Beginner Scuba Dive Gear: Top Picks & What I Recommend
When you first get started with scuba diving, it can be tempting to purchase as much gear as possible in an attempt to look more experienced.
The truth is, you don’t need all that much gear to get started and have a blast. I’ve been lucky enough to dive all over the world - from the Manta Ridge in Raja Ampat to shark diving in Aliwal Shoal off the coast of South Africa - and the gear is simply a tool that allows me to do so.
In this guide I’ll take you through the questions I wish I asked myself when I first got started and give you a checklist of the gear that you actually need.
Longer fins provide great propulsion in the water, making dives easier, but they can be bulky and less travel-friendly for those on the go.
Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Get Started
As a beginner, here are a few questions to ask yourself before purchasing your first set of diving gear.
Where Are You Diving?
It’s important to think about your ideal living locations, as this will directly impact the best type of gear for you.
For example, will you be diving in tropical locations or in cold water?
Do You Want to Travel Light Or Heavy?
This is a big one.
Scuba diving involves a lot of traveling, naturally, so it’s important to know if you prefer to travel light or heavy. It can get expensive to transport all your scuba gear around the world.
For example, taking a full checked-in bag for your scuba gear, depending on the airline, could cost you anywhere from $50 to $150, or more, depending on baggage policies.
How Often Do You Want To Dive?
The last thing to ask yourself is how often you’re actually planning to dive.
If you’re only going to dive occasionally, it’s much easier to just rent out the gear when you get to your destination.
Is It Even Worth Buying Scuba Dive Gear as a Beginner?
If you travel and dive a lot like I do, you can save significant money on gear rental fees.
However the more gear you buy, the heavier it’s gonna be and more expensive to check in extra bags.
So, in the end, it might be the same, but you’ll have your own gear—the gear you choose and the gear you’ll feel comfortable diving in once you learn how to use it. If you’re planning to dive frequently, having the comfort of your own gear is worth it, especially if the price works out around the same for renting gear.
When I first started, I purchased gear slowly over time.
My wife's Oceanic Shadow mask—lightweight, comfortable, and ready for the next dive.
Beginner Scuba Dive Gear Checklist 🤿
If you’ve made it this far, you’re clearly set on getting your own scuba diving gear.
This time is super exciting, but this excitement can lead to some people buying too much gear or gear that isn’t even necessary.
Here is the only checklist you need for purchasing your first set of beginner scuba dive gear:
Mask
One of the first pieces of equipment you will need is a scuba dive mask.
Scuba dive masks can vary quite a lot, so my recommendation would be to try out a few different styles and see which you prefer.
My recommendation is an Oceanic Shadow mask with strap protector.
Both my wife and I have this mask and we love it!
Dive Watch (Computer)
Dive watches (or computers) are incredibly useful.
I’m not talking about a typical watch here, but a dive computer watch that can display key information and track things like dive time, depth, and much more. Dive watches are invaluable as a safety device and to increase the amount of time you can spend diving.
My recommendation is the SUUNTO Zoop Novo Wrist Scuba Diving Computer - probably the cheapest out there but widely used by dive professionals - and a rock-solid choice for beginners.
Most dive professionals will know how to use this watch. It happened to me that I wanted to change a setting but did not know how to - a dive master and other divers helped out.
Remember, you need to invest time to understand how to operate a dive computer. It’s no use purchasing one and then never learning how to properly use it, so make sure you take the time to do this.
Fins
The choice of fins for a beginner is pretty tricky mostly because you don’t have the experience to know the different finning techniques and what is most comfortable for you.
The best option is to try out different types of fins by renting them out to find out which one is most suited for you.
I have two pairs of fins. I started with a technical pair of fins - Apeks RK3 - good choice for photographers (check out my prints here) as it allows for gentle movements without stirring the bottom or damaging coral.
They are small in size but heavy. It’s an open heel fin so I needed to buy a pair of boots too.
I ended up buying a pair of Cressi Gara freediving fins. They are super long but very lightweight, with a closed heel.
I mainly use my long fins if I go on an open water dive, or dive in strong currents as I can fin through the water quite effortlessly. I can also use it for snorkelling and free diving. I struggle with them in cold water, as I can’t wear booties since they're closed heels.
Wetsuit
The next thing you’ll need is a wetsuit.
These are quite individual in terms of fit, but the thickness is very important and you need to think about where you’ll be diving.
I started with a 3mm wetsuit as I was diving a lot in the Andaman Sea in Thailand (water temperature: 30+ Celsius).
As soon as I started diving in other places, I realised the 3mm wasn’t enough. Most of the time I ended up complimenting my 3mm wetsuit with 5mm shorties for more protection, but I finally invested in a 5mm wetsuit.
Now, I don’t even use my 3mm anymore. Feeling cold during a dive could ruin the whole experience.
If you want to invest in your own wetsuit, don’t be cheap about it.
Geared up and ready! In my 3mm wetsuit, holding my trusty fins and mask—essentials for any beginner diver.
Snorkel
Do you really need a snorkel?
By the time you pass your PADI Advanced Open Water diver, you’ll see that snorkel is mainly useless for diving and it’s annoying when it gets tangled around your gear during a dive.
However, it can be handy to use it on the surface in case of an emergency or even on trips that combine diving and snorkel/freediving related activities or snorkelling could be an advantage to encounter certain animals for example.
My recommendation is the RIFFE Stable Snorkel.
DSMB/SMD with reel
Even for beginners, it is recommended to have a surface marker buoy.
In most places, it is mandatory to have SMD when diving from a boat and based on my experience, it is not always easy to rent one from the dive company.
However if you’re strictly diving from shore, this piece of equipment can wait until you book your first boat dives.
Dive Bag
My choice for a dive bag is Cressi Tuna, however I needed a long dive bag that could store my fins and still be checked in size. It’s ideal for storage but it doesn’t have 4 wheels so it can get heavy when walking around, particularly when traveling.
What About A BCD & Regulator?
I would suggest beginners not to invest in a BCD and Regulator right away.
Go out, collect dives, use rental gear, try out different options and figure out what option you liked the most.
Consider personal factors such as comfort or travel frequency.
BCD
There are three main types of BCD styles in the market and that's jacket style, backplate and wing and back-inflate BCD. As a beginner recreational diver, I would stick to jacket style BCDs and that’s what most dive centres will have for renting.
There are many different options to consider, for example we bought a lightweight travel friendly BCD for my wife recently with integrated weight pockets. We travel an awful lot and she hates that the weight belts hurt her waist during dives.
I myself own an Apeks - Black Ice BCD - it’s comfortable under the water but very bulky and takes up a lot of space in my dive bag. It happened before that I left it out and rented a BCD on location.
First & Second Stage Scuba Regulators
I believe this should be the last item on your scuba gear list. And this is going to be the most expensive along with your BCD.
The most basic recreational regulators will do the job here, no need to go fancy, especially if you are on the budget.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some other pieces of equipment that are worth mentioning, but not absolutely essential to a beginner diver:
Compass - I did invest in a compass for my advanced open water course, we did use it one time and never again. Even though navigation is a module for the advanced course, most dive centres will provide one for the sake of learning how to use it, so I suggest you’re better off without buying one.
Brite Mark - It’s basically a water resistant marker to mark your gear. A lot of people have the same fins as I do. The last thing I wanna do is argue for my own equipment, so I marked them.
As for as equipment goes, that’s pretty much everything that a beginner would need covered!
