You start with a mask. Next thing you know, you’re pricing a dive computer that costs more than your first car and still refuses to do your taxes.
So this page is simple: scuba gear we own, use, like, or think is worth a look. Some of it is cheap. Some of it definitely isn’t. The goal is the same... spend less where we can so we can dive more.
A secondhand regulator from a guy in a trench coat at a gas station? Maybe pass. A mask, fins, wetsuit, dive light, SMB or open-box BCD from a real seller? That can be a completely different story.
Good for hunting oddball bargains, discontinued gear and people who bought scuba equipment before discovering they really preferred the hotel pool.
Browse MercariAnother place to look for used gear and negotiate. Just remember: a bargain is only a bargain if the thing still works when you’re 60 feet underwater.
Browse SidelineSwapWhich is why it made the page. Prices move around constantly, so we’re using “check current price” instead of pretending a number from six months ago is still gospel.
If your ears throw a tantrum every time you descend, this thing looks ridiculous enough to be promising. Hugh has used it for hundreds of dives after being told diving might be over. It also helps him equalize on descent.
Downside? Mostly the looks from other divers. The fish appear equally judgmental.
Bright enough to turn a dark fish hideout into an underwater stadium, with three power levels and a green laser for pointing out marine life... or confusing one very determined fish.
The button takes a long press to wake up. Think of it as convincing your dive buddy to buy the first round.
SMBs have a talent for coming undone underwater like an overenthusiastic stripper at a bachelor party. This little bag keeps ours clipped to the BCD and ready when we need it.
Not glamorous. Not expensive. Very useful. That’s practically the mission statement of this website.
Technically not life-support equipment, which means we’re willing to bargain-shop a little harder. It’s lightweight, packs tiny, and beats wearing the same salt-crusted T-shirt for the seventh day of a liveaboard.
Will it make you irresistible on the dive deck? Probably not. But teal takes confidence.
Not the fanciest BCD on Earth. It just works for us. It’s reasonably light, weight integrated, adjustable, and has enough attachment points to let you decorate yourself like an underwater Christmas tree.
We have had the weight pockets get temperamental, so this one comes with an actual complaint instead of brochure worship.
Solid, simple and built more like rental gear than jewelry. That is not an insult. Dive centers beat the daylights out of equipment, so “boring and durable” can be a very attractive personality trait.
And yes, some versions come in pink. Real divers can survive a color.
You’re going diving. Odds are excellent you’ll get wet. These pack smaller than normal towels and dry better than some of the cocktail-napkin towels we’ve met on boats.
Exciting? No. Useful after dive four? Absolutely.
The listing may call it a wetsuit. If there’s no meaningful neoprene thickness, we’re calling it what it is: a rash guard with big dreams and a marketing department.
That’s fine. You’re not trusting it with your air supply. You’re asking it to cover skin and survive vacation.
If your fins turn your feet into a blister collection, these are cheaper than limping around the resort afterward. Warmth is a bonus. Preventing your toes from filing a formal complaint is the real job.
Call them booties, socks, foot armor... we’re not picky.
It tells you the important stuff, handles nitrox, has a user-replaceable battery, and doesn’t require an engineering degree just to start the dive.
Is it the Rolls-Royce of computers? No. But neither is our car, and somehow we still get to the airport.
BCD, regulator, octopus and gauges in one package. In other words: most of the expensive stuff you need before somebody starts selling you titanium clips.
Serviceable mainstream gear matters to us because finding parts in paradise is considerably less fun than diving in paradise.
The Not-a-GoPro-but-Still-Goes-Pro camera. We like cheap cameras underwater for the same reason we like inexpensive sunglasses on boats: eventually, Neptune collects taxes.
Ours has been underwater repeatedly. The whole point is capturing the “oh crap, that shark is really close” moment without financing the camera.