Best Scuba Gear: Top Rated and Reviewed Diving Equipment
If you are looking for the best scuba gear to buy it can be overwhelming. There are lots of choices of diving equipment available and it can be hard to know where to start and what to buy.
To help make your choice a bit easier, we have read tons of reviews and rating of scuba diving equipment looking for the best dive gear in each category.
Our view is that if an overwhelming number of scuba divers have a favorable review of a piece of dive gear, chances are that you will have a good experience also.
Of course, there will always be those reviews or ratings that are either over the top good or over the top bad. However, these are a very small minority and we pretty much disregarded them and went with the overwhelming majority of opinion.
So after many, many hours of reading reviews and ratings we are confident in recommending the following pieces of dive gear. We provide a link to our partner which will open in a new window.
Please let us know your experience with the equipment - we would love to hear from you.
Note: Since new dive equipment comes out, older models get discontinued, etc., we are making it our goal to update our recommendations of best scuba gear every six months or so. I am currently (December 2011) in the process of updating all of our picks so you have the latest info for the 2012 diving year.
Some picks have stood the test of time and have made the list again while others have been replaced by newer/better scuba gear. Hopefully, it will make your decision of what scuba gear to buy a little easier. Have fun shopping.
(If you need more information on a particular category of dive equipment, we have lots of information available in our free guides to scuba diving equipment).
I will be adding more recommendations and updating our lists so check back again. Or better yet, subscribe to our blog or newsletter so you know when new info is posted.
Updated November 2011: Here we present our pick for the best scuba diving buoyancy control compensator. Depending on your budget, we present the best rated BCD in each of the following categories: high end or top end, mid-range, beginner or entry level and also the best BCD for females. Check out our best diving BCD's here.
Updated November 2011: You can spend alot of money on a dive computer with all the bells and whistles or you can get a perfectly adequate one that won't break the bank. It all depends on your budget and what features you want in your computer. We make our recommendations in the following categories: top end and air integrated, mid-range and beginner or entry level. Take a look at our choices for best dive computer here.
Updated December 2011: We give you our picks for the top dive regulator in the top-end, mid-range and entry levels. If you are going to splurge on one piece of diving gear, you might want to make it this piece. Take a look at our picks for best scuba diving regulator
Updated November 2011: If money is no object you can really indulge yourself here. Get a top of the line scuba diving watch to wear both in and out of the water. We pick watches ranging in price from $500 on up. The sky is really the limit here. Take a look - if only to drool! See our picks for best luxury and high end dive watches here.
Updated November 2011: If you have a more moderate budget (like me!), we give you our picks of the best scuba diving watches with more moderate prices. These categories show you our picks for watches ranging from about $25 up to $500. These are our picks for best dive watches under $500 in the mid-range, inexpensive, budget, cheap and very cheap (yes, you read that right) categories. There are some good buys here and they look good both above and below the water. See our picks for best mid-range to budget dive watches here.
If you have a mid-range or inexpensive budget for your wetsuit, we have a few picks for you. Less money can still buy you a good wetsuit that will keep you warm during your scuba dives. These picks are in the $100-$200 range. They would make a nice addition to any collection of best scuba gear.
Here we show you our picks for the best discount wetsuits for women. All under $100. The best scuba gear doesn't have to be expensive. Have some money left over while still keeping warm.
Check out our picks for the best scuba diving masks in the top of the range. These are the highest rated masks. They may cost you a bit more but reviews say they are worth your hard earned money.
These are our picks for the best diving masks in the moderate price range category. You can get a highly rated and reviewed dive mask that is budget friendly.
We give you our choices for the best dive mask in the budget category. We may even say cheap - in price, not quality, of course. See our choices that will leave some money in your pocket.
Updated December 2011: Whether you are diving or snorkeling a snorkel comes in handy. Of course, there are two schools of thought on snorkels when it comes to diving. If you fall into the camp that uses a snorkel while diving (as I do), check out our recommendations for best snorkel - including recommendations for a dry snorkel and a snorkel set. Go to best snorkel.
Hopefully these recommendations will help make your search for the best scuba gear a little easier. It's always fun to buy new dive equipment and a new purchase makes you want to go out and test them right away. Please let us know how you make out with your gear - we would love to hear from you and you can help fellow divers.
