First Cruise Dive - Bring my gear?

[MargaritaPlease]

Recently certified, I'll be doing my fist Caribbean diving on an upcoming cruise. I booked a scuba excursion "with equipment" through the cruise line as I don't own bc, reg, etc. yet. I do own mask/snorkel/fins - should I bring these along or will they be included with the rental gear? If I bring them - how do you pack such things?

[JimHam4]

I would definitely bring your mask and snorkel. That way you don't have to worry about the fit and they take up little space in the suitcase. Fins, if you don't mind them taking up the space. Cattle boat i was on did not care for their fins, small private excursion had great equipment. If you had your own regulator I would recommend it just for cleanliness alone.

 

I just wrap my mask in a soft shirt or cloth and pack it in my regular suitcase if that is all I'm taking.

[spot on the map]

I do own my equipment a have made the choice to take it with on several of the cruises I have been on. The chore of rinsing my gear in the bath tub made for some interesting conversations in the bar after the ordeal. I had a balcony cabin that provided a space to allow my stuff to dry out. I take my gear because I like the integrated weight system of my BC and the hose less dive computer. I have found that my stuff needs its own suitcase and adds one more bag at the airport I have to tip for but its well worth the expense to dive whit stuff I know and trust.

Have fun and dive safe.

[Sandra*]

My husband and I both dive and we both always bring our own mask and snorkel where ever we go where there is the potential to hit the water. My husband always brings his own reg and when I get mine...I will too! We haven't had a problem yet, really, with any rented regs or bcd's but there's a comfort in diving with your own equipment. I never bring my fins since they take up too much space (unless my husband brings all his equipment, then I throw them in there too).

[bruce-r]

Take everything you own as far as scuba diving gear. You have a mask that you are sure fits your face, you won't be able to say that about a rental mask. You do NOT need a snorkel for diving, unless you plan on snorkeling as well. Fins aren't as important, especially if you are happy to use full foot fins as opposed to the open heel kind where you need to also wear booties.

 

I take all of my warm water dive gear when I go diving, it doesn't matter if it is on a cruise or a land based resort. I am more comfortable with my own gear and I know it's service history.

[cmdchiefthom]

MargiritaPlease

 

Just a couple of considerations. Everyone here is correct, bring the gear that you have. Fins mask, snorkel and a mesh dive bag are easy to pack in a large suitcase. As for the SCUBA gear on a shore excursion, you'll be offered what is offered to each and every diver who books your particular dive operator's trip for the last week, month, or perhaps year. Perhaps the dive operator has contracts with five cruise lines, perhaps one or two hotels. So lets guess, each regulator has two dives on it per day, seven days a week, that's fourteen per-week, times a year, equals 728 dives per year. I have well over 4000 dives, military and civilian dives, in forty-four years of diving. In that time, I have had at least twenty dedicated personal regulators. That's an average of two hundred dives per regulator, I have the luxury of having mine rebuilt on a regular schedule. These numbers should tell you something. The most important piece of equipment you have is what the term SCUBA means, "self contained, underwater breathing apparatus". The tank is a no-brainer, but the regulator is. If you plan to dive, the safest thing a diver can do, is to invest in a "good" regulator, keep it maintained annually, and never dive without it!

 

There may be some here who would disagree, and include the BC as an essential piece of equipment to take with you. The same wear and tear a regulator may experience should be applied to a rental BC. However, BC's came along years after my training, and are a nice to have as a luxury. If you are properly weighted with a completely neutral BC, dropping your weight belt will allow a safe ascent to the surface. A malfunctioning regulator, may cause a diver to panic, and kill them! A BC, is simply compensation for bouyancy at depth, not some sort of lifeboat!

 

Personally I travel with all my diving gear. I can rebuild my Posiedon's, because I have been trained to do it. I recommend all of my dive partners to have their regulators rebuilt annually. It may cost a few bucks, but what is you life worth???? I do not trust a regulator I know nothing about! I can say that because it is "my life"!

[Hilary]

I agree, take what you have, but leave the snorkel at home unless you're going to snorkel. If you have wetsuits (or dive skins), take those too. If you don't, and are planning to buy them, you might want to prior to your trip so you can enjoy clean, hygenic ones.

