Scuba Gear and Travel

[DryGear]

So the GF and I are planning a holiday (looks like Thailand or Roatan). It will not be "dive holiday" in the sense that we aren't doing any sort of live aboard and we will be doing other activities & 1-2 day trips but we are both divers and will likely spend everyother day in the water.

We are trying to decide what will be worthwhile to cart with us from our dive kit and what will be best just to rent? Neither of us has traveled with dive gear before so we aren't sure what is going to be a problem with airplanes and what will be simply too cumbersome to justify bringing for what comfort we'll get out of it in the water. We aren't doing any wreck/tech diving but almost all of our diving has been cold water so we are looking forward to ditching the drysuits and diving in the warm water as part of our holiday.

Items definitely coming:
-Mask
-Snorkel (for snorkeling not diving)
-dive computer
-camera & strobe
-couple of small random tools

Items being considered:
-BP/W
-fins
-pony bottle (Al40) **on the assumption it will be near impossible to rent one at most places???
-knife/shears
-Our regs are DIN so they don't seem worth bringing (I also don't want to have worry about them being stolen as they are super pricey)


Thoughts? Comments? Experience? Any input is appreciated.

:support:

 

[mksmith713]

I've never travelled to dive without my gear.
It's really not difficult and the familiarity of having your own gear is reassuring.
Not sure if you'll need pony bottle or exposure suit other than a shorty or skin.
As far as regs, get a yoke adapter and use em...that's why you bought them...right?

If it feels like too much to haul, you have to bring your mask, snorkel and fins at the very least.
In Roatan, snorkelling West Bay is a priceless experience.
If you do it once, you'll want to do it again and again and again.

 

[don Francisco]

For most of the diving that you'll be doing, a pony won't be necessary, but it's your call. It's an issue of weight, and the TSA inspection nonsense, vs. your judgement of whether you can live without it. (no pun intended).

Also, just a minor reality check. You've been diving dry with attached boots, don't forget to buy/bring a pair of boots for your fins.

The rest is a matter of baggage limitations, especially on smaller planes on the final legs. I prefer to dive with my own stuff, but as you pack for a mixed vacation, you may bump up against limits, and need to cut down. If flying on smaller planes check in advance whether they have weight limits on hand baggage also, many do.

BTW- depending on your preferences for land activities, and if you haven't made your plans yet, consider Domenica, which probably has the best mix of great diving with spectacular hiking.

Wherever you go, have a great trip.

 

[Tamas]

I always take my warm water gear (b/p+wing, regs, computers, fins, mask, 3mm suit, light, reel, sausage) with me when I travel south (I even took it to Cuba :depressed: ), I prefer to dive with my gear as I know it, am used to it and don't fear it.

If I really had to cut down on the gear I can take, I would limit it to mask, regs, computer and suit - that way all the basics are covered and the rest you can always rent (also, no issues with hygiene or not working gear).

 

[ligersandtions]

I would DEFINITELY take my back plate and wing....after being spoiled with my gear, I can't imagine renting a jacket BC (oh, the horror!).

I would also bring my regs as well. I know how they've been treated and maintained....I can't say the same for a rental reg. The yoke converter shouldn't be too hard to use, so I would just go that route. Also, I don't know if you also dive with a long hose and bungeed back-up, but if you do, a rental reg will almost surely not have those.

I would also consider bringing your fins. I don't know how many places rent fins, but the places I've been generally don't (i.e. every charter I've been on, locally or abroad, requires you to have your own fins).

To save weight, carry your regs with you....and your computers....pretty much anything very expensive or breakable should stay with you. Otherwise, put it in a non-scuba-looking piece of luggage and pick it up when you arrive! Have a great time!

 

[DryGear]

Thanks for the replies, defintely gives me something to think about.

As far as the regs go I considered bringing just the primary second stages and switching it out on a rental set but am not sure how they'd react to that? I could even just bring my own mouthpeice and some zapstraps? I'm super apprenhensive about bringing them ....If I cart the 3 new Apeks 1&2nd stages with me I've accumulated this last year (no wonder I'm broke) they'll be all I'm thinking about when I'm not diving.

Don - good note on the boots, hadn't even considered that yet.

 

[Doc]

Ummm....

Roatan or Thailand ?

Diving every other day or so ?

Pony Bottle ?

That doesn't all seem to go together.

Depending on exactly where you are going and which dive op you select, I would rent.

BTW- on Roatan, plan on diving. Not much else going on.

 

[b1gcountry]

leave the pony at home. If you need one, rig one up from a spare al80 when you get down there.

 

[Hatul]

I like to take my own gear, except the tank and weights. I know my gear and I don't have to bother with fit and with having to return the stuff. As far as risk of theft, I recommend taking the usual precautions and having home insurance, which should cover scuba gear. After all you bought the gear so might as well enjoy it.

Adam

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

If you search for dive shops online before you go you should be able to track down a "pony" size tank rather easy. I arranged for an aluminum 40 though the shop we went through for our diving, they didn't have the tank but found one from a more tech related shop. With rebreathers and technical diving becoming more and more popular you see more and more 40's and 19's showing up in out of the way places.

if your not an off the shelf person bring everything, if you are a normal "I fit in stock stuff" kinda person rent a suit and bc if you dont mind using rental gear and using something besides a bp/w.

I take everything, plus extra and usually dont take much for clothing or toiletries or other heavy items.