Scuba Diving Book

Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus or Scuba diving equipment was first invented by the famed underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan back in 1943.

Scuba diving equipment has come a long way since Cousteau and Gagnan’s days. Choosing your scuba gear and using it is part of the fun of diving. At the minimum, you will want your own fins, snorkel and mask. You can rent the rest of the equipment; however you will feel more comfortable if you own your own equipment because it will fit only you and divers who own their own gear tend to use it more often, so it pays to purchase your own equipment versus renting it.

Other items you will need depend on where you are going to be diving. If you are going to be scuba diving in a tropical area you will need a mask, snorkel and fins; BCD – Buoyancy Control Device; Regulator; Cylinder; Exposure suit; Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG); Alternative Air Source; Compass; Dive Computer and Safety Signal Devices.

Other diving options include cold water scuba diving in which you will need a mask, fins and snorkel; Buoyancy Control Device – BCD; Regulator; Cylinder; Cold Water Exposure Suite; Dry Suit Hood; Gloves;  Submersible Pressure Gauge – SPG; Compass; Alternative Air Source; Dive Computer and Safety Signal Devices.

Technical diving is much more than recreational diving. Tech diving is sport diving that uses procedures and extensive equipment to dive beyond the limits of recreational diving of 40 meters/130 feet. Technical diving could also include stage decompression, accelerated decompression, diving in an overhead environments and/or the use of different gas mixes in a single dive.

Equipment for a technical dive includes a primary mask and a back up mask, fins, wing-type BCD and Harness, Primary and Secondary Regulators, Twin Cylinders, Decompression Cylinders and Stage Bottles, Dry Suit, Submersible Pressure Gauge – SPG, Equipment Placed in Thigh Pocket, Multigas Dive Computers, Z-Knife & Sheers and Safety Reel and Lift Bag.

If money is a factor, you might want to check into purchasing used equipment, but make sure you have it checked out by a certified dealer. You don’t want any equipment that has holes or tears or rips in it that you can’t find. A second set of eyes is always good in this type of situation. With second-hand dive equipment, just like rental equipment, it is going to be hard to find something that fits you perfectly unless you get someone who is selling their equipment that is the same size as you. Some of the dive shops have used dive gear for sale that people have traded in for new items.

Once you are outfitted for diving, your experience level, conditions and the site accessibility along with your interests all determine where you can begin diving. You must also pass a certification course in order to learn how to dive properly for your safety and the safety of those around you. You should never dive alone because there are several things that could go wrong and you need someone down there with you to help you if they do go wrong.