Packing for a trip is challenging under normal circumstances. Deciding whether to simply carry-on a bag or to check one, size restrictions on liquid containers, making everything fit, trying not to forget anything, deciding what to wear; the challenges seem innumerable. I can safely say that I have traveled enough that I have packed well for trips, and have packed poorly for trips, and have learned a few lessons along the way. In this series on packing, I want to give a few of my tips for packing for different types of travel, so that my readers hopefully will not make the same mistakes that I have already made. Here are my thoughts on Packing for a Scuba Diving Trip.

Scuba diving trips are somewhat easier in some respects that other types of travel. For one thing, the decision about whether to check a bag is already made…the answer is yes! Scuba gear is bulky and heavy enough that at least one bag will need to be checked for gear alone. I’ve seen some of the men on dive trips pack their clothing and personal effects into their gear bags, but have not seen a woman manage the feat. So the question that remains is simply whether two checked bags are necessary, and I think the answer depends on how long the trip is. When Mike and I go on a dive trip together, usually they last about 8 days. For these trips, we each check a gear bag, and then share a large suitcase that also gets checked. We then each have a small carry on bag (like a backpack or shoulder bag) with essentials and entertainment for the flights and layover. This seems to work well for us, and ensure that we can bring enough items that we need for the week.

Here is a list of the items that we pack in our scuba gear bags:
– Dive logbook with certification cards and pen
– Buoyancy Control Device (BCD)
– Whistle
– Safety tube (also known as a “scuba sausage” which is used to signal boats)
– Regulator system with gauges
– Compass
– Dive computer with extra batteries (Mike keeps his in his gear bag while flying, while I keep mine in my carry on)
– Fins
– Mask
– Mask Defog Solution
– Snorkel
– Weight bag (but not weights if flying to the dive destination)
– Knife or Shears
– Dive Lights
– Wetsuit/Dry suit (For tropical locations we take both 3mm shorties, and 5mm full body wetsuits. Mike is the only one who dives cold water, so on those trips he takes his dry suit and all of its associated gear.)
– Boots
– Boat bag (Ours are mesh with backpack straps, used to haul all of our gear from the hotel room, locker, traveling gear bag to the boat.)
– Dry bag (to keep anything dry while on the boat)

Here is a list of the items that we pack in our checked suitcase:
– A portable, hand-held scale (to make sure our luggage isn’t overweight, because overweight fees suck!)
– Rash guards (at least 2-3 so they can fully dry between dives and don’t get quite so funky)
– Swimming suits (at least 2-3)
– Hats (to cover up wet tangled hair)
– Swim cover ups
– First aid kit
– Medications (including prescription, motion sickness, nausea, bug bite creams, pain relievers, decongestants)
– Swimmers ear drops
– Sun block
– Insect repellents (we usually take multiple kinds, because different ones seem to work better with different kinds of bugs)
– Tissues
– A collapsible cooler (unless your carry on bag is insulated and can double as a cooler, like mine)
– Clothing (I usually bring a mix of casual wear and sundresses/maxi dresses, so that I’m set for different occasions. I like to dress up a bit for some of the dinners.)
– Appropriate undergarments (including extras in case you end up staying longer than expected)
– Sleepwear
– Sandals (more than 1 pair to avoid getting blisters)
– Water shoes (mine have support and good soles, so they double for walking shoes to explore the island)
– Jewelry (pretty but inexpensive jewelry…leave the real stuff at home)
– Toilet articles (makeup, facial care items, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, Q-tips, hair detangler, hairbrush and comb, flat-iron, hair care products, deodorant, lotion)
– Shower items (such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razor)

Here is a list of the items that we each pack in our carry-on bags:
– Passports
– Driver’s Licenses
– Insurance Cards (including dive insurance card)
– Credit Cards
– Cash (in the appropriate currency for wherever we are headed, plus in U.S. dollars)
– Flight Information
– Paperwork to be handed in to the trip leaders (such as releases, waivers, etc., if not provided to them ahead of time)
– Cell Phones
– Tablets
– Kindle
– Paperback books (since some flights don’t allow for electronic devices to be used during take off and landing)
– Nintendo 3DS and games (for Mike,of course) 🙂
– Charging cables for electronic devices
– Backup battery chargers
– Tissues
– Chapstick
– A small bottle of hand lotion
– Pain reliever
– Snacks such as granola bars or raisins
– Hard candy (such as Life Savers or Jolly Ranchers) (to suck on after a dive to get the salt water and dry air taste out of your mouth)
– Sunglasses
– A sweatshirt
– Camera
– Underwater camera and lights (so that they don’t get broken in checked luggage)

This is what we take, and how we divide it up between our pieces of luggage.  What items do you leave off of your list? What items do you take that I haven’t listed?

Check out the other posts in my series on packing (packing for a conference, packing for Kaaboo Del Mar, and packing for a camping trip).