 

I have to admit though that the driving force for us to buy gear quickly after certification was a planned Caribbean cruise. We had heard far too many stories of dicey rental gear in the Caribbean and Mexico that my DH and I decided to buy our gear 6 months prior so we had lots of time to dive it prior to our big trip. After doing cruise ship diving, I can frankly say that I'm glad we had our own stuff. We saw some pretty scary looking BC's, and on our first charter on the cruise, one guy had a major free flow with his rental regs upon entering the water that he couldn't stop until the tank was empty. Since the problem apparently was a stuck purge valve, had he done a pre-dive check of the reg the problem would have presented itself prior to entering the water....so make sure you check your rental gear early and thoroughly.

[scubaran]

Hi,

 

A good alternative if you don't have your own BC and reg is to check with your local dive shop that you got certified with. I know my local shop (in upstate New York) maintains their stuff pretty well so I used to go to the shop and rent a reg and BC for the week (I know my shop offered a discount rate since they knew I was on a cruise) and I took my own mask and fins. At least this way you're renting form someone you know and you know how they maintain their equipment. Like the former poster said, the reg keeps you alive, spending $20 to rent the reg could make for a much more pleasant trip!

 

Randall

[Capt_BJ]

Recently certified, I'll be doing my fist Caribbean diving on an upcoming cruise. I booked a scuba excursion "with equipment" through the cruise line as I don't own bc, reg, etc. yet. I do own mask/snorkel/fins - should I bring these along or will they be included with the rental gear? If I bring them - how do you pack such things?

 

Newly certified you will be most comfortable with equipment you are familiar with. Concur with those who even say rent from home and carry if you can & have not bought yet. A newly certified diver must not become distracted by their gear.

 

Packing....well I use an old military duffle. Strong, smells bad, lockable, no one can tell what's inside and I can get m/f/s, BC and 3mm wet suit for spousal unit and self in - usually a couple of towels to boot. But always carry the reg sets cuz every once and a while a cargo area can have pressure issues and that can mess up a depth g' (computer? we don't need no stinkin' computers) may be old school on that one but that's what happens when you were certified in 73.

[CGB]

Recently certified, I'll be doing my fist Caribbean diving on an upcoming cruise. I booked a scuba excursion "with equipment" through the cruise line as I don't own bc, reg, etc. yet. I do own mask/snorkel/fins - should I bring these along or will they be included with the rental gear? If I bring them - how do you pack such things?

 

Keep in mind, people puke in the rented regulators and pee in the rental wet suits.... ewwwww!:eek:

[SantaAna,CA]

I'm very interested to hear these comments about bringing your own dive gear. I haven't been diving in almost a decade...and had to buy a whole new set of gear, hood to fins, for my upcoming Caribbean cruise in April. My main concern was the same as some other people posting on this thread: I know my equipment is new, and I will have tested it out prior to my cruise. I was reading someplace else that sometimes rental equipment can be pretty old. Although I'm sure most reputable dive shops are careful about their rental equipment, I'm with the idea that, if you're sixty feet (or whatever) under water, you want to be able to count on your regulator!

 

Also, I invested in a large dive bag, with a pull handle, and a hard sided regulator case, that I can put inside the dive bag, for shipment on the airplane. I also stashed in a mesh bag for boat diving at each port, since there is most likely to be space consideration on smaller dive boats, and the travel dive bag is pretty big. All in all, this is costing me some money (more than renting)...but I'm thinking of safety first, comfort with my own equipment, etc.

 

Jane :)

April 9-23, Seabourn Legend

Eastern Caribbean

[jetskier]

On our cruises, we bring all our gear sans weights and tank. We just feel comfortable using our gear which allows us to enjoy our surroundings without having to worry about the equipment. It does mean having to haul two more bags of luggage. Look at the dive bags that are also back packs. It makes it easier to lug around especially on some piers where it is a ways to where the taxis are.

 

Dave

[infopaul]

Bring your mask, snorkle and fins. They are easily packed in your suitcase. If you dont have a case for your mask, put it inside a sock to keep it from getting scratched. Your mask might fit into the foot of your fin for added protection.

