Diving Equipment Explained
Don't be overwhelmed with all the different diving equipment, below is a description of each essential dive item.
NB: There are plenty more items in the nonessential dive equipment list but the ones listed below are essential
1) BCD - Buoyancy Control Device, a jacket which has an expandable bladder that you inflate or deflate to regulate your buoyancy. Most BCD's can be manually inflated and some have integrated weight systems
2) Wetsuit - It is really important that you wear appropriate clothing when diving. A wetsuit is a suit made of neoprene and is worn to protect the diver. Wetsuits come in a range of thicknesses as well as a range of lengths. This is a tight fitting suit which will either zip at the front or back.
3) Weights - Dive Weight Belts are used to give the diver additional weight, this is to counterbalance the buoyancy of the tanks which the diver will carry. It will also depend on you size as to the amount of weight you will need to carry.
4) Boots - Dive Boots or booties are worn by divers for both warmth in the water and comfort with adjustable fins. If you decide to wear enclosed feet fins you will not require Dive boots. Dive Boots are also very useful to get in and out of the water if the terrain is a little rough under foot.
5) Depth Gauge - A depth gauge is used in conjunction with a watch to measure your depth during a dive. The depth of dive and length of time spent at that depth will determine the safe ascend and decompression stops if required. It will also assist in keeping to your dive plan.
6) Scuba Regulators - The scuba regulator is part of the required scuba gear that allows the diver to breath from the dive tank or cylinder. It may also be called a regulator or a demand valve. Used in open circuit breathing systems.
7) Scuba Tanks - or cylinders are part of the open circuit breathing system, the scuba tank stores high pressure breathing gas that contains oxygen. The air is supplied through the scuba regulator. You can dive with either 1 or 2 scuba tanks.
8) Watch - Used in conjunction with the depth gauge and your decompression tables. If you have a dive computer these calculations will be done by it.
9) Dive Tables - Dive tables which may also be called decompression tables or simply "tables" are typically printed on cards on in booklets. These tables enable divers to determine decompression stops that they must make during ascension, based on the type of breathing gas, depth of the dive and time duration of the dive. This is to avoid decompression sickness. A dive computer will calculate this information for you.
10) Certification Card - Your diver's certification card that is obtained after successfully completing your divers training course, will be required to hire dive equipment or refill scuba tanks.
11) Log Book - For certification reasons, divers should log all of their dives. This is both a good record of your dive activity but also a great recollection of what you saw on each dive. There are a great deal of dive log books on the market
12) Underwater Camera - This is a great addition to your dive gear. This is a borderline item, not technically essential but i vary rarely dive without it. Make sure your camera is designed specifically for this purpose as it may have restrictions on the depth.