Diving equipment is the be-all and end-all of diving. Because diving is a relatively material-intensive hobby. If you want to immerse yourself in the underwater world, you need equipment that helps you breathe and move underwater. What diving equipment is available and what do I need as a beginner or advanced diver? Does it make sense to rent the equipment? What are the costs for own diving equipment? We provide answers to the most important questions about diving equipment.

Diving is a fascinating hobby. You can discover a strange world beneath the surface of the water. Foreign animal species such as sharks, dolphins, whales and many species of fish are waiting for you there. You can glide along colorful coral reefs on your diving holiday and experience exciting adventures in the underwater world.

Anyone with that Diving once you start, you're guaranteed to get addicted to it. Learning to dive always involves intensive study of the diving equipment. For many newcomers in particular, the question arises after completing the first diving courses: Should I buy my own diving equipment or should I rather rent equipment from the diving center? Which products do I need? We give you valuable tips on purchasing the right diving equipment.

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Must-haves and nice-to-haves – What diving equipment do divers need?

Basically, diving equipment is made up of two components that are essential for survival: On the one hand, you need equipment that helps you breathe underwater. On the other hand, you obviously have to move around while diving. To achieve this, you will need a scuba tank, a regulator to breathe the air from the tank, a buoyancy compensator to float underwater and create buoyancy, diving goggles and snorkel, diving fins, a diving suit to protect against sharp edges and for thermal insulation as well Smaller equipment such as an underwater camera, a diving knife, a logbook to record dives and many other smaller gadgets that make your diving life more pleasant.

1. Regulator: the heart of every scuba gear

When diving, the regulator is the heart of the diving equipment. It is screwed onto the compressed air cylinder and consists of several components. The first stage is a kind of cylinder and is bolted directly to the bottle. The compressed air flows from the bottle to the first stage. There, the false pressure is reduced. The air, which is reduced from high pressure to medium pressure, is passed on to the mouthpiece (the second stage), through which air can be breathed at normal pressure.

Each regulator has two second stages. One from which the diver breathes, and another called the octopus, which exists as a backup in case the diver gets a problem. In addition, a so-called pressure gauge and an inflator hose are attached in a regulator. The inflator hose is connected to the buoyancy compensator. The pressure gauge indicates the residual pressure on the compressed air cylinder.

2. BCD: So you float on the coral reef!

The second important piece of diving equipment is the buoyancy compensator. This backpack-like vest is attached to the tank and worn on the diver's back. In principle you could also call it a bottle holder. Air can be pumped into the buoyancy compensator and air can also be let out. This creates buoyancy for the diver and ensures that he floats on the surface of the water after entering and does not sink immediately. If the diver wants to dive, he lets the air out of the buoyancy compensator.

Underwater, the diver then has the opportunity to put some air back into the jacket so that he doesn't sink to the bottom like a stone at any diving depth, but rather floats in a balanced manner. Mastering the BCD is one of the most important skills that divers should master from the start. The jacket is relatively bulky. If you don't necessarily want to take it with you on your diving holiday, you can also rent it on site and don't necessarily have to buy it yourself. Of course you can also buy a BCD yourself, that's out of the question. A distinction is also made between ADV jackets with a continuous bladder. The second variant is called a wing jacket and has a donut-shaped air bubble on the back.

3. Diving Mask and Snorkel: Keep the perspective

Nothing is possible in diving without a diving mask and snorkel. Because you wouldn't be able to see anything underwater without the diving goggles. Diving goggles and snorkels should be among the first products you buy for yourself. Masks are available to rent at many diving centers around the world and also in Germany. But often these products are not of the quality that you can buy yourself. The most important feature of a good diving mask is a large, continuous panoramic lens that allows you to see a lot underwater. In addition, the silicone of the mask should be as soft and adaptable as possible in order to optimally adapt to your face. You should also buy neoprene protection for your mast strap. The snorkel should have a blow-out valve so that water can be blown out.

4. Diving fins: propulsion and control

In addition to a mask and snorkel, you should also get diving fins right from the start. The same applies here as with the previously mentioned: There is equipment to rent at diving centers in Germany and around the world, but the diving fins in particular are often not particularly good. New models that you can buy simply provide much more propulsion and make diving easier. Modern diving fins are high-tech and ensure that you don't use more energy than necessary underwater.

For example, anyone who has ever gotten caught in a current on a diving holiday in the sea and had to paddle hard with their diving fins will know what we mean. Diving fins are divided into two types: On the one hand, there are fins with an integrated foot section. On the other hand, there are so-called fins that you can get into with your feet, i.e. diving shoes. The latter are much more recommended because they simply provide much more propulsion.

5. Diving suit: warmth and protection in the water

Diving suits for women and men are another important part of diving equipment. Because the body cools down very quickly under water. Even in warm water of up to 30 degrees Celsius, the body can lose a lot of heat over time. It is even worse in German lakes, which are quite cool.

The body cools down very quickly after just a few minutes. That's why it's important to have a diving suit that really insulates well and keeps the heat on the diver's body. The more heat you lose during a dive, the more uncomfortable it is. A good diving suit is therefore the be-all and end-all for every diver and makes the difference in comfort underwater.

6. Dive Computer: All data firmly in view

This is also a piece of equipment that every diver should purchase for themselves. Because the high-tech computer on your wrist is practically important for your survival. It calculates all diving-related data during and after the dives. During the dive report and he has the remaining zero time before you go into decompression. It calculates your diving depth, dive time and the time you need to plan to return to the surface.

