The DIVER Travel Planner

WHAT TO TAKE
What to pack when you go away is a problem at the best of times. What to pack when you are going on a diving trip can be nothing short of a nightmare, especially if you are going to be restricted on weight or amount of luggage.
Among questions to bear in mind are:

What diving equipment will the dive centre or live-aboard have for rent?
How warm will the water be, and will I need a thicker wetsuit than the available rental ones?
What are the health facilities like?
Will I need warm clothes?
Will I need rainproof clothing?
If I take my own equipment, will I be able to get spares easily?
Will I have to change airlines or aircraft, and are the weight or cabin baggage allowances different if I do?
Should I change money before I travel, or when I get there?
Should I take travellers' cheques and, if so, in dollars or sterling?
Will local hotels, dive centres and shops take credit cards?

"Travel light" is always a good maxim, particularly if you are going to have to do a lot of carrying en route or at your destination.
Make a checklist of items you know you need, and others that could be left behind.
Take the minimum of dive gear with which you feel comfortable. If your destination is a popular diving area with PADI 5-Star or equivalent facilities, the quality of rental equipment is likely to be high. Obviously you will need a mask that fits, along with a snorkel and fins so that you can snorkel at any time. And your dive computer is a must. But do you really need to take your octopus rig and stab jacket?
However, if you are going somewhere where you cannot be certain about standards, take as much equipment as possible, plus spares such as O-rings, patches and seals for your wet- or drysuit and a regulator mouthpiece.
If your destination has questionable medical facilities it is also an idea to pack an emergency medical kit containing sterilised needles. There are several sterile kits on the market. A basic medical kit with items including headache and diarrhoea remedies, and anti-histamine cream for insect bites is also a good idea.
Still on health, be aware of the risk of malaria. Take long trousers and long sleeved tops for wearing at night to avoid getting bitten. Pack an electric vaporiser and anti-insect tablets, and a repellent. Also remember to pack your anti-malaria tablets - and don't forget to start taking them a week before you travel, as well as for four weeks afterwards.
Many of the top diving locations are close to the equator. You are likely to be exposed to the sun for long periods. So make sure to take a hat, sunglasses with ultra-violet protection and plenty of sunblock and high-factor suncream. Also pack a couple of old T-shirts to wear while snorkelling, or diving without a wetsuit, to protect your shoulders from the sun.
A good idea is to check the weather for your destination in the days before your departure. If you are on the Internet, you can get real-time, weather snapshots and local forecasts from several sites. That will help you decide whether T-shirts or sweatshirts will be more in order. Always remember, however, that sea breezes will temper the heat and might cool things considerably.
As for money, credit cards are widely accepted in most countries and cash machines are increasingly commonplace. You will still need to take cash for bars, taxis and general incidentals. While you often get a better rate of exchange at your destination there might not be time to change your sterling into the local currency on arrival - and you might then find that your precious desert-island resort has no bank or cash machine nearby.
Change enough money to last a few days. Even better, take plenty in travellers' cheques. Ask your travel agent or bank whether sterling or dollars are best for your destination.
Finally, do not forget to pack your passport. It happens. You might be let out of the country, but you will have a tough job getting into your destination country, and an even tougher one persuading immigration officers to let you back into the UK

Appeared in DIVER - June 1999