South east Asia. Dive gear?

[Saintsix]

Hi, I’m going to be going Backpacking through the south east and had a few questions on gear. Space is very limited as I’m only going to have a 40L pack. I’ve also never dived warm water. I have about 50cold water dives in the Pacific, All on Vancouver Island. I was planning on bringing my GoPro and Sealife 1500 sea dragon light. I was debating on bringing my mask and snorkel so I could do some snorkeling off some close beaches, is there many places to snorkel? I start in Thailand and plan on going down south to the Philippines, Bali, Indonesia and a few more. Do you still use anti fog on your mask in warm water? Is there anything I need to bring besides my certification cards?

 

[Russjstewart]

I can't really comment on the snorkelling as my trips to Bali, nearby islands and Thailand have all been scuba orientated. But personally I would take my mask. Leave the storage box at home.
The space a mask takes up is minute, fill the inside with socks or undewear, pack it in the middle of your bag, and it should be safe from the roughest baggage handler.
I normally take my own dive gear, but my trips are aimed at diving, and not back packing. If you plan on diving having your own mask will add to the comfort factor.
Most of the hire gear I have seen looks reasonable and on the one occasion I hired kit it was in good condition and performed as expected

Your mask will still fog up even in tropical waters if not properly cleaned and prepared

Enjoy your trip

 

[Damselfish]

If I was going to take only one piece of gear with me it would be my mask, whether snorkeling or diving. 2nd would be my dive computer.

 

[Saintsix]

Ok that’s pretty much what I thought. I’ll throw in my dive computer too. It’s easy and small. Thanks for the input

 

[Ankush Mittal]

If you have a Rash Gaurd take that as well, it won't take up much space and can get compressed a lot into your bag. If you don't have one, purchase it when you arrive as it is the best thing you will buy for warm water diving. If your snorkel is compact take it along or you can always hang it outside on the bag, you can snorkel from nearly any beach, but the water is best on the boats which go out for Scuba and Snorkeling trip (For most South Asian destinations except if the place you go to is quite remote the chances are that the snorkeling from the beach would be quite nice)

Anti-fog is still required for warm water, but most dive operators will have some makeshift options for you like baby shampoo or similar. You can always use toothpaste overnight.

Rental gear is not always reliable if you reach the location where you are diving from one day before I would suggest asking them to show you the dive gear you would use and just inspect it physically for your own peace of mind. Regulators should be all fine, just ensure the BCD and fins are to your size. With competition increasing most decent shops have stopped the practice of having run down BCDs. lol. But its always safer to check.

I travel quite a bit to Phuket, so if you have any questions specific to that I would be glad to help.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

We did Thailand a 4 years ago in May and spent 22 days on Koh Tao. Great place. Very hot and humid while we were there. Diving was great also. Sea was bathtub clear and about the same temperature. All of my diving was board shorts and a t-shirt. 1.5 hours under water and never cold. Wont need a rash guard except maybe for night dives for protection only. Stayed at Goodtime Adventures and did all my diving with them too. Look them up - they do more than diving - like rock climbing - snorkel tours - etc. Any more questions - just ask. And enjoy Thailand!!

 

[outofofficebrb]

As others have already mentioned, bring your mask and dive computer. If you will be renting fins, prepare that they may be full foot fins meaning fit may not be good for you which could result in blisters. I recommend getting a pair of swim socks (such as from TYR) that are meant to be worn under full foot fins for training. It will make a big difference and is hardly any weight at all. These are not simply Lycra but are thin neoprene that are very fitted to your foot.

Mask and fins are the two things that drive me crazy when they don’t fit. Flooding and blisters! Have a great time.

 

[stevenl]

As others have already mentioned, bring your mask and dive computer. If you will be renting fins, prepare that they may be full foot fins meaning fit may not be good for you which could result in blisters. I recommend getting a pair of swim socks (such as from TYR) that are meant to be worn under full foot fins for training. It will make a big difference and is hardly any weight at all. These are not simply Lycra but are thin neoprene that are very fitted to your foot.

Mask and fins are the two things that drive me crazy when they don’t fit. Flooding and blisters! Have a great time.

Agree with you, except for the swimming/diving socks. I recommend wearing normal socks. People have these in their luggage anyway, so no additional space and no additional expenses. And they work just as well as the swimming/diving ones.