 

About gear (bcd, regs., guages), it has been my general experience that new divers buy what their instructors use or reccommends. If you are not going to follow that course then by all means keep renting gear and learn as much as you can about "what feels right for you". A lot of different schools of thought surround this topic. When you do decide to make that investment you should be well informed not only by advice but with the added benefit of experience.

 

A little more about gear... depending on the type of diving you will do, (as a caribbean warm water diver), you might opt for (diver type) full foot fins for ease of use. This is in no way an endorsement for full foot fins. I do use both full foot and open heel fins. There are advantages to consider for both. Imo open heel fins have greater versatility.

 

Masks should be tempered glass preferably with a silicon skirt to keep a water tight seal, purge valves optional. I use masks with purge valves and i've never had a problem. Tidbit of info: Buy one of those head band protectors that the back strap of your mask goes thru (they usually have the dive shop logo on it and it will be a good souvenir of your first dive), it will keep your strap from twisting and makes donning your mask a lot easier especially under water should your mask get knocked off.

 

Next, a dry snorkle. If you haven't done a boat dive and don't know about ocean chop or hanging on a drift line waiting for your group etc.,etc. (remember the snorkle-regulator exchange drill you practiced), your air is best spent down there on breathing techique and bouyancy control. As you gain experience you may opt for a fold up snorkle that fits in a bcd pocket. There are more good reasons to have one than not.

 

Finally about the bcd, reg and guages. A good bcd will last you a long time if taken care of properly. There are too many styles and types so check out what other divers use and take into concideration the gear you've rented.

Next, absolutly no one will argue with getting the best regulator you can afford (first and second stage). A good balanced, environmentally sealed reg. is worth it's weight in gold. Info: if you go nitrox a titanium reg is not a good option (I can give you specifics and reference why). For your octopus I like anything that delivers the performance of my primary reg. intergrated or not.

When it comes to guages old school divers definitly have preferences and for good reasons. Mechanical and analog guages are tried and true. I always use a mechanical spg even if wireless (using a transmitter). I sit on the fence with going wireless because they can be a little tempermental. I also get razed by some of my old school dive buddies for trying to be too flashy. However, diving with redundant gear is a positive safety feature (required if you're a tech diver). Imo use the best of both old world and new. I like using a dive computer because of multilevel diving profiles, it can double as a nitrox computer, keeps track of info I use to log, surface interval etc.,etc. If you worry about traveling in a plane with a sensitive dive computer, use the off feature.

Knowing how to use your tables and charts, a mechanical spg (submersible pressure guage), mechanical depth guage, a good dive watch are your basics along with a compass, so when buying your first dive gear setup whether you're configuring a custom setup or buy a complete off the rack setup, you'll find yourself constantly tweaking your gear for more performance. If you catch the fever, it's a great sickness...Paul:)

[10X]

I take all of my own gear, except tanks and weights. I always take my snorkel because, once in the water, I breath through it instead of the regulator, thus saving my air supply. Some dive ops ask that you remove your gear in the water and they pull it aboard so you don't have to walk up a ladder while wearing it. Once I take the regulator out of my mouth I switch to the snorkel (waterless) so I have easy breathing until I'm fully aboard.

 

I know my equipment's history, storage, and maintainance, plus I know where everything is; camera lanyard, zippered pockets, d-rings, dump valve, etc. I also like that it is weight-integrated so I don't have to wear a belt.

 

I take my own wetsuit as well. I tried using my 4/3 Xcel in the Caribbean but found I was way too warm. I had to keep opening the neck of the suit to allow cool water inside to cool me down. I switched to my 3mm Henderson shorty and was fine after that.

 

For travel I use a 30" rolling duffel bag. It has more than enough room for my scuba equipment, my wife's snorkeling equipment, and a few things besides. It's one of our 4 pieces of checked luggage, it's lockable and easy to move.

[budaman]

Up untill this last trip, I would have said take your mask & snorkle and rent. This year, however, I finally invested in my own gear and you would not believe the difference it made. It fit properly, was more comforatble, was more efficient and in the last few years the technology has improved immensely. One itiem I would never have guessed would make that much of a difference was the fins. We both had 20+ year old fins and I got the Aeris Velocity Duo's and wife the Atomic Split Fins and the difference between new & old is like night & day. Much better response, better acceleration and much less muscle fatigue. I was so much more comfortable with this equipment, I was able to have bottom times equal to my wife. In the past I would always have to come up when she would still have 1000Lbs left. She always hated that! Sure, hauling your gear is more of a hassle, but well worth it.

