may select a regulator from a recognised brand purely down to their personal budget.
Personal Note: I always carry my regulators in my hand luggage, these are delicate instruments and you life depends on them, always look after your diving equipment.
For the dive trip I am taking my Apeks Flight Stage 4 Set which comes with First Stage, Primary Secdond Stage, Octopus and Double Gauge Set, the Apeks Flight is available in both International A Clamp or DIN 300 configuration and although it was first released in 2009 it is still the lightest regulator in the world.
Apeks have managed to achieve this by using advanced composite materials selected for their stength to weight ratio. The Flight is a mid range regulator ideal for travelling and despite it’s compact size delivers exceptional performance. It is classed as a warm water regulator and can be used in waters above 10°C
Key Features:
Lightweight flexible hose
Excellent bubble diversion
4 medium pressure ports 3/8 inch UNF
2 high pressure ports 7/16 inch UNF
Check Out This Review By Simplyscuba
Clothing
When diving in the Red Sea the temperature is constantly changing due to the currents and the subsea thermal vents, when I dive in the summer months I only wear shorts and a rash vest and take my Scubapro Tropical Steamer 1mm wetsuit for any wreck penetrations so I don’t get scratched on any rusty metal.
Due to this trip being in the winter months I’m taking my Scubapro Everflex 3/2mm wetsuit, which is 3mm on the torso and 2mm on the arms and legs allowing a greater freedom of movement.
Rash vests are great piece of diving equipment and can make getting in and out of your wetsuit a far easier task.
Even though we are going to Egypt and the internet is telling me it is currently 32°C I still recommend a warm top or hoodie as the temperature does drop in the evening and it can be windy sat on the boat after dives.
Fins & Masks
Fins and masks I find are purely down to personal choice, there are countless good relaible brands out there and both items are available in a very diverse price range to suit your diving equipment budget. For this trip I am taking my Scubapro Twin Jet Split Fins, these feature an open heel design and I find that the split fin provides excellent maneuverability however I have found that if you are trying to overcome a strong current you get to the stage where the fin can collapse. For my masks (I always take two) I will be taking my Mares X-Vision Ultra Liquis Skin, I find these masks are very comfortable and provide an excellent range of view.
Camera Equipment
I will be taking two forms of camera, a traditional compact camera in a waterproof housing and a GoPro action camera, for me a camera is an essential piece of diving equipment.
As you would expect I take all my camera equipment, chargers, batteries, memory cards and of course my laptop in my hand luggage.
Fuji Finepix F600 EXR
I have owned this camera for several years and although it is no longer available to buy new, I’m sure you could track one down on the likes of eBay for a good price. The camera feature a 16MP resolution and a CMOS sensor that can deliver RAW content and a 15x optical zoom as well as 30x digital zoom. The camera also has built in GPS. Fuji produced a dedicated underwater housing for the camera which is rated to 40m. Personal Note: When diving on holiday always check your housing O ring is clean and lightly greased, I would advise to complete your first dive with an empty housing and confirm zero leakage.
GoPro Hero 6
I’ve got a brand new GoPro Hero 6 to take with me, this is my third GoPro, I’ve previoulsy used Hero 2 and Hero 3+ Black Edition, there was a hughe improvement in performance when I upgraded from the Hero 2 to the Hero 3+ so I’m looking forward to seeing the results I get from the Hero 6.
As well as the new Hero 6 I’ve had to purchase a whole new range of extras to go with it:
The GoPro Super Suit is a dive case rated to 60m and suitable for both the Hero 5 and Hero 6.
I bought the GoPro dual battery charger which comes with a second battery as well, personal experince is that you can never have too many batteries.
I’ve also bought two new memory cards, I opted for SanDisk Extreme Pro micro SDXC 64GB UHS-I cards which are rated for 4K UHD recording and offer a transfer rate of 100MB/s.
Bits & Pieces
This is where diving holidays and the luggage restrictions get hard, over time divers collect all sorts of useful bits & pieces they like to have with them and if you’ve been diving for any length of time you could well have multiple bags and boxes of equipment sat in your garage / spare bedroom.
Dive Computer
A dive computer is a must have item in my opinion, an essential piece of diving equipment, even if you are on a guided diving trip where the company guides have dived the sites a thousand times it is of great importance that you have a personal record of your depths and times. A personal profile is a must when you are performing multiple dives a day, this trip we have a package booked with two boat dives per day but from personal experience of diving with Camel Dive in Sharm El-Sheikh they always offer a third dive and if you have decided to bounce down deeper than planned to look at something or take a photo then your profile could be considerably different to the guides or othe group members.
I am taking my Suunto D9, this has benn superceded now by the Suunto DX but is a great computer with features such optional wireless air integration, gas switching for up to 3 different nitrox mixes and an integrated compass and has an operational depth to 100m making it suitable for all divers but the most extreme Tec-Divers. My personal findings are that the computer is very easy to use when diving and provides a good clear display.
Reels / SMB
I always takes a reel and an SMB wherever I dive, for this trip we will be boat diving and some dive sites can be very busy and there is always the risk that you cold get split up from your group, also quite a lot of the Red Sea dive sites are drift dives. With multiple dive companies operating in the region there is a steady flow of small boat traffic in these areas. Both the reel and the SMB I am taking follow my lightweight philosophy, I take a small standard Tec type reel and my SMB is also from the Tec-Dive category it is a Frog 1m SMB and when rolled up is very compact, it has a one way valve and can be inflated orally or using an inflator hose.
Miscellaneous
As a diver you have probably amassed a large collection of bits and pieces and when going on a dive holiday you’ve literally just got to decide what are the essentials and what are the nice to haves.
I will be taking a small collection of lanyards (I fix my GoPro to my BC right shoulder strap with a quick release lanyard so it is secure when I jump but easily accessible for use) and a length og bungee (this can be a cure all and get you out of a jam). A small torch even though I don’t plan to do any night diving I always carry a small torch, I also have a small tub I always take away with me with emergency bits such as O rings, mask strap etc.
One thing I no longer take with me is a snorkel as I have found over repeated Red Sea diving trips that I never use it, however that is down to personal choice and if you are diving elsewehere the sea state might warrant it.
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