Lakes are nice because there is no ocean surge, no ripping surf, no sharks, no box jellies, no stone fishes, no sea snakes, no seasickness. It is a very safe easy place to learn to scuba. Occasionally I like to dive in lakes for the sheer peacefulness of it. And some lakes, really big ones, have the ultimate prize: shipwrecks in them!
The sun is the first thing I would worry about, so bring a beach umbrella, the kind that you can drill or pound into the sand. I also bring a nice big rubber mallet to do the pounding with too.
Then place your beach tarp next to that, and a folding beach chair on it. Don't forget your sunglasses and hat.
An ice box with cold drinks and some snacks is nice too.
That will do nicely, for your base camp, quite comfortable.
Next, I like to remember to bring a large plastic brush, the kind you can get at a hardware store, to brush off the sand from your drysuit or wetsuit, after you come out of the water.
A big towel and/or a bathrobe to change out of your swimsuit with, is great. Flip-flop slippers for walking out on the sand and back are great to have as well.
I always connect all my scuba gear in advance, and check everything to make sure there are no leaks. So I would recommend doing this at home, rather than waiting until you get to the site. Check with your SPG to make sure all of your tanks are full too.
Leaks can occur at the yoke connection to your tank valve (or DIN connector, if you have one of those already), and at the connection points of your hoses to your 1st stage, and at your LP inflator on your B/C hose. Listen at those spots, when you turn on the air pressure.
It's also good to scrub your mask again, with a toothbrush and paste, before you go. Then clean it out with Windex(C) too, inside and out. Put your cleaned mask inside of your fin foot pockets, and tuck in a bottle of defogger there too. The fin foot pockets protect the mask from being stepped on or crushed. I learn that the hard way, with a crushed mask. Someday you will probably strart to bring 2 masks all the time, but for now, that is not expected.
Get your suit ready, check it for rips, and make sure you also have your booties, gloves, and hood together. It is good to pack all these into a large plastic laundry bin, so that on the return trip, when they are all wet, that your car won't get soaked.
Wearing sox under your booties will help prevent blisters from your fins, if you are a tenderfoot, still.
So (1) with your scuba gear all pre-assembled, and (2) your suit, booties, gloves, and hood tucked nicely together within a bin and a brush, and (3) your snorkel attached to your mask and safely tucked into your fin foot pockets, and also (4) your tarp, folding chair, umbrella, ice box, and goodies all ready to go; then you should be ready.
The diving will be easy. But as the day progresses, you will think, Gee I wish I had brought [something or other].
Have fun!
