How we recommend
We recommend gear by category and use, not by brand, and do not quote prices. We may earn a commission on purchases at no cost to you.
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.
Before you buy
Three points shape this list:
- Fit. PADI names fit and comfort as the deciding factor for a mask and recommends trying masks on at a dive centre, and it says a wetsuit should be snug without being overly tight. Neither is easy to buy for someone else.
- Life support. Regulators, BCDs and dive computers are chosen by the diver with their training and instructor. DAN Europe (2022) also warns that mixing regulator parts can change how the whole set performs, even when each part is CE-marked.
- No safety claims. Nothing on this page says a product is certified or safe.
Our picks by category
Dive logbooks
Wikipedia (secondary) describes the logbook as the evidence of a diver's range of experience, separate from the certification card, which records training. Agencies use logged dives as prerequisites; PADI's blog (2025) lists 40 logged dives to start Divemaster training and 60 to certify. A paper logbook needs no size.
Best for: Every diver, new or experienced
Diving books
Reference, marine life and history books need no fitting. For a training or medical title, the edition and date matter, because the standards and recommendations such books describe change. Our history section covers how the sport began.
Best for: Readers, new divers and anyone who likes the history
Mask defog
PADI says a defog product goes on before each dive, so it gets used up, and it needs no size. PADI also says a new lens usually needs a manufacturing residue cleaned off to reduce fogging.
Best for: Any diver who owns a mask
Wetsuit hangers
PADI says to hang a wetsuit on a wide hanger after rinsing and drying it, and its 2015 blog says to dry it in shade, inside out as well as outside. A hanger needs no fitting.
Best for: Anyone who owns a wetsuit
Dry bags
Our sources include no guidance on dry bags. They are here because they need no fitting and keep documents, such as a certification card, out of the spray.
Best for: Divers who spend days on boats
Dive gear bags
We found no agency guidance on bag types. PADI's 2016 blog lists airline baggage limits among the drawbacks of owning gear, so whether the diver flies to dive matters when choosing a large bag.
Best for: Divers who travel or carry kit to the shore
Whistles and signalling devices
PADI recommends carrying at least two surface signalling devices, one audible and one visual, calls the whistle the most common audible device and suggests clipping it to the BCD inflator hose. A whistle needs no fitting. Inflatable markers and air horns are best left to the diver, because they are tied to training and to the BCD.
Best for: Divers who do not already carry one
Gifts to leave to the diver
Masks, fins and wetsuits
These have to fit. PADI suggests trying masks on, notes that open-heel fins may need a larger size to fit over boots, and says a wetsuit should have no large gaps. See masks and fins and wetsuits.
Regulators, BCDs and dive computers
These are life-support equipment. The diver chooses them with their training and instructor. For regulators, PADI (2015) and DAN Europe (2022) say servicing belongs to certified or trained technicians. See regulators, BCDs and dive computers.
Giving a try dive or a course
A try dive or course is a gift of training rather than gear, and it comes with conditions set by the agency. PADI's 2024 restrictions article gives a minimum age of 10 for its Discover Scuba Diving try-dive and 8 for its Bubblemaker programme; other agencies publish their own figures, listed on try diving. Wikipedia (secondary) describes introductory dives as issuing no certification.
Training also involves medical screening. PADI said in July 2020 that the 2020 Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire replaces its earlier Medical Statement wherever its standards require one, and as PADI describes the form, a yes answer can mean the person needs a physician's approval before diving. That is a decision for a doctor, not for the giver or for this site. More is on medical screening.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Diver certification (secondary)
- PADI blog, Divemaster requirements (Megan Denny, 16 April 2025)
- PADI, dive masks
- PADI blog, how to choose a dive mask (Kacee S., 14 April 2015)
- PADI, wetsuits
- PADI blog, things that can destroy your dive gear (Danielle Schofield, 31 May 2015)
- PADI, signalling devices
- PADI blog, buying scuba gear: pros, cons and practical advice (Sarah Wormald, 21 August 2016)
- DAN Europe, regulators, CE marking and warranty (Guy Thomas, 14 November 2022)
- PADI blog, PADI diving restrictions (Andrew Keaveny, 27 February 2024)
- PADI Pros blog, new medical screening system for divers (14 July 2020)
- Wikipedia, Introductory diving (secondary)