Introduction
So, you’ve got all of your fundamental scuba gear and want to know what scuba accessories will compliment it.
In this guide, we’ll break down which scuba accessories you can invest in to take your dive experience to the next level.
The following items are the best scuba accessories to make your dives safer, more fun, more efficient, and will ultimately just compliment your current scuba gear setup!
Travel & Storage
1. Gear Bag
Cressi Moby 5 Large Roller Backpack
Naturally you’re going to want an appropriate travel bag to be able to store and transport your dive gear.
You’ll need a bag that can not only accommodate all of your gear, but also keep it safe from the inevitable knocks and bumps that occur whilst traveling.
The Cressi Moby 5 is a great bag for multiple reasons;
- It has multiple compartments for easy access, including a side compartment large enough for most fins
- Extendable pull handle with wheels, plus 2 adjustable padded shoulder straps so you can carry it whichever way you prefer
- It rolls very easily with it’s large diameter (and fully replaceable) wheels
- Has more than enough room to accommodate all of your scuba gear and still has room to spare for clothes and other sundry items.
- With the bag being so large it can be easy to fill it to the extreme and go over airline weight restrictions.
2. Dry Bag
Mares Cruise Tubular Dry Bag
A dry bag gives you peace of mind that your electronic devices, documents, wallet, keys, towels and anything else important to you stays dry, (even if dropped overboard!).
The Mares Tubular Dry Bag closes to form a fully waterproof seal, is super hard wearing, and it comes in 5L, 10L, 25L, and 35L capacities
- It’s made of a really hard wearing heavy duty tarpaulin. This dry bag will happily take many years of use (and abuse!).
- It comes in a large range of different sizes
- It’s really easy and pain free to open and close (and the closure forms a watertight seal)
- It’s super easy to carry – The shoulder strap is easily adjustable, or removable entirely if you don’t wish to use it. It also has a carry top handle as well
- To be honest with you I can’t come up with one! I just really like this bag. It’s so convenient and it just straight up does the job you need it to (and it’s really well priced).
Scuba Safety & Signalling
Whether you’re a recreational diver, an advanced diver, or a cave diver you need the appropriate safety tools and accessories.
Taking safety precautions is very important no matter what type of diver you are.
Below are popular accessories that many divers would consider essential, but what’s certain is that any diver could stand to benefit from them, not just advanced or more niche divers.
3. Dive Light
OrcaTorch D710 Dive Light
Even in a shallow reef dive, a light can come in handy to see things you otherwise may have missed.
Not to mention it’s a necessity for cave diving, wreck dives, night dives, and a range of non-diving activities also.
Versatile enough to be used for not just diving, but snorkeling, hiking, caving, sailing, camping, and any activity where you might find a waterproof torch useful!
- Ultra compact, palm sized dive light
- Very bright and has a great battery length
- great primary light for most recreational/advanced divers (and a good option as a backup light for cave divers)
- It’s a great light for exploration but the narrow beam doesn’t lend itself as well to underwater photography
4. Dive Knife/Line Cutter
For me, some kind of cutting tool for diving is just non-negotiable. It’s the type of dive accessory that you would rather have and not need than need and not have.
In terms of cutting tools, some places can be very strict on what is and isn’t allowed so it’s important to make sure that you buy something that you won’t be banned from using.
Large drop point knives can be banned in many places – but I can’t think why most divers would need one anyway, (they’re impractical, and quite frankly overkill!)
The below will do you just fine for detangling yourself from a potentially hairy situation and are easy to clip to a BCD or store in your BC pocket.
Dive Rite Line Cutter
- Very sharp and will easily cut through monofilament & braided line
- Small & compact yet very effective.
- The blade is shielded to prevent you from being able to accidentally cut yourself with it
- The blade is also removable so that you can easily clean or replace it
Atomic Ti6 Titanium Blunt Tip Dive Knife
- Made of titanium which is lighter, stronger, and more corrosion resistant than steel
- Has both a serrated and straight edge, and also a line cutter (the blunt tip is also handed for prying things)
- Easy to sheath & un-sheath even with gloves on
5. DSMB/SMB
An SMB and spool are one of my top safety recommendations for divers!
