The Scuba Gear Lab

Complete Liveaboard Diving Gear Checklist

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There's nothing worse than being hours from shore when you realize you've forgotten something critical for your dive trip. This episode walks through a comprehensive gear checklist for liveaboard diving, built from hard-won experience and refined over years of multi-day excursions. Whether you're preparing for your first liveaboard adventure or looking to streamline your packing process, Camila Reyes breaks down exactly what to bring—from core diving equipment to the safety gear that could save your life when you're far from any dive shop.

  • Always bring two masks on liveaboard trips—a broken or flooded mask can ruin your entire week when there's no dive shop around the corner, so keep your backup in a hard case to prevent crushing.
    • Your surface marker buoy (SMB) is arguably the most important safety item for liveaboard diving, especially after drift dives or when currents shift and you surface far from the boat.
      • Check your dive computer's battery level before leaving home rather than assuming the boat will have charging stations—this simple step prevents a potentially trip-ending problem.
        • Pack both a primary and backup dive light even if you're not planning night dives, since you'll need them to look into crevices, restore colors at depth, and for early morning or evening dives.
          • Open-heel fins with adjustable straps work best for liveaboards because they're easier to get on and off when you're doing multiple dives per day, but inspect the straps for cracks since salt water ages them quickly.
            • A cutting tool belongs somewhere you can reach with either hand—even in protected marine areas, you can encounter ghost nets or discarded fishing line that requires immediate action.

              • Read the full article: https://thescubagearlab.com/complete-liveaboard-diving-gear-checklist

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              The Scuba Gear LabBy The Scuba Gear Lab