 

Mike

[nparmelee]

We bought the mesh bags that double as back packs and those and all of our gear (minus tanks and weights) fit in one 30inch duffle that has rollers, the whole thing weighed 48 pounds at check in so it was perfect. We got it to our cabin, pulled everything out of the duffle, put our respective gear in our carry bags, stowed the duffle and we were ready to go. We also highly recommend the balcony as a great place to dry off rinsed gear. We both have prescription inserts in our mask, so always bring our own, I like being able to see underwater!

[SantaAna,CA]

I'm leaving next week for my eastern Caribbean cruise; going to be doing some diving. I'm a bit confused over what kind of wetsuit to buy. I tend to get cold easily. One of the guys at the shop suggested a five mil. I had a three mil in the pool during my scuba tune-up (I've been away from the sport for awhile), and was cold in 74 degree water. Recommendations? How about a hooded vest as well?

 

Thanks,

 

Jane :)

 

Seabourn Legend

April 9-23, 2006

Eastern Caribbean

[JimHam4]

I'm leaving next week for my eastern Caribbean cruise; going to be doing some diving. I'm a bit confused over what kind of wetsuit to buy. I tend to get cold easily. One of the guys at the shop suggested a five mil. I had a three mil in the pool during my scuba tune-up (I've been away from the sport for awhile), and was cold in 74 degree water. Recommendations? How about a hooded vest as well?

 

Thanks,

 

Jane :)

 

Seabourn Legend

April 9-23, 2006

Eastern Caribbean

 

 

5mil seems kind of thick to me, admittedly I don't get real cold, even off of Catalina in February. When we did the Eastern Carib early May last year my daughter and I only used our bathing suits and were very warm. The two other divers and the DM used skins, but that was more for protection from things in the water than warmth. Even if you get easily chilled I wouldn't think more than a 2mil would be needed.

[bruce-r]

5mil seems kind of thick to me, admittedly I don't get real cold, even off of Catalina in February. When we did the Eastern Carib early May last year my daughter and I only used our bathing suits and were very warm. The two other divers and the DM used skins, but that was more for protection from things in the water than warmth. Even if you get easily chilled I wouldn't think more than a 2mil would be needed.

It doesn't seem kind of think to me and I do get cold easily. Everyone handles cold differently, so only you can really determine the correct thickness for you. For example, 2 years ago in Cozumel in December I was cold in my 3 mm full by the end of the second dive. Water temps were under 78-79. Last year in December I had a new 5/4 mm full suit and was toasty warm, even during the surface interval. The water temp was the same. I had 2 different DM's during the week. One only wore a swim suit, the second wore a 3 mm full and said the first DM was loco.

 

For SantaAna, I would recommend a minimum 3 mm full suit and a beanie. Whatever you do get, be sure to get the beanie. Covering you head will make a world of difference. I got my Bare Velocity 5/4 suit, which is an excellent suit, from http://www.scubatoys.com and not only did I get a good price, I got excellent service.

[SantaAna,CA]

Thanks for the input, very good advice. I decided on a Henderson Hyperstretch 3MM and a Henderson hooded vest. That should work should I get too chilly with just the suit, and if too warm, I can leave off the hooded vest. My cruise leaves a week from Sunday, I'm running around in circles I'm so excited!! Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

Jane :)

[cruzegirl]

Well I pretty much would echo everything said by the others... I take my own gear also.... Both because as a newer diver I'm more comfortable with my own stuff but also, I know the use/care history....Part of it is a hygiene history too......

As far as the getting cold part, I take a 3 o 5 mil with me for warm water diving as well as a rash guard.. I like not having the 7 mil but the rash guard gives me a little more warmth on top of my swimsuit.. I used a 3 mil in Hawaii and was always warm....

Also, when I take my gear, everything goes in the dive bag except my regulator... that goes with me in my carryon... At least if anything else gets lost, I have that...... And that's my life line.... I don't want it banged around........