Dive Kit List

Last updated July 2015

blueventures.org

Contents

Introduction ...... 2 Essential Items ...... 2 PADI Manuals & Materials ...... 2 Advanced Open Water Course ...... 2 Log Books ...... 2 Mask ...... 2 Snorkel ...... 2 Fins ...... 3 Dive Boots/booties ...... 3 ...... 3 Timing device ...... 3 Knife or line cutter ...... 3 Dive slate (A4 or A5) and pencil ...... 4 Recommended (but not essential) Items...... 4 Wetsuit ...... 4 Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) ...... 5 Regulator ...... 5 ...... 5 Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB) ...... 5 Reel ...... 6 ...... 6 ...... 6 Dive Computer ...... 6 ...... 7 Dive Torch ...... 7

Introduction

We realise that for new divers the array of dive equipment available can be slightly daunting! The following section should help you choose dive gear that is suitable for your time at Blue Ventures, without going overboard.

Whenever purchasing equipment the most important factor to consider is comfort, if the equipment does not fit correctly it may not function properly. Money may be an issue, but regardless of your financial position conduct a little bit of research prior to buying, don’t be afraid of asking questions in the shop and remember a lot of sales assistants make a commission on the items they sell you.

Essential Items

PADI Manuals & Materials – essential for anyone doing any PADI courses

Advanced Open Water Course – all volunteers must be certified to Advanced level before taking part in this expedition. Sometimes there is the option to complete the course during your expedition and if you are doing so you must bring with you the PADI Adventures in Diving Manual. Please ensure your manual has a plastic slate in the packet called the ‘Adventures in Diving Deluxe Data Carrier’ as you will also need this slate.

Log Books - essential if doing any dive courses with us and recommended to all divers to keep a record of all your exciting diving adventures. A number of different types are available, any diving log book is sufficient.

Mask You need to have your own mask, and a spare is recommended. Different masks have different features, which your dive shop will explain, so make your decision and make sure it fits properly. To do this, place the mask against your face as if you were wearing it without the strap, and inhale through your nose. You should feel it sucking onto your face. Now shake your head about a bit, without breathing out, and if it has a proper seal then it should not fall off. Before you use your mask, get rid of the wax protection seal that manufacturers coat the inside of the lenses with by gently rubbing toothpaste into the surface of the lenses, inside the mask. Leave it on overnight, then wash it off in the morning, and you should find this helps prevent your mask fogging up during dives.

Snorkel A snorkel is a standard part of dive equipment, which is useful during diving in case of surface swims, mandatory during PADI dive courses, and essential if you want to go snorkelling, which is a great way to explore the lagoon and shallower parts of the reef. Cheap, bog standard tube snorkels are fine, but as a rule the more you pay the easier the snorkel is to clear and less water gets in the snorkel from waves providing a better experience. You may want to consider a ‘dry’ snorkel; these don’t fill with water even when you duck dive, thanks to a system of valves and floats inside the snorkel. Remember the watch words are comfort and easy to use.

Fins There are two main options with regards to fins; either full foot fins (which you wear without dive boots) or half cup fins (which you strap on around your dive boots). Full foot ones are light to use, easy to slip on and off but can rub so dive socks, or regular socks solve this problem. Full foot fins are fine for warm water, however if you plan to use your fins in cold water too, then your feet are likely to get very cold. Half cup fins are used with booties, and stay on by an adjustable strap which goes behind the ankle, these are heavier to transport and use. The water is warm enough for most people in full foot fins but if you are susceptible to cold consider the half cup fins.

Dive Boots/booties Dive boots are only essential if you choose the half cup fins but otherwise some other form of footwear (old pair of trainers) which can get wet is essential as there are shells and rocks which you might stand on in the shallows.

Timing device You must have a timing device in order to dive and those without one will not be able to dive. The best option is to purchase a dive computer, especially if you plan to dive regularly. Dive computers/bottom timers start at about £125 UK. However this may not be an option for everyone and any watch that is pressure tested to 100m is sufficient (ones that only say 50m have, in the past, broken, even though the maximum depth Blue Ventures dive to is 30m). Either a digital with a countdown timer, or an analogue with a bezel will be adequate.

Knife or line cutter We ask all divers to dive with a dive knife (in a sheaf) or line cutter, throughout their time with Blue Ventures as a safety requirement. A small knife is more than sufficient and generally cheaper, as the most common use for dive knifes is as a pencil sharpener there is no need to invest a lot of money, larger knifes are often more cumbersome, but it is up to you what type you buy. We recommend that if you choose to buy a knife over a line cutter, you purchase one which you can secure around your leg. The variety, which clips onto BCDs are not practical here unless you have your own BCD as you will not always have the same BCD.

Dive slate (A4 or A5) and pencil

In order to conduct the scientific surveys you will need a dive slate to write down the information and either a proper dive pencil or a normal pencil, bring a few spares. Special dive pencils are made of a plastic rather than wood and therefore do not rot and will last until you either run out of lead or lose them! Normal pencils will last a while, but eventually, over a couple of weeks, will start to rot and disintegrate, so you will need to bring a supply of these to last for your stay. Some slates come with a dive pencil attached via a piece of rubber tube, if your slate does not come with this, consider buying one as pencils are easy to lose.

Recommended (but not essential) Items

Wetsuit A wet suit is a great way to stay warm in water, depending on your susceptibility to the cold and the time of year you may or may not choose to bring one.

Please find below some seasonal advice on what thickness of wetsuit to bring, please remember that these are approximate ranges based on worst case scenarios and temperatures fluctuate from year to year.

