One day to dive... do you bring it all?
- Thread starter AaronRiot
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AaronRiot
Contributor
All very good points guys, thanks for all the insight! We will only have two jumps, Malta > Gozo > Rome.
A couple good points on proper exposure were mentioned: 1. Having a good fit (my own gear) and 2. The right suit (a 5mm rental as opposed to my two piece 7mm or perhaps 3mm full and the 7mm jacket)... I wanted to bring the 3 to snorkel around in the cool water I'm seeing temps of ~17c-20c..
Unfortunately I have yet to get into photography because I am still pretty new and working perfecting my skills. So I'm saved on that decision. However, we just bought an Oly TG-2 that's good to 50ft out of the box and has a cheap housing option... so I don't know how long I'll be able to resist the temptation!
So far my for sure list is Comp, Regs, Fins/Mask/Snorkel/Booties, Mirror/Whistle.
I think I could deal with a random BCD, I'm pretty comfortable with that, and a (smelly) rental wetsuit could be ok with a good weight check right off the bat. And my other half would be pleased with the compromise. That said.... I want my stuff *stamps foot* Thinking out loud though I'm thinking that given the circumstances it's a good plan to rent the BC/wetsuit since it's only one day.
Side note: It will only be the one day, I have a dive dive dive trip coming up too... Malta is more about who I'm spending the time with than what we're doing and I'm the only diver between us............ so far!
A couple good points on proper exposure were mentioned: 1. Having a good fit (my own gear) and 2. The right suit (a 5mm rental as opposed to my two piece 7mm or perhaps 3mm full and the 7mm jacket)... I wanted to bring the 3 to snorkel around in the cool water I'm seeing temps of ~17c-20c..
Unfortunately I have yet to get into photography because I am still pretty new and working perfecting my skills. So I'm saved on that decision. However, we just bought an Oly TG-2 that's good to 50ft out of the box and has a cheap housing option... so I don't know how long I'll be able to resist the temptation!
So far my for sure list is Comp, Regs, Fins/Mask/Snorkel/Booties, Mirror/Whistle.
I think I could deal with a random BCD, I'm pretty comfortable with that, and a (smelly) rental wetsuit could be ok with a good weight check right off the bat. And my other half would be pleased with the compromise. That said.... I want my stuff *stamps foot* Thinking out loud though I'm thinking that given the circumstances it's a good plan to rent the BC/wetsuit since it's only one day.
Side note: It will only be the one day, I have a dive dive dive trip coming up too... Malta is more about who I'm spending the time with than what we're doing and I'm the only diver between us............ so far!
Bring everything but the regs and BC. The equipment in Malta is usually pretty good. Diving with your own computer is always worth it. Oh and you can leave a snorkel/fins behind. There's pretty much no need for a snorkel in Malta all the sites are SUPER close to the entry point and as for the fins, they're bloody heavy and take up a ton of space.
Ayisha
Contributor
Get creative with your baggage allowance. You're allowed a carry on and a personal bag, so use them. Are you allowed one free checked bag or two with your airline? How much weight are you allowed? Is sporting equipment (scuba gear) allowed free? Check. Those might influence your decision.
Use fin pockets, etc. for small items. Roll your clothes instead of folding them to squeeze the air out, take less space, as well as keep them less wrinkled. Think about clothing/accessories you may not really need. Pack for the typical weather possibilities. Lighter clothing is preferable.
I prefer to take all my own gear and normally do, (except tanks and weights, of course). I know their maintenance history. Once when really pressed for weight/space, I took just my personal gear: wetsuit, mask, fins (since I have tiny hard-to-fit feet), light, and SMB. Check with the shop you plan to use if they carry the type of rental equipment you want, if you're specific or hard to fit.
Good luck and have fun!
Use fin pockets, etc. for small items. Roll your clothes instead of folding them to squeeze the air out, take less space, as well as keep them less wrinkled. Think about clothing/accessories you may not really need. Pack for the typical weather possibilities. Lighter clothing is preferable.
