Holiday Scuba Gear Guide: 4 Things to get that Special Scuba Diver in your Life
To a scuba diver, you can never have too much dive gear. And since the marine environment is particularly harsh on dive accessories, they constantly need replacing. Check out this list of dive accessories and a buying guide:
Lights:
Even if your special scuba diver doesn’t do a lot of night diving, a flashlight is a nice holiday gift. It is a good way to explore nooks and crannies of the reef or signal a dive buddy.
Not too long ago, good dive lights were bulky. They were heavy, prone to damage, ran out of batteries quickly, and expensive. Underwater light technology has improved so much in the last few years it is hard to keep up. For under $100, you can pick up a bright dive light that lasts a long time. For added convenience, look for a light with a rechargeable battery.
SMB:
SMB (Surface Marker Buoy), also called safety sausage, is an excellent gift for the special diver in your life. A good SMB can is for all sorts of tasks including signaling for help in an emergency, used for emergency buoyancy, making the diver more visible to surrounding boats at the surface and so on. A reel is often coupled with an SMB so a diver can deploy the signaling device while at depth.
When buying an SMB, you can’t go wrong with the big one. After all, why would you want a small signaling device in an emergency? An SMB with an open bottom allows for quick fills with an Octopus. Whether you go with an open bottom or oral inflate safety sausage, your best bet is one with on over-inflate exhaust valve.
Reel:
Reels are a great item to accompany a new SMB. A reel is a spool of line that a diver can use for all sorts of tasks such as creating a search grid, forming a guideline while in an overhead environment, or deploying an SMB at depth.
There are a wide variety of reels on the market, and the selection can be intimidating.
Unlike an SMB, bigger is not always better. Unless your scuba diver is diving to technical depth, there is no need for a reel longer than 100’. A nice finger spool is sturdy, easy to carry, and a breeze to use but can be cumbersome to wind up. A reel with a crank makes it convenient to wind up. Some reels even feature a break that is a particularly nice feature for divers that use their reel often.
Dive Knife
Every diver should have a knife. However, just any knife won’t do. If your scuba diver has an old, dull, rusted dive knife, then you have a perfect gift idea. A good dive knife is an all-purpose tool underwater. A dive knife is never used to fend off sharks. Rather, it is usually used to cut invisible fishing line or other entanglements, used as a hammer, chisel, etc.
When shopping for a dive knife, look for a good quality metal with an easy to insert and deploy sheath. While the tip can be pointed or blunt, the knife itself should be sharp. A particularly nice feature in a dive knife is a line cutter. That is an additional cut out that make quick work of fishing line.
Mesh Bag
What is so special about a mesh bag? We challenge you to find an experienced diver that doesn’t have at least one mesh bag in their gear bag (or as their gear bag). There are unlimited uses for mesh bags including carrying gear, used as dunk bags, keeping accessories organized, collecting treasures from underwater, and even cleaning up trash from the reef.
Yes, a mesh bag is a great holiday gift for your scuba diver. You can’t go wrong when buying one. Whether it is a flat mesh or a nice mesh duffle, it is a gift any diver will appreciate.
The best advice for buying dive equipment is to work with your local retailer. The staff there are experienced divers that can guide you into choosing a quality, and much appreciated scuba gift.
