Scuba Gear

Diving underwater, whether in the ocean or in your local lakes, is one of the most exciting activities you can do. It is truly like entering an entirely new world with different creatures and definitely a new set of environmental rules. To do this safely, you’ll need a good set of SCUBA gear to make sure your visit is comfortable, safe and fun.

What’s all involved in setup to go diving? The most obvious piece is the air tank. Clearly, we aren’t made to breathe underwater, but the air tank let’s us take a bit of your atmosphere and borrow it for a little bit while we’re exploring. To actually use the air tank (you don’t just suck on the end), you’ll need a regulator. An odd sounding name, but the regulator is what controls the flow of air from the tank to your lungs. Basically it keeps water from rushing into the tank and prevents air from blowing out it. A simple, but important piece, but it’s easy to use, all you do is stick it in your mouth and inhale. To hold it all is your BCD (Buoyancy Control Device). Essentially a backpack, this vest snuggly hold your tank to you body, but it also inflates to help control your descent and rise in open water.

Next, you’ll need a set of fins. Sure we can swim on the surface, but fins (not flippers) help you maximize your energy use and direct your movement effectively. You could get by without them, but not for very far. After this is your mask. Again, you can almost see underwater, but not very clearly. When you’re many feet down, control and observation are not only safe, but part of the experience.

Finally, your weights are what you need to help take you under. It may seem a bit odd, especially when you’re on the surface and you feel all the weight your equipment has, to think you needed more weight to bring you down, but you do. Weights can be found as both steel and sand for extra comfort.

This will all get you down there and keep you alive, but there are many other pieces of equipment to consider. For the most part you’ll need some sort of exposure suit, basically a wetsuit to keep you warm. In colder climates you can use a dry suit to provide even more warmth.

After this, accessories are available to make your dive safer and easier, but most importantly – fun.