Jan – mid Feb Water temperature: drops to 25◦C. Wetsuit; 3mm long should be adequate, however 5mm is recommended for those who really suffer from the cold.

Mid Feb – end of March Water temperature: 25◦C-27◦C. Wetsuit; 3mm long should be adequate, however 5mm is recommended for those who really suffer from the cold.

April – mid May Water temperature: 26◦C-28◦C. Wetsuit: a 3mm short should be adequate for everybody at this point, 3mm long with a thermal rash vest underneath, if you particularly feel the cold. A lot of volunteers, however, find they do not need one at all at this time and swimming where and a rash vest is satisfactory. Mid May – mid Nov Water temperature: 29◦C. Most people will be comfortable in a rash vest and board shorts, however a 3mm short is recommended for those who really suffer from the cold.

Mid Nov – Dec Water temperature: 25-26◦C Wetsuit; 5mm long for most people, 3mm if you are hardier. If you are particularly sensitive to the cold a thermal rash vest and hood may be advisable for underneath your suit.

Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) A BCD can simply be described as a waistcoat with a bladder inside that you can inflate and deflate in order to adjust your buoyant during the dive. Blue Ventures has enough on base for volunteers to use, however it may not always be possible to provide you with your exact size due to demand. If you want to bring your own then they are available at most dive shops, they are relatively expensive, and will add considerable weight to your baggage (some airlines offer a diving kit extra baggage allowance, check with your airline in advance). Only purchase if you are going to dive regularly but remember they are available for hire cheaply in pretty much all diving locations.

Regulator Blue Ventures has enough regulators for everyone to use but like the BCD, if you are planning on taking diving up as a regular hobby then it is a necessary piece of equipment but remember they are available for hire cheaply in pretty much all diving locations. If you do choose to buy your own, there are many different options, make sure you do some research and factor in the cost of servicing your equipment (depending on use, you should service it at least once a year). One choice you will have to make is whether you want a yoke or a DIN first stage, your dive shop and independent research will outline the advantages and disadvantages of both systems. Blue Ventures Belize is able to support both models. Blue Ventures requires all divers to have a depth gauge, which will either be located on the regulators or on a wrist computer (all Blue Ventures regulators have depth gauges), an alternate air source (‘octopus’), and use the standard size BCD inflator hose connectors.

Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB) DSMB’s are a safety requirement and can be useful on dives. There are a few different types, however Blue Ventures recommends one that unrolls into a long inflatable sausage, which is open at one end. If it is does not open at one end you will not be able to deploy it from depth and therefore it is of no use while you are with Blue Ventures. You will want a medium sized one which will roll up small and fit into a BCD pocket. We also recommend that you purchase a double ended clip so that you can easily attach your DSMB to your reel.

Please don’t get them confused with a static SMB which is permanently inflated and carried on every single dive as a safety measure, it allows the boat team to keep an eye on the position of the dive group during the dive. A DSMB which is taken deflated in the pocket of your BCD on every dive is in case of an emergency. For example, you and your buddy become separated from the main dive group with the static SMB, you follow safety procedures and look around for a minute then ascend to five metres and conduct your safety stop. During your safety stop you would attach your DSMB to your reel and inflate using your alternate regulator, it then shoots to the surface marking your position, which alerts the boat team that the dive group has split and divers are returning to the surface.

Reel A reel is a standard piece of safety equipment and is used with a delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB). There are two varieties: full reels with locking mechanisms, which are more expensive and bigger, these are designed for static SMBs and unless you are careful during deployment of your DSMB may get jammed. ‘Thumb reels’ which are basically bobbins with no locking mechanism are smaller, cheaper and lighter. Thumb reels will fit into BCD pockets without much hassle whereas normal reels are generally worn attached to the BCD and may dangle and get in the way.

Blue Ventures has enough regulators for everyone to use but like the BCD, if you are planning on taking diving up as a regular hobby then it is a necessary piece of equipment but remember they are available for hire cheaply in pretty much all diving locations. If you do choose to buy your own, there are many different options, make sure you do some research and factor in the cost of servicing your equipment (depending on use, you should service it at least once a year). One choice you will have to make is whether you want a yoke or a DIN first stage, your dive shop and independent research will outline the advantages and disadvantages of both systems. Blue Ventures Belize is able to support both models. Blue Ventures requires all divers to have a depth gauge, which will either be located on the regulators or on a wrist computer (all Blue Ventures regulators have depth gauges), an alternate air source (‘octopus’), and use the standard size BCD inflator hose connectors.

Dive Computer If you are planning to take diving up as a hobby the most useful piece of equipment you can buy is a dive computer. Regulators and BCDs can be hired inexpensively at all dive shops around the world but a dive computer makes diving simpler and safer.

Dive computers come in two basic varieties: gauge computers attached to your regulator, not all regulators have them; they are an optional replacement for the standard analogue pressure and depth gauge, known as a Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG).

The second, and most common, option is the wrist computers. A dive computer gives your bottom time, current depth and your maximum depth, as you increase the number of features you increase with price. Blue Ventures requires all divers to have a timing device but remember a water resistant watch is perfectly adequate, so consider your financial capabilities and whether you plan to continue you diving when deciding whether to invest in a computer.

Dive Torch You will not do any night dives during your expedition but you might find a torch handy to improve the colour and vividness on deeper dives. Plus they can be useful when hunting lionfish and other critter in cracks and crevices.

If you do have any questions, please do get in contact with us in the London office, on +44 (0)207 359 1287 or email us at [email protected]. Happy diving!