Essential Dive Gear: What You Really Need

Scuba diving gear can be overwhelming, but not everything is essential. This guide helps you determine what you truly need and what can wait, so you can make smart purchasing decisions.

Support Your Local Dive Shop

Supporting your local dive shop is a great way to receive expert advice, access a wide variety of gear, and ensure you’re getting the right fit. Many shops also offer gear maintenance and repair services, which is essential for keeping your equipment in top condition.

For each gear category, I’ve provided three price options:

• Higher Quality Option: Premium gear with top-tier materials and durability.
• Goldilocks Option: A well-balanced choice that offers great performance without a high price tag.
• Lower Price Option: A budget-friendly option that still gets the job done.

Essential Gear before Open Water Class

Mask

Your mask is a personal choice. There are dozens of shapes and sizes of masks, and you are bound to find one that you like. This is why I recommend finding a shop with a good selection. Try masks before you buy, but don’t be surprised if you end up purchasing a different one or two later as you refine your preferences. Finding the right mask can take some trial and error over your first 50 dives.

• Higher Quality Option (~$250): Prescription Venom Frameless Mask
• Goldilocks Option (~$180): Venom Frameless Mask
• Lower Price Option (~$80): Scuba Max Quattro Mask

Snorkel

Buy the cheapest snorkel your local dive shop offers. You’ll need it for your Open Water class, but after that, it’s unlikely you’ll use it again unless a future course requires it. Most experienced divers find snorkels impractical as they often get in the way.

• Higher Quality Option (~$80): Atomic Aquatics SV2 Snorkel
• Goldilocks Option (~$35): Zeagle Tango Snorkel
• Lower Price Option (~$35): Zeagle Tango Snorkel

Boots

Boots are straightforward—buy whatever your local dive shop offers. For most divers, anything over 5mm will be too warm. I personally use 1.5mm socks and Converse high-tops in water down to 60F. Make sure you choose your boots first, as your fins need to fit over them properly.

• Higher Quality Option (~$135): Fourth Element Amphibian Boot
• Goldilocks Option (~$75): Aqualung 5mm SuperZip Boot
• Lower Price Option (~$50): Seac 5mm Boot

Fins

Fins come in fewer varieties than masks, but you still have several options. The three main styles are:

• Traditional: Stick with these. The Mares Avanti Quattro+ is the standard.
• Split Fin: Only buy if you know you need them and why.
• Technical: If you dive long enough, you’ll eventually own a pair.

Avoid full-foot pocket fins. Instead, choose open-heel fins that require a boot and have an adjustable heel strap.

• Higher Quality Option (~$235): Fourth Element Tech Fins
• Goldilocks Option (~$180): Mares Aventi Quattro+
• Lower Price Option (~$80): Edge Gear Flex Fins

Defog

I've tried it all—baby shampoo, spit, mystery boat mixtures—but nothing beats Stream2Sea defog. It’s reliable and outperforms all other options. (Note: If you don’t properly prep a new mask, no defog will work—mask preparation is key!).

• Higher Quality Option (~$15): Stream2Sea defog
• Goldilocks Option (~$15): Stream2Sea defog
• Lower Price Option ($0): Spit

Gear to Consider After Your Open Water Class

Wetsuit

Proper fit makes a huge difference in comfort. If you're always cold, you won’t keep diving. For Chicagoland divers, a 5mm wetsuit is a good starting point unless you know you run cold. Lake Michigan diving requires a drysuit, but local quarries are fine in a 5mm most of the year.

Note: I originally bought a 7mm, but it was overkill for Chicagoland. Once I got my drysuit, my 7mm wetsuit never got used, so think carefully before buying one.

• Higher Quality Option (~$600): Bare Reactive II 5mm
  
• Goldilocks Option (~$400): Bare Velocity Ultra 5mm
• Lower Price Option (~$300): Cruiser Pinnacle 5mm

Gloves

I love my 3mm Bare Ultrawarm gloves so much that I bought a second pair just in case. 5mm gloves are overkill for most Chicagoland quarry dives, but they might be useful in the shoulder months or for wet diving in Lake Michigan. 3mm gloves can also be used for warm-water vacation dives.

• Higher Quality Option (~$100): Bare Ultrawarm 3mm
• Goldilocks Option (~$100): Bare Ultrawarm 3mm
• Lower Price Option (~$100): Neo 5 Pinnacle 5mm

Hood

Get a 5/7mm or 3/5mm hood from whatever brand your local shop carries.

• Higher Quality Option (~$165): KO1 5mm
• Goldilocks Option (~$100): H2 3/5mm
  
• Lower Price Option (~$40): Pinnacle 5mm

Dive Computer

A dive computer is an essential piece of gear you should buy, but when? I think before regulators and BCD.  Rental computers can be unfamiliar, and some dive shops don’t offer them at all. At this stage, you may not be sure if you need Air Integration (AI), but it’s worth considering a model with AI capability to keep your options open.

• Higher Quality Option (~$1,100): Perdix 2
• Goldilocks Option (~$700): Shearwater Peregrine TX
• Lower Price Option (~$300): Suunto Zoop Novo

Final Thoughts

Remember to regularly maintain your gear to ensure it lasts longer and performs well. For masks, clean them after each dive, and for wetsuits, rinse them with fresh water to remove salt and chlorine. Proper storage, like hanging wetsuits to dry and keeping fins in a cool, dry place, will also help extend the lifespan of your equipment.