What Dive Gear Do I Use?

This is the gear I use most frequently.

Dive Rite Transpac XT Harness + Voyager EXP Wing BC Modular, customizable, and built like a tank. Link + Link
Dive Rite XT1/XT4 DIN Advanced Open Water Regulator Kit I thought it would be weird getting used to the second stage around my neck, but I’ve come to absolutely love it. Link
Shearwater Perdix 2 Dive Computer Shearwater. Period. Accept no substitutes. The versatility and quality of Shearwater dive computers, in my opinion, can’t be matched by any other brand. Link
Atomic Frameless 2 Mask The clarity and comfort of this mask is truly awesome. It comes in three different sizes to fit everyone. Link
Atomic SV2 Snorkel I hate snorkels, but when I have to wear one this is my favorite. Link
Mares Avanti Quattro+ Fins Old school cool and still one of the best. Link
Bare Reactive 3mm 2021 Wetsuit Amazing! One of my favorite pieces of gear, which seems weird to say about a wetsuit, but once you try the Reactive, you won’t settle for anything else. Link
Bare S-Flex 5mm Boots Very comfortable and warm, but not overly so. Like most dive boots I’ve tried, they run a size large. (If you wear size 12, get a size 11) Link
Bare Exowear Gloves I’ve tried many types of gloves and love these. Very comfortable while keeping finger dexterity. Link
Faber HP100 Steel Hot Dip Galvanized Cylinders I am a huge fan of steel cylinders. Always negatively buoyant, don’t have to wear as much (if any) weight, and with the HP100 you get almost 24 cubic feet more gas than an aluminum 80. More bottom time? Yes, please! Go steel or go home! Link
BigBlue TL3500 Supreme Dive Light BigBlue makes some of the best quality dive lights you can buy and they’re a local small business. That’s a double win and I highly recommend them! Link
BigBlue Al1300WP-II + AL450NMT Dive Lights Looking for a great deal on your first dive lights? Check out this combo from BigBlue. Two lights (1300 lumen + 450 lumen) and a tank light. I’m not ashamed to say I’ve bought 4 of these! Link
GoPro HERO 11 Black I lost my HERO 9 Black during a dive a couple of days before the HERO 11 was released. Coincidence? Fate? I’ll let you decide. If you’re looking for the most versatile underwater video+picture camera, it’s GoPro. If your focus is photography, look to the Olympus TG-6 or Sealife Micro 3.0 cameras. Link

This is some other gear I use.

Dive Rite Nomad Ray Sidemount BC Coming soon! Link
Faber LP85 Steel Hot Dip Galvanized Cylinders Coming soon! Link
Fourth Element Tech Fins Coming soon! Link
Scubapro Hydros Pro BC This BC is really awesome. It’s great for travel, folds up small, dries fast, and it’s very comfortable to wear. If you’re not a fan of the backplate/wing style BC and you have money to blow (it is Scubapro after all) then this is the one to get. Link
Scubapro MK25 EVO/S620Ti Regulator This balanced piston-style regulator set is a classic for a reason. Breathes great in all conditions and is built to last. Link
Scubapro AIR2 5th Gen Octo/Inflator For personal diving (i.e. when not teaching), I love the combination of the octo and inflator. It’s one less hose coming out of the first stage and feels like a much cleaner setup to me. Link
Scubapro G2 Dive Computer I think the G2 is a good dive computer with some unique, albeit niche, features. In this “top tier” price range, you would be better off with a Shearwater or Garmin. If the G2 was less expensive, it would be more worthy. Since it’s not, I don’t recommend it. Link
Tusa Freedom HD Mask A good mask for those of us with larger faces, especially when on a budget. It has a good field of vision, but the clarity isn’t as high-quality as the Atomic masks, for example. Link
Akona 3mm Quantum Stretch Full 1-pc Wetsuit An affordable 3mm 1-piece wetsuit. Over the course of a year, mine started to develop some tears but nothing overly drastic. My main gripe about this wetsuit is that the velcro flap on the back has no protector. Because of this, the velcro constantly sticks to the inside of the wetsuit, wearing it down more and more over time. Link
Scubapro Delta 5 Boot A warm dive boot with a good sole. After about a year and a half of use, it has started to rub against a couple of my toes on one foot which gets uncomfortable on long dives. Like I mentioned on the Bare boots, these also run a size large. Link
AKONA AQ-Tec Scuba Dive Gloves These are simple dive gloves that do well at keeping your hands warm, generally in water 70 degrees and higher. They’re not too bulky and you retain some finger dexterity. Link
Henderson 2mm Thermoprene Tropic Glove I initially bought these solely for shark teeth-hunting dives. The white palm makes it easier to see the black teeth. After having used them I really like how comfortable they are. For a tropical diving glove, these are great; albeit sometimes hard to find. Link
Henderson Lycra Skin/Rash Guard Wearing a full-body rash guard may not be as popular as it used to be, but I love these for sun protection, slime protection, and for making wetsuits infinitely easier to get on/off. Link
Henderson TherMaxx Hooded Vest This is one of those things you don’t know you need until you use it. I don’t usually get cold enough in Florida springs that a 3mm wetsuit isn’t sufficient, but if I do or if I know I’m going to be in cool water for a long time, I bring this along. I can’t even describe the difference it makes because you wouldn’t believe me. If you get cold, get this. You won’t regret it. Link
DiveAlert Plus Love them or hate them, there’s no denying these are excellent signaling devices in an emergency. Being able to use them underwater just makes them that much more useful. Link
Analox O2EII Pro Nitrox Analyzer A portable compact Oxygen analyzer for checking the mix on your Nitrox cylinder fills. Very easy to use. Link
Finger Spool Reels There are numerous reasons to own and carry finger spools. I have a couple of these in different line colors and 167 foot lengths. I use the orange colored line for DSMB deployment and white for running lines.
Delayed Surface Marker Buoys (DSMB) I have a couple of these in different lengths and styles. You’ll find that costs vary greatly and it’s easy to think that the less expensive ones will work just fine. A few things you should be looking for are a length of at least 5 to 6 feet, reddish/orange in color, an over-pressure relief valve, and stainless steel d-ring. Optionally, look for one that has reflective material, a slot for a glow-stick or marker light, and an open bottom for inflating with your regulator. Remember this is also life support equipment. It doesn’t do you any good in an emergency if nobody can see it.
Bare 3mm Bare Feet Boots I picked these up for wearing in warm water dives. They’re very comfortable and do a good job of keeping your feet from losing lots of body heat. Be aware that these are thinner than the normal 5mm boot and as such you may need a smaller size fin. Link
HawkEye DepthTrax 1H Handheld Depth Finder This is one of those “oh neato!” purchases that I simply couldn’t resist. What’s it do? Neato stuff! No, seriously. Its main purpose is to tell you how deep the water is. Place the end under the surface of a body of water, and it will tell you how deep the water is. What do I use it for? The same sort of depth tracking, but because it works underwater, I also use it for distance tracking. How far away is the wall on the other side of this dark sinkhole, for example? Is it necessary? Absolutely not. Is it fun? Absolutely yes! Link

I’m sure I’ve forgotten various miscellaneous items. I’ll update this if I find I missed something important.