Depending on where you learn to dive, you may be required to provide some of your own gear to take a scuba course. In popular scuba vacation spots, you might need none of your own gear to take a course. In California, most shops will require you to have your own mask, snorkel, boots, and gloves. Some go as far as requiring fins and a computer. If you’re looking around and seeing these purchase requirements, you might feel you’re being nickel & dimmed. I wouldn’t blame you. If you’re required to get all of these items listed above, you’re easily in for $600 – $800 of gear for a sport you’re not even sure you’ll want to do often. It can be a tough pill to swallow.

So, do you really need to own all of these things just to learn to dive?

No, definitely not. Though where you learn to dive and where you plan to dive have a lot to do with what gear you should own and what you can forgo.

If you only dive when you travel and you want to travel light, you’ll not want to pack a bunch of gear. So, in reality, there are only a few necessities: Mask, snorkel, and computer. If you can’t afford a computer, then a mask and snorkel are a must.

A mask and snorkel are the basics. A rented mask will almost always not quite work for you. Personally, I’ve never found a rental mask that fits me right. Also, rental masks are not taken care of. They’ve been worn by hundreds of people and they’re usually scratched up and leaky. I can dive with a rented BCD, but not a rented mask. If you’re taking a course, a snorkel is required, but if you’re just fun diving, it’s not. I’d recommend traveling with one though, because when you’re not diving, you can at least go for a snorkel session.

A computer is next. Back when I started diving, a computer was the last thing you bought. They were expensive and not always reliable. Back then, there was actually a specialty devoted to computer aided diving. Today, computers are extremely reliable, there’s a wide variety of them at all price points, and they reduce diver errors that could lead to dangerous situations. You can rent computers, but this route means that every time you dive, you must learn a new computer’s functionality. If you plan on diving even just a couple times per year, I recommend having your own.

After that, you can decide. If I were to buy gear all over again, I would go in the following order:

1. Mask & Snorkel
2. Computer
3. Exposure suit (depending on where you dive will dictate what sort of suit)
4. Fins
5. Regulator
6. BCD

Unless you’re diving a few times per month, it probably makes little sense to buy weights and tanks. These can be rented at any shop for reasonably low rates.

If you’re primarily a vacation diver, you’ll find that some destinations discourage you from bringing your own gear as to prevent transfer of pathogens and other invasive critters from one ecosystem to another. I have yet to find a place where your own mask, snorkel, and computer are not allowed.

What about price? Let’s not fool ourselves. Diving is an expensive sport as with any gear heavy sport. Diving, climbing, skydiving, backpacking, the amount you can spend on gear has almost no limit. There are some things where the cost is justified. A $2k computer will undoubtedly be better than a $250 one. However, the difference between a $50 mask and a $200 can be negligible in terms of your experience while diving. To date, my favorite mask was $55 and while it’s seen better days, it’s still working well for me 5 years later.

So, buy a mask and snorkel no matter what. After that, you should be discerning. Think about how much and where you plan to dive in the future. Consider your budget as you start out. Remember, you don’t have to break the bank.

As always, please reach out to me if you’re unsure of what gear to get and I’ll happily discuss your options and help you figure out your best gear path.