In case you are undecided on your next diving gear purchase and are looking for some suggestions, here are the most important accessories every diver should have. Audible surface signalling device, delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB), spool, scuba knife or line cutter and a foldable snorkel.
Whether you are a newly certified scuba diver or a well-seasoned diver, chances are you will need those accessories at least once in one of your diving explorations.
Throughout my diving experience, I have found myself in situations – not necessarily emergency ones – where I wish I had one of those accessories but unfortunately, I was not wise enough to have them with me.
That is why I always bring those accessories with me.
Audible surface signaling device
Audible surface signalling devices are extremely useful in case you will need to draw someone’s attention while at the surface.
There are two main types of devices: whistles and air horns. They are relatively small and easily storable in your BCD, I therefore suggest you buy both.
What is the difference between a whistle and an air horn?
An air horn can be connected to your tank with the BCD inflation hose. It is usually activated by pushing a button that releases the air flow, and it makes a very loud sound.
A whistle on the other hand is usually made entirely of plastic, it is smaller than an air horn, and makes a noticeable sound the moment you blow some air in it.
Air horns usually reach longer distances as they are louder than whistles.
Why should I buy both?
Air horns can only be used if you have residual gas in your cylinder.
Although all divers should reach the surface with a residual amount of gas, this is not always the case especially in emergency situations.
Having a whistle complementing the air horn will prove to be a useful backup in case you are on the surface with no residual gas in your tank.
When will I need an audible signaling device?
I first realized I needed an audible signaling device back in 2018. I was on a diving holiday in the Philippines (precisely in Malapascua) and had just emerged from a nice 50 minutes “light” drift dive.
It was a nice sunny day and the sea was almost flat, I was with three other divers and none of us had an audible surface signaling device.
For some reason, most likely the stronger than expected current, and some slight wind on the surface, we emerged quite far from our diving boat.
I am still not sure of the distance, but one thing became clear to all of us as soon as we reached the surface: our boat captain could not see our surface marker buoy.
We had to wait 30 long minutes (believe me they can be extremely long) before we were noticed by another diving boat who informed our boat captain via radio.
In such a situation, an air horn could have most likely solved the issue by calling the attention of our boat captain.
Delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB)
A delayed surface marker buoy, sometimes also called deco buoy or surface marker, is an inflatable buoy that can be deployed by a diver from below the surface, usually towards the end of a dive.
DSMBs are usually made of bright and shiny colors so that they can be easily seen above and below the surface.
If you have been on a diving holiday, you have most likely seen Divemasters or Dive Guides carrying those and deploying them towards the end of the safety stop to signal the boat captain the end of a dive and pointing him at the right direction to recover the group of divers at the surface.
Although a DSMB is a must have for Scuba professionals, I think all divers should have one as it is relatively easy and compact to carry and can be useful in multiple occasions.
Why should I buy a DSMB?
Consider for example a situation in which you are diving with your buddy together with a large group of divers.
You stop to take the perfect picture of that funny clownfish, and as you are done you suddenly realize it took you more time than expected and your buddy did not stop waiting for you.
You search for one minute your buddy and the group of other divers but realize they might have gone too far and you finally decide to abort the dive.
This is the moment where having a DSMB becomes quite handy. As you end your safety stop, you can deploy it, signaling your diving boat that you are about to reach the surface.
Another more frequent situation in which you might want to have a DSMB is when you are diving with a group of divers and at some point during the dive you need to split because some divers have a higher gas consumption and need to end the dive.
If you have a DSMB with you, splitting will be easier as the Divemaster (that will most likely end the dive accompanying the divers low on gas) can be sure he and the boat crew will be able to easily spot you at the surface.
If you want to know more on the different types of DSMBs, check out our guide on How To Choose the Right Delayed Surface Marker Buoy.
Spool
Diving spools come in different lengths and are often used as path tracing tool in cave diving or during extremely low visibility conditions but are also a necessary tool in order to deploy your DSMB.
It would not make sense of course to deploy a DSMB that is not connected to you through a line, in turn attached to a scuba spool.
When choosing the optimal spool, unless needed for purposes other than deploying the DSMB I usually recommend a 100ft / 30m length.
This could seem quite long, but you need to consider that in case of strong currents (or wind at surface), in order to maintain a constant depth while doing a safety stop and avoid that the DSMB pulls you towards the surface, you might need to use way more line than otherwise needed in the absence of current.
Scuba knife or line cutter
Contrarily to many popular beliefs, especially in the non diving community, a scuba knife is not used to defend yourself against harmful marine life.
A scuba knife or line cutter is instead essential primarily in emergency situations in which you might need to cut an entangled line, weight belt, or even a backplate.
It is therefore to be considered primarily as a safety tool, to be used in emergency situations affecting either yourself or your buddy.
Knives and line cutters are also extremely useful in case you find some entangled ghost nets or other plastic material that needs to be cut to be brought to the surface.
Foldable snorkel
In beginner level scuba courses, we have all learnt to exchange air source, passing from regulator to snorkel at surface.
As time passes, we however tend to forget the usefulness of the snorkel and simply decide to drop it off our gear kit.
This typically happens when we start feeling comfortable with scuba gear and is one of the most common mistakes among divers.
A snorkel is in fact an essential piece of gear to make sure you can comfortably breathe at surface while having your head below the water level.
It can turn useful if you want to save gas when shore diving, where you usually need to swim at surface before reaching the point of immersion, and it becomes essential in situations where you might have to be for long time at the surface.
A foldable snorkel is a great solution in case you do not want to keep your snorkel tied to your mask during a dive.
Foldable snorkels are in fact made entirely of silicone or soft materials and as the name suggest, they can be folded and stored comfortably in your cargo pockets.