Modern dive computers have an overview of your dive at all times. Even when all dives are over, the dive computer continues to calculate. For example, it tells you at any time how much residual nitrogen saturation you still have in your tissue. And he can tell you how long you have to wait before flying after diving.

7. Boots for divers: prefer your own diving shoes

Who puts on fins and has already bought a diving suit, should not wait too long with shoes for divers. You can borrow them on any dive center worldwide. But you never know how many other divers have worn them. Therefore, it makes sense to buy boots for divers and to take them on every dive trip.

7. Diving knife – useful for safety?

But certainly a diving knife is useful. Space-saving attached to the jacket, you can act quickly with a diving knife in dangerous situations. Probably one of the nightmarish situations of every diver is to get tangled up under water and not get any further. In such situations you can quickly get rid of yourself with a pocket knife. Accordingly, a diving knife is one of the essentials of any diving equipment and should be purchased by the diver instead of being lent.

8. Underwater cameras and underwater housing

If you already have a few dives under your belt at wonderful diving sites on your diving vacation and are a little more experienced underwater, you will certainly feel like taking photos underwater. After all, you also want to show people the underwater world. You don't actually need much to take photos underwater: an underwater camera in an underwater housing is sufficient. There are different ways.

Either you buy a standard SLR camera or a digital, mirrorless system camera and put it in a solid underwater housing. Basically, you don't need much more than that. Or you can use an underwater housing for a smartphone. For example, you can use an iPhone X in an underwater housing to take perfect photos while diving.

If you dive a bit deeper, you will also need light in underwater photography. So that the pictures do not turn completely blue, you need either an underwater video light or an underwater flash, in order to be able to reproduce the colors well. Your underwater photographic equipment will continue to grow with time, as more dives have been done and the more fun you have in underwater photography. Incidentally, we use a digital mirrorless system camera with a specially imported from Asia underwater housing for UW photos.

9. Divers watches: As a backup for the dive computer?

Diving watches are now worn as jewelry and accessories rather than actually being used for active diving. However, some divers still swear by diving watches today. Especially if you actually use the timepiece underwater, you should definitely follow a few diving watch care tips. The diver's watch is generally used when diving to determine the diving time and is used as reassurance to the normal diving computer.

This is quite practical if the dive computer should fail. But actually it's not absolutely necessary because usually the diving partner also has a dive computer and dives at the same time and depth so that the data matches. In addition, recreational dives are not so deep that they cannot be safely completed without using a diving watch if a dive computer fails. This sports watch is still definitely worth purchasing.

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Snorkeling equipment – ​​simply diving equipment light?

You can't bring yourself to finally take a scuba diving course yet? Then start snorkeling on your next vacation. All you need is a diving mask, a snorkel, diving fins and, depending on the water temperature, a shorty, i.e. a short diving suit. So you're ready to go. Although you can also take snorkeling courses, snorkeling is generally pretty self-explanatory.

Get a short safety briefing at the dive center and you can start snorkeling. You can buy really good snorkeling equipment relatively cheaply and take it with you on your diving holiday in your suitcase. It couldn't be easier to penetrate the underwater world!

Buy new diving equipment – ​​Diving is twice as fun with new equipment

We at Just Wanderlust also regularly buy new diving equipment. But why should you actually buy new diving equipment? In many cases, borrowing also works. This is simply because diving becomes a certain routine over time. The material-intensive hobby requires a certain amount of effort and discipline to motivate yourself to dive regularly.

But when divers buy new diving equipment, they are motivated to pursue their hobby again. It's exactly the same as with any other hobby like golfing or stand-up paddling - as soon as you buy something new, you want to try it out immediately. This gives diving new impetus and is fun!

Diving equipment – ​​the cost can be worth it

There are costs involved in purchasing diving equipment. And there are usually not too many of them, because diving is a material-intensive hobby. We already mentioned at the beginning which diving equipment you need and which equipment is optional. The costs for diving equipment can of course also be roughly estimated. They cost several thousand euros if you buy all the equipment you need yourself, including the bottle. When it comes to diving equipment, costs arise primarily for the regulator, which can cost around 900 euros as a finished set.

BCD and regulator are the biggest cost factors

You also pay a relatively high price for a BCD. This costs between 300 and 500 euros or even more. A diving suit is already available in a cheap version for 50 euros. However, a high-quality suit will definitely cost around 300 euros or a dry suit around 1000 euros. You also have to budget a small amount for all other pieces of equipment. So the diving equipment costs are not exactly low. But of course it's worth it, because everyone who starts a new hobby and really enjoys it needs their own equipment. And in other sports you don't necessarily pay less.

Or rent diving equipment? That's a matter of taste

Yes, you can also rent diving equipment. If you only want to dive occasionally or are simply a holiday diver, you can rent diving equipment at many diving centers around the world. However, often the equipment is not as high quality as the products you would probably buy yourself. Unfortunately, you have to accept these compromises when renting diving equipment.

In this article we have already pointed out which pieces of equipment you should buy yourself and which diving equipment makes sense to rent. Ultimately, this is mainly a matter of taste. At all reputable diving centers you will receive rental equipment that is well maintained, well maintained and at a fair price.

Which diving equipment products do you own? What are your experiences with equipment? Let us know in the comments.

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