One of the biggest issues when diving from a boat can be surfacing away from it. Make it easy for the boat to locate you by having the necessary signaling devices!
They are also good for alerting other watercraft of your presence below the surface.
XS Scuba Quick Launch Buoy Marker
What I like about the XS Scuba SMB is that it’s so easy to use.
The SMB is already attached to the spool (which is stored within a small pocket of the smb, and attached via a D ring).
So rather than faff about with securing and connecting your SMB to the spool before you deploy it – You can skip straight to filling it with air and deploying it.
- The line spool is stored within a small pocket of the SMB, and is already connected to it
- Comes in 3 different color options
- Combination of oral or hose inflation
- 100ft long line so you can deploy at depth.
6. GPS Rescue Device
This type of accessory isn’t essential for every diver. I think it very much depends on where you’ll be diving, and the type of diving that you’ll be doing.
But this is a very small device that can bring a huge amount of peace of mind for its communication and SOS features.
Garmin InReach Mini2
- Trackback routing allows you to navigate back to the point you started from
- Great not just for scuba diving, but any kind of outside activity (hiking or boating for example).
- Share you trip details with friends and family
- SOS button sends a distress signal to a 24/7 staffed response centre
- Two way messaging allows you to text, post to social media, and communicate with other InReach users.
BCD Diving Accessories
7. Clips and Lanyards
Clips and Lanyards are simple and cheap and perfect for attaching your gear and accessories into handy/each to reach places.
They’re also great for keeping your hoses/SPG from dangling around and causing a nuisance!
Dive Rite Stainless Steel Bolt Snaps
- Keep gear and hoses from dangling to help streamline your profile
- Swiveling 360 degree base for ease of use
- Spring loaded clip is easy to use and stays reliably closed
Scuba Gear Maintenance/Back-Up Accessories
8. Save a Dive Kit
How awful would it be to have to cancel your dive because of a minor gear malfunction that a cheap spare part could fixed!
Your save a dive kit could do just that – Save a dive that you otherwise may have had to cancel.
You can buy a dedicated kit, such as the XS Scuba Save-a-dive kit, or assemble your own. I’ve assembled my own and that would be my suggestion to most.
Items to include in your kit:
- spare o-rings
- spare mask/or mask strap
- ties/straps
- spare snorkel keeper
- spare fin straps
- tank adapter
9. Spare Mask
A spare scuba mask doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive.
And down the line, if you invest in a nice new mask then your current mask can always turn into a backup.
Consider buying a simple frameless mask as a back-up. Frameless masks are nice and lightweight and can fold down enough to fit into a BCD pocket
Cressi F1 Frameless Mask
- Excellent mask at a budget price point
- Frameless design makes it lightweight and compact
- Has a nice, wide field of vision
Surface Interval Comfort – Accessories For Your Day In The Sun!
Poncho/Parka
Protection from the sun, wind, rain, and a mobile changing room all combined! A large parka or poncho is an accessory worth considering.
Speedo Team Parka
- Water resistant & fleece lined inner keeps you dry and warm
- Two fleece-lined pockets for storage (and to keep your hands warm!), plus a fleece lined hood
- There is plenty of room for you to be able to change in it discretely
Reef Friendly Sunblock
I feel a little silly recommending sunblock as it’s such an obvious one.
But then I’m always surprised at how many divers don’t bring any!
Make sure to get yourself a good reef-safe sunscreen – I started using Thinksport and haven’t looked back. It’s slightly pricey, but I think it does a great job at the end of the day, and that’s all I really care about.
Thinksport SPF50 Reef Safe Sunscreen
- Water resistant up to 80 mins
- High SPF
- Doesn’t leave a horrible white mask like some sunscreens do
Conclusion
Start adding these scuba diving accessories to your gear bag and you’ll eventually build the perfect setup over time.
Having the right types of accessories for you really can go a long long way to go from you having a good dive trip – to an AMAZING dive trip.
