[Part 3/4] Should Have Equipments

Continuing from [Part 2/4] Should Have Equipments

1. SMB (sausage balloon)

   Important once you have done your AOW.
   

2. Hood or Cap

   helps prevent skin injury when diving in overhead environments such as caves, wrecks or in between huge rocks.
   

3. BCD

   
   

Surface Marker Buoy, SMB or DSMB (sausage balloon)

If you’ve completed your Advanced Open Water (AOW) course, your instructor should have taught you how to deploy an SMB.

If not and i cannot stress this enough, learn it.

Then practise until you can deploy one confidently—even with one hand.

This is one of the most important pieces of safety equipment you’ll own.

I didn’t include it in my previous equipment guide because Open Water divers typically aren’t taught how to use one yet. During recreational dives, dive guides also tend to keep a much closer eye on Open Water divers. (If yours doesn’t, I’d seriously question diving with that guide.)

An SMB allows boats and people on the surface to locate you after you surface. Without one, especially in choppy seas, you’re surprisingly difficult to spot.

Choosing an SMB

My recommendations are simple:

• Length: around 1.2–1.5 metres

• Colour: bright orange or neon yellow

• Avoid small SMBs—they’re much harder to see.

• Avoid oversized SMBs—they require more air to inflate and are slower to deploy.

And yes…

Use common sense.

Don’t buy one that’s blue or black.

Hood or Cap

A hood or dive cap offers an extra layer of protection when diving around wrecks, caves, swim-throughs, or areas with overhead rocks.

As a newer diver, it’s common to accidentally bump your head against rock surfaces or wreck structures. A hood won’t stop the impact completely, but it certainly makes it more comfortable.

Another benefit is warmth. Even in tropical waters, long dives can leave you feeling surprisingly cold.

The only downside is that thicker hoods can slightly reduce your hearing at the surface.

Ultimately, wear whatever feels most comfortable.

BCD - Jacket or Backplate Wing?

watch here for a visual explanation of the different BCD style

Your BCD is one of the most important pieces of scuba equipment you’ll own.

Owning your own BCD means every dive feels familiar. You know where every pocket, D-ring and dump valve is without thinking, which helps build confidence underwater.

If you only dive occasionally, renting is perfectly reasonable.

If you dive regularly, buying your own is well worth considering.

Today’s BCDs come in several styles, with many newer models combining features from different designs.

Jacket BCD

This is the style almost every diver learns on during their Open Water course.

The air bladder wraps around your body, making it very stable and forgiving.

It’s simple, comfortable and beginner-friendly.

For most recreational divers, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with staying with a jacket BCD for years.

Back Inflate BCD

A back inflate BCD places the air bladder entirely behind you instead of wrapping around your sides.

The biggest advantages are improved streamlining and better trim underwater.

However, I wouldn’t recommend switching until you’re already very comfortable controlling your buoyancy with a jacket BCD.

When I say “comfortable,” I mean you can:

• Maintain neutral buoyancy consistently.

• Hold good trim naturally.

• Move around underwater without constantly needing your dive guide’s assistance.

A back inflate BCD behaves differently.

On the surface, you’ll often need to lean backwards because the inflated bladder behind you can push your upper body forward if you’re upright. Waiting for the boat to pick you up can become tiring, especially in rough conditions.

Underwater, the air stays entirely behind you. If you roll too far to one side, the air shifts inside the bladder, and you’ll need to use your core muscles to maintain your position.

Some divers love this feeling.

Personally, I still prefer a jacket BCD because it’s more comfortable for me and requires less effort. (i'm a lazy diver)

Another trade-off is storage. Since there are no side air bladders, many back inflate BCDs also have fewer pockets.

Backplate and Wing (BPW)

Only consider a BPW once you’re already comfortable using a back inflate BCD.

I made the mistake of buying a BPW as my very first BCD simply because I thought it looked cool.

I wouldn’t recommend doing that.

Unlike traditional BCDs, a BPW is completely modular.

The harness is built from webbing threaded through a metal backplate, and almost everything can be adjusted or replaced.

That flexibility comes at a price—you have to assemble and fit everything yourself.

I often joke that the first thing you’ll strengthen isn’t your diving skills—it’s your fingers.

Tip: use those snug hospital latex gloves and a plier to help pick and grip, otherwise you will have swollen fingers for days.

You’ll spend hours or days threading webbing through the plate, installing hardware, realising you’ve routed something incorrectly, taking everything apart, and starting over.

Once you’ve finally assembled it correctly, the fitting process begins.

Adjust.

Wear it.

Dive with it.

Adjust again.

Repeat.

After enough dives—probably around twenty or so—it eventually fits like a tailored suit.

That’s when you start appreciating why experienced divers love BPWs.

Another advantage is modularity.

If a component wears out, you simply replace that individual part instead of buying an entirely new BCD.

You can also position D-rings and accessories exactly where you want them. There’s no universal “correct” setup—only what feels natural for your diving style.

The metal backplate also provides built-in weight, allowing many divers to reduce the amount of lead they carry.

I’ll cover sidemount BCDs separately in a future article.

I’m an avid sidemount diver, and I think the topic deserves its own dedicated guide.

My Advice

There’s no universally “best” BCD.

Don’t let other divers pressure you into buying the setup they use.

Choose the one that feels the most comfortable for you.

Before spending hundreds—or even over a thousand dollars—rent different styles and try them in the water first.

Many dive shops mainly rent jacket BCDs because they’re the easiest and hassle free for beginners, but some shops also rent back inflate and BPW systems. Find these shops in my recommendations page.

Take advantage of those opportunities.

Learn what suits your diving style before opening your wallet.

I learned that lesson the expensive way.