Get trained
This page explains what training agencies, standards bodies and diving medicine bodies publish. It is not a substitute for training and certification from a recognised agency, and it does not replace medical advice.
Check before you fly
Security and dangerous-goods rules change, and airlines can be stricter than the regulators. The dates below are the dates of the pages we read. The current official text and your airline's own policy decide what you can carry. Flying after diving is a separate, medical question covered on flying after diving.
Why gear needs any thought
PADI's 2016 blog on buying gear lists airline baggage limits among the drawbacks of owning a full kit. The rules below concern two kinds of item: pressurised cylinders and the lithium batteries and heat-producing lamps in dive lights.
Scuba cylinders on aircraft
United States: TSA
TSA's "What Can I Bring?" listing says that, apart from personal medical oxygen, a compressed gas cylinder is allowed only if it is empty. It must be visibly empty with the regulator valve completely disconnected, TSA officers will not remove valves, and a sealed cylinder with its valve attached is prohibited.
TSA's own listing is not consistent. The compressed-gas entry shows "No" for both carry-on and checked bags, while its note allows an empty cylinder with the valve removed. Forum posts also quote a TSA line banning dive cylinders from both. TSA states, in a listing we saw only as a search summary, that the final decision on any item rests with the TSA officer. The current TSA entry, not any summary of it (including this one), is the reference.
United States: FAA
The FAA's PackSafe guidance, which we could see only in a search summary, says scuba cylinders containing air or another non-flammable, non-toxic gas are regulated as hazardous materials at or above 200 kPa (29 psig) at 20 C. Empty cylinders, or those below that pressure, are not restricted as hazardous materials, and airlines and screeners may require the valve to be fully opened for inspection. The FAA page points readers to TSA for screening.
Canada: CATSA
Canada's screening authority, CATSA, said on a page updated 22 December 2022 that scuba tanks are not allowed in carry-on baggage and may be allowed in checked baggage only if the airline approves.
International: IATA, as DAN Europe describes it
DAN Europe (Alert Diver, about 2015) says a scuba cylinder pressurised at 2 bar or more at 20 C is dangerous goods under IATA's listing, that TSA requires cylinders to travel empty with the valve removed so the inside can be inspected, and that some airlines refuse cylinders altogether. We did not consult the current IATA text.
Filling a cylinder after a flight
DAN Europe adds two points that matter on arrival. Some dive shops will not fill a cylinder whose valve was removed for travel until it has had a new visual inspection, and a destination country may require its own test stamp or certificate before filling. Test intervals by country are on cylinder inspection and testing.
Dive lights and lithium batteries
DAN Europe (Caren Liebscher, October 2016) cites IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations paragraph 2.3.4.6 on heat-producing articles: high-intensity diving lamps can produce dangerous heat when switched on, so for carriage the batteries or bulbs must be removed, or the light otherwise kept from switching on.
The same article says lithium battery devices and spare batteries are governed by the ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, with airline approval also needed in some cases. It summarises the lithium-ion limits this way:
| Lithium-ion battery rating | DAN Europe's 2016 summary |
|---|---|
| Up to 100 Wh | Allowed in devices in carry-on or checked bags. |
| 100 to 160 Wh | Needs airline approval; up to two spares per person, carried in the cabin. |
| Over 160 Wh | Prohibited in both carry-on and checked bags. |
The FAA's PackSafe guidance, again seen only in a search summary, says spare lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries must travel in carry-on bags only, limits lithium-ion batteries to 100 Wh each, allows up to two spares of 101 to 160 Wh with airline approval, and requires battery terminals to be protected against short circuit.
DAN Europe's article is from 2016 and itself tells readers to confirm the current rules. We did not consult the current IATA regulations, so these figures are a starting point for checking, not the rule. Light types and batteries are described on lights and signalling.
Driving with cylinders in Europe
DAN Europe (about 2015) describes the European road transport agreement, ADR. Under it, a filled scuba cylinder is dangerous goods class 2.2, a non-flammable gas. But a private individual carrying cylinders of air, nitrox or argon for their own use is exempt from the dangerous-goods transport rules, provided the cylinders are packed and secured safely. DAN Europe says dive businesses fall under different rules. We did not check DAN Europe's account against the ADR text itself.
Sources
- TSA, What Can I Bring? sporting and camping
- TSA, What Can I Bring? flammables (search summary)
- ScubaBoard forum post quoting TSA
- FAA PackSafe, outdoor equipment (search summary)
- FAA PackSafe, lithium batteries (search summary)
- CATSA, scuba tanks (updated 22 December 2022)
- DAN Europe, how to transport a scuba tank (about 2015)
- DAN Europe, transporting diving lights and batteries on an airplane (Caren Liebscher, 3 October 2016)
- PADI blog, buying scuba gear (Sarah Wormald, 21 August 2016)