Scuba diving requires a lot of specialized equipment and gear. If you'll only be diving once or twice a year on vacation, you can rent most of your gear, and only need to bring a few basics. If you plan to dive frequently, you should consider investing in your own equipment. Most divers do not own their own tanks--they rent them from dive outfitters.
Basics
All divers should own their own mask, snorkel and fins. You'll need a comfortable, well-fitting mask that allows you to see clearly, and divers also keep a snorkel attached to their mask for use at the surface of the water. Owning your own fins ensures that you'll always have a well-fitting pair, rather than an ill-fitting rental pair. Bring a gear bag to carry your equipment in, a dry bag to keep items dry on the dive boat and a mask defogger (which will prevent your mask from clouding up) as well.
Wetsuits
A diving wetsuit keeps you warm and protects your skin from scrapes and stings. Different water temperatures require different wetsuits. Temperate Caribbean waters only require a 3 mm wetsuit, while cold springs or northern lakes require at least a 7 mm wetsuit. Gloves and booties will keep your hands and feet warm during long dives in all water conditions, and a hoodie will keep your head warm in colder water.
Regulators
The regulator contains a first stage, where it connects to the tank full of compressed air, and the second stage, which is the mouthpiece through which divers breathe. The regulator adjusts the compressed air to a breathable pressure and delivers air to the diver only when she takes a breath. In this system, air doesn't flow continuously through the regulator and isn't wasted. All regulators have a backup mouthpiece known as the safety second. If a malfunction occurs with your dive buddy's regulator, he can breathe through your safety second.
Buoyancy
Several pieces of equipment allow divers to maintain neutral buoyancy. The buoyancy compensator vest, known as a BC, can inflate or deflate. The regulator connects the vest to the tank's air supply, allowing the diver to inflate the BC vest to remain afloat at the surface, and then deflate it to make a descent. The air tank straps onto the back of the BC vest like a backpack. Also, with a tank full of air and a buoyant wetsuit, most divers can't descend beneath the surface. Weight belts allow divers to make a descent and maintain neutral buoyancy without popping to the surface.
Advanced Equipment
Most divers carry dive computers to track their dive's depth, time and decompression requirements. You can wear these computers on your wrist like a watch. Technical, cave and wreck diving all require additional equipment as well. Cave and technical divers usually carry two tanks filled with Nitrox or Trimix, rather than carrying tanks with compressed air. Cave divers must have a longer hose connecting their regulator mouthpieces to the tanks, to allow for buddy breathing in narrow, single-file passageways.
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