I prefer to take all my own gear and normally do, (except tanks and weights, of course). I know their maintenance history. Once when really pressed for weight/space, I took just my personal gear: wetsuit, mask, fins (since I have tiny hard-to-fit feet), light, and SMB. Check with the shop you plan to use if they carry the type of rental equipment you want, if you're specific or hard to fit.
Good luck and have fun!
IMO - Rent. At least things other than Mask and perhaps computer. We did a few days at a bahamas AI last year and drug full gear along with us. We ended up diving one day, and dragging two bags of gear around airports was honestly not worth it.
I have done this a number of times. Usually it is in conjunction with business travel so I know that it is just one or two days of diving and I know what day the diving will be.
I bring what I consider life crucial equipment (Regs, prescription mask, computers, gloves, beanie/hood, maybe snorkel). Depending on the type of diving I may also bring an SMB and a reel or lights. You usually cannot rent those. I bring the camera (DC 1200). I rent the rest. In Vancouver we dove a 10/14 wetsuit. Not something I have. This core dive equipment comes in my carry on bag. Less important stuff like clothes goes in the suitcase. No guarantee that the suitcase will get there same time you do.
On a cruise, we had one day of diving in St. Thomas. Turned out several boats were in that day and they ran out of REGs. However, since I had mine with me I got to dive. Half of those on our boat who had made reservations were turned away.
If it is several days of diving and water is not cold (less than 60) and I will usually bring everything but tanks and weights. If I can pick my airline, I get two free bags so it is not a weight issue. Just a hassle dealing with all the gear for one day. There is something nice about a DM picking you up at the hotel with any needed equipment, you do your dives, they return you to your hotel and you go have a beer and not worry about dealing with a bunch of wet gear.
I bring what I consider life crucial equipment (Regs, prescription mask, computers, gloves, beanie/hood, maybe snorkel). Depending on the type of diving I may also bring an SMB and a reel or lights. You usually cannot rent those. I bring the camera (DC 1200). I rent the rest. In Vancouver we dove a 10/14 wetsuit. Not something I have. This core dive equipment comes in my carry on bag. Less important stuff like clothes goes in the suitcase. No guarantee that the suitcase will get there same time you do.
On a cruise, we had one day of diving in St. Thomas. Turned out several boats were in that day and they ran out of REGs. However, since I had mine with me I got to dive. Half of those on our boat who had made reservations were turned away.
If it is several days of diving and water is not cold (less than 60) and I will usually bring everything but tanks and weights. If I can pick my airline, I get two free bags so it is not a weight issue. Just a hassle dealing with all the gear for one day. There is something nice about a DM picking you up at the hotel with any needed equipment, you do your dives, they return you to your hotel and you go have a beer and not worry about dealing with a bunch of wet gear.
Are you going to be staying in one or two places? If more than that I would surely rent. When I went to the big island for the manta dive (the only dive of the trip) I rented everything but my mask booties and computer. Regs are bulletproof. No real worries with rentals ( I know there may be exceptions but they are truly EXCEPTIONS) On that trip we spent most of our time on Oahu with the side trip for the manta dive. I would not want to lug everything around. That said the rental bc was a piece of crap and really bugged me for an hour. But as I learned working on oil rigs to pay for college, you can stand anything if it's not forever. One or 2 dives in discomfort vs dragging an entire extra bag around the whole trip. Well, I would rent most of the stuff.
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This situation is probably the only time I would ever rent ANYTHING (I even take my own weights). But you are sure you'll only get one day to dive and would have to lug all that stuff around with you for 2 weeks. Plus the baggage fees, plus you need a fair bit of stuff--clothes, personal stuff, etc. anyway and bag(s) for that. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
Bring your own gear an do two days diving 
Don't forget to take your up to date logbook. Italy is where I got asked for my dive log, even after I showed the dive shop my Instructor C-Card. Without my logbook, they would have refused to rent the gear. A dive computer means nothing.
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