Dive Accessories that Make Dives More Enjoyable—and Safer
Once you’ve been diving for a bit, it’s normal to start adding to your dive kit. With the exception of high-ticket items like cameras and scooters, nearly every bit of equipment a diver carries has the ability to increase a diver’s safety. So what should you consider? Jupiter Dive Center can help.
Dive Lights
Dive lights are a great place to start. Day or night, dive lights do far more than bring out the muted colors of a deep dive. Lights make great signaling devices both under and above the water. Need to get your buddy’s attention? A dive light can act as an impromptu tank-banger. Wreck and night divers need two lights—a primary and secondary light in the event the primary fails (and be honest, when was the last time you charged or changed your batteries?)
You can’t go wrong with a Scubapro flashlight, and here are a couple of our favorites:
Nova 250
The Nova 250 is a great light to carry on every single dive as you can store it in your smallest BCD pocket.
The light measures 3.9 x 1.0 inches and comes in at a svelte 2.5 ounces, making it easy to forget you’re carrying it—until you need it! And when you do, it delivers 250 lumens of illumination. (The term lumens describes a light’s brightness.)
A primary night dive flashlight tends to come in at 600 or more lumens, so the Nova 250 is a great backup or daytime dive light.)
Nova 850
The Nova 850 comes in several variations: Tec, 850R, and 850R Wide. What distinguishes the lights are their housing and the focus of their beam.
They all provide 850 lumens, making each one a great option as a primary or secondary light.
Dive Knives
Another accessory to consider is a dive knife. Knives are utility tools that make short work of entanglements such as fishing lines, nets, or even kelp if you dive off the Pacific coast. Bear in mind that a good knife is an investment. Seawater corrodes metals, so make sure the knife you want is forged from marine-grade stainless steel or hardened titanium. Another thing to keep in mind is the difference in the blade tip—a pointed tip is great for working into a small or tight tangled line, while an angled Tanto tip is better for prying (this blunter tip looks similar to a chisel point). How you wear the knife may also factor into your decision. Larger knives tend to be worn on the leg, while smaller ones can be easily attached to your BCD.
Again, we turn to Scubapro for some of our favorites.
Jawz Ti
The Jawz Ti is the newest addition to the Scubapro knife line and is a versatile, all-in-one multi-purpose rescue tool that features a single titanium blade with multiple cutting surfaces that folds into a molded polypropylene thermoplastic handle. It’s designed to be worn on the upper chest area of your BCD using an included TacWare J-clip to allow instant access when needed.
TK15 Dive Knife
The TK15 Dive Knife is a fixed blade of marine-grade stainless steel that sports both a smooth edge and a serrated edge, a built-in shackle key, and a line cutter as well. It comes with a sheath and leg straps to secure it on your leg.
Mako Titanium Knife
The Mako Titanium Knife is an all-around favorite due to its small size. It offers a multi-function Tanto-tip blade that has a convent
Noise Makers
The final accessory in this blog post is the noise maker. In an ideal world, your dive buddies will always know exactly when you want to show them something or need assistance. But the safe diver knows that sometimes buddies are focused on something else. Enter the signaling device that uses noise. A tank banger can be almost anything hard that creates noise when banged against your tank.
And while flashlights work in a pinch, many divers would rather use something made for the occasion. The most common tank banger is a hard plastic ball strung like a bead on an elastic band that is stretched over your scuba tank.
Some instructors use a shaker or rattle. The name describes this handheld device perfectly. Still, others use an underwater air horn—great for an emergency recall, but not something you want to use to point out a fish on a crowded reef.
Remember sound travels four times faster underwater, so when you use a noisemaker, you may be signaling more divers than just your buddy. Be considerate, but in an emergency, a noisemaker can be exactly the tool you need.
It's fun to trick out your dive kit, but it can be confusing as well. Jupiter Dive Center is happy to help. We have a spacious and well-stocked shop where you can compare items and talk to our crew of knowledgeable staff to ensure you get the accessories that are best for you!
Stop by, go online, or call 561-745-7807 today!
Happy diving!