Dive equipment guide

Enshadi

All the equipment involved in diving can seem a little intimidating to a newcomer. You are likely to be wondering what on earth a Regulator is, what BCD stands for, what a split fin might be & how many millimetres your wetsuit needs to be.

There's no need to feel intimidated though. Our beginner's guide to dive equipment will take you through the basics and help you feel a little more at home with some of the terminology.

scuba dive equipment from fins to wetsuits

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BCD's, tanks & regulators

BCD
BCD stands for Buoyancy Control Device. It is essentially an inflatable jacket. Add air to your BCD and you will be more buoyant in the water. take air out and you will be less buoyant. You will hear some BCD's referred to as integrated BCDs. This simply means that they have pockets where you can put your dive weights, instead of attaching them around your waist like a belt.

Regulator
A regulator is the most technical piece of your dive equipment. It attaches to your scuba tank, releasing air from the tank when you breath in and converting it to a pressure that is suitable for you to breath. The central part of a regulator is known as the first stage and attaches to your scuba tank. There are also four hoses: one that provides air for you, known as your second stage; a spare second stage for emergencies, often known as an Octopus; a hose that attaches to your BCD allowing you to add air to the jacket and a guage that tells you how much air is left in your scuba tank.

Scuba Tank
A scuba tank holds pressurised air that you will use during your dive. Normally, this air is pressurised to 200 bar (the air we breath at sea-level is 1 bar). Some places will measure the air pressure in PSI (pounds per square inch) rather than bar. This pressurised air is converted into air we can breath by the regulator. Scuba tanks are normally made of either steel or aluminium. They come in various sizes, but the most commonly used tank is 12 litres.

Other dive equipment

Mikaku

Wetsuit
The temperature of the sea can vary greatly, but no matter how warm it is, you will still get cold without a wetsuit as the body loses heat more quickly in water. Wetsuits are made of neoprene & work by trapping a layer of water next to your skin, which warms and acts as insultation.

There are various thicknesses of wetsuit, depending on how cold the water is where you are diving. 3mm wetsuits are often sufficient for tropical diving. There are also 5mm & 7mm wetsuits available for slightly colder water. If the water is really cold a drysuit is necessary, which does not allow any water to touch your skin. In addition to the thickness of the suit, there are also long suits & shorties. Long suits cover the entire body, with the exception of the head, while shorties have short arms & legs and are only suited to warmer water.

Mask
A mask may look a little silly, but without one it would be impossible to see underwater. Our eyes need air in order to focus and a mask creates the airpocket required in order to see underwater. There are many styles & shapes of mask available today to fit all kinds of different face shapes. It is important to choose one that fits you and will not let in water. To test a mask, hold it against your face without using the strap and breath in. If it stays on your face while you are breathing in, then it is a good fit. If it falls off, choose another one. Masks are often sold with snorkels, which allow you to breath on the surface of the water without having to use your regulator.

Fins
Your fins provide the propulsion you need to swim underwater. Without fins, it is almost impossible to move due to the weight of the scuba equipment. Fins have two types of fitting for your foot - closed heel and open heel. Closed heel fins can be worn without diving boots and are generally cheaper. Open heeled fins have a clip at the back and require the use of dive boots. Most regular divers prefer open heeled fins for their comfort and strength. Some fins are also 'split'. This means that there is a split down the middle of the fin, which helps to provide bettter flexibility and control. On the downside, split fins do not give you the same amount of power as standard fins.

Safety Sausage
A safety sausage (also known as a surface marker), is a brightly coloured inflatable tube that alerts boats, jet-skiers and anybody else in the water to your presence. They are normally inflated at the end of a dive before surfacing, but in some situations they are used through-out the dive. They should be taken on every dive as a safety precaution.

Con Dao

Con Dao is a small group of 14 islands situated south from Ho Chi Minh City in the South China Sea.

While the south of Vietnam is part of the Mekong Delta and subject to a lot of run-off, the Con Dao islands are far enough away to be blessed with very good visibility and possibly Vietnam’s best diving.

Read more about Con Dao

Choosing the right dive center

Behang

If you are learning to dive or taking a diving course, it is important to have the right people around you and to learn in the right environment. Likewise, if you are already a diver who is planning a diving break, you want to make sure your dives are remembered for all the right reasons.

Read more about Choosing the right dive center

Getting technical

Christian Gloor

Have you ever found yourself diving on a reef wall and wondering what lurks in the depths below? Or longed to spend more than a few fleeting moments exploring a mysterious & historic shipwreck?

Then maybe technical diving is the sport for you. Increasing numbers of divers, eager to explore beyond the bounds of recreational limits, are taking an interest in technical diving.

Read more about Getting technical

Bali

Possibly Indonesia's most well known tourist destination, the diving in Bali is also excellent.

Many divers head to Tulamben on Bali's eastern coast, home of the USS Liberty wreck.

To the south of Bali lie the islands of Nusa Penida, Lembongan and Ceningan, where Manta Rays and Mola Mola can be seen in season.

Read more about Bali

Phuket & Phi Phi Islands

Diving in Phuket has always been hugely popular due to its ease of access and choice of dive centres. It is one of Thailand's top tourist spots.

Phi Phi Island is equally popular. Actually two main islands - Don and Lae - they are truly spectacular with limestone cliffs rising into the sky.

Read more about Phuket & Phi Phi Islands

Cebu

Cebu is the most accessible island in the Visayas, and home to some wonderful scuba diving.

Diving Malapascua is a thrill for more advanced divers due to regular sightings of Thresher Sharks. Oslob, to the south of Cebu City is famous for whale sharks, while you can dive on beautiful coral reefs in Moalboal or Mactan Island.

This is a great area for island-hopping, combining well with Bohol and Negros Islands.

Read more about Cebu