What do you wish you brought??

[rmorgan]

Antibiotic ear drops. Tinactin or other antifungal cream. A broad-spectrum oral antibiotic. Nexcare waterproof bandages in various sizes (these things are incredible). Imodium. More bathing suits than you think are necessary (so there's always a dry/almost-dry one)--offset with fewer clothes that you think are necessary. Foam earplugs, if not something electronic (engine noise, anchor chains). Extra pair of glasses and sunglasses, if prescription, plus Croakies. A leash for your hat. Spare mask. Alcohol wipes/lens cleaners. A small dry bag with copies of passports, etc. (and a few days' prescription meds, if any) in case you have to evacuate. (More than 1 or 2 -- sorry)

 

[chillyinCanada]

Agree on extra bathing suits and ear plugs. Agree on small bailout bag kept at bedside. Agree on spare mask. I have a hardside mask case that I use to store my mask during travel and that's where I keep my sunglasses otherwise.

I also have two computers with same algorithm and wear them both every dive. This has saved my dives on a couple of trips over the years.

I always take too many clothes despite knowing better and trying to pare down.

I also bring an extra fin strap. It used to be two but on one trip the guide broke his and we had the same type so I gave him one of them.

 

[Still Kicking]

Small, cheap pair of binoculars (great for spotting wildlife during surface intervals).

Light mesh duffle bag for miscellaneous stuff if you do a shore excursion.

Small dry bag for keeping phone and other electronics dry on the dive deck.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I brought those big plastic clips for drying clothes, because in a similar thread someone had suggested it. And I never used them. It turns out that the liveaboard had clothespins and a place they designated for you to dry things. The clips just took up space in my baggage. So if someone were to ask the question "What do you wish you had not brought," I would have replied "those plastic clips."

 

[girlwithbigtanks]

Nothing i wished i packed. 1 pair of shorts and 1/4 of t shirts would have been fine on bikini trip. Dive gear, emergency gear, meds, first aid on point. Pack feminine products for female crew very much appreciated. Hard to come by in far reaches.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

For Truk - a couple of books that you have been meaning to read, or a well-stocked Kindle. A fun card or small board game to pass the time with family.

There is nothing much to do other than dive, and you could have a few long flights and stopovers to get there. You may need to relearn how people entertained themselves in pre-internet times. For me that's one of the best parts of dive trips.

Lycra socks for sure: I always forget to bring them. Ditto a few basic meds to cover small cuts, stomach issues and the odd hangover. Spare fin strap.

 

[Still Kicking]

If you ever get leg cramps, these pills:

Leg Cramps Tablets

Temporarily soothes the symptoms of cramps and pains in legs and calves.

hylands.com

I sometimes cramp after a day in the water. I suspected these were snake oil but i was wrong. They work fast. They are easier to take through security than pickle juice (which also works according to studies, though I heard they are not sure how exactly).

 

[happy-diver]

The tendons in the top of my feet got inflamed in Galapagos. Same fins/boots I had used for 20 years without a problem and that I continue to use. But I had never done four dives a day for a week.

If a DM hadn't given me some socks, I would have probably had to quit at some point during the second week, which would have been a terrible shame.

Man I could never had done four dives a day extending into a second week even if someone was finning for me

Extensor Tendinopathy | NHS Lanarkshire

www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk

 

[scott7685]

For Truk - a couple of books that you have been meaning to read, or a well-stocked Kindle. A fun card or small board game to pass the time with family.

There is nothing much to do other than dive, and you could have a few long flights and stopovers to get there. You may need to relearn how people entertained themselves in pre-internet times. For me that's one of the best parts of dive trips.

Lycra socks for sure: I always forget to bring them. Ditto a few basic meds to cover small cuts, stomach issues and the odd hangover. Spare fin strap.

Yes, the flight schedule is quite the truk trek...thank goodness for the massive amount of business travel that gave me more upgrade points than I could have ever needed so we can at least spread out a bit in the front of the plane!

 

[jameseg]

My SAD kit includes a small roll of vet bandage, which is waterproof and works well in place of lycra socks if you get a blister; could also be used to cover any other random abrasion.

Already posted, but I bring a small meds case with 6 or 7 basic meds. Also a Z-pack, which saved a trip to Argentina for my wife many years ago.

My wife's silicone mask strap broke on our last trip, which was a new one for me, so would recommend a spare strap or better yet, a spare mask that fits.