Dive equipment can be very expensive and is often a highly personal choice, here at Southeast Asia Diving we thought we would put together a page that tells you what gear we use and provide an honest assessment of what we do and don’t like about it and any future plans we have to upgrade it. We hope you find it useful and informative

Regulator - First & Second Stage + Octopus

Probably your most important piece of diving equipment and certainly the most critical in terms of life support your regulator will need careful consideration as it will most likely be your most expensive purchase. For my first & second stage I opted for an Atomic Aquatics B2 which I have been super pleased with. Initially I had thought about going with a Scubapro mk25, however the cost did put me off. The Atomic Aquatic B2 is a balanced piston type regulator which is incredibly easy to breath from. I love the ergonomic design and the swivel joint that allows the second stage to sit comfortably in your mouth without feeling like it is about to be ripped out. It differs from the T3 and Mk25 in the material selection for the first stage which is chrome plated brass. A fantastic choice for divers who want great performance without breaking the bank, I cannot recommend this regulator enough.

My octopus is an Aqualung Titan Octopus - while not as high end as the B2 it makes for a perfectly adequate emergency regulator.

BCd - Boyancy Compensator Device

As I travel a lot for diving I wanted a BCD that would be lightweight, comfortable and give great performance underwater. After trying on what seemed like endless BCD’s I eventually cam across one that felt just right - the Scubapro GO. Its a lightweight travel BCD, constructed from lighter materials that most BCDs and without the solid backplate that most have, however it packs down well for travel and performs brilliantly underwater. It has dual straps at the back to ensure the cylinder is firmly held in place and features integrated weight pockets which I really like. It has six aluminium d-rings for clipping on your additional gear such as cameras and lights which is really handy. The main drawback is that sometimes if someone else sets it up they don’t put the straps for the cylinder down far enough or do the velcro top strap up tight enough which means it can come lose after a bankroll entry - I always check that this is down far enough and done up tightly enough so it doesn’t cause problems later on. Again, another great piece of kit and being from Scubapro you know it is well made and will last. Its also incredibly quick drying which is another great feature for a travel BCD.

Mask

I have two masks which I always take both in case of a problem with one - this was especially important in Timor-Leste last year when my buddy dropped her masks and it shattered. Luckily I had a spare so it didn’t cause a problem. The first mask I brought was a Tusa Freedom Ceos mask which I have to say fits like a dream. Its low volume and has a black rubber seal which I prefer. I really love this mask and find it very difficult to find anything bad to say about it. The second mask I purchased was a Scubapro Synergy Twin which is super comfortable, at first it seemed to leak at lot, but these days it doesn’t seem to at all and that’s without doing anything. Maybe its that I notice it less now, or maybe it took time to wear it in, but really love it and is now my first choice mask

fins

I recently upgraded to a pair of Apeks RK3 fins and wow, what an amazing pair of fins they are, they were a bit of an impulse purchase initially, however I am really glad I got them. Brilliant for frog kicks, reverse kicks and generally in strong current, wouldn’t be without them now!

The first set I brought is a pair of Tusa X-pert Zoom Z3 split fins which may be controversial, however as someone who occasionally suffers with knee problems they put a lot less strain on them and work beautifully in calm, current free environments and I find my air consumption better in these conditions too. I normally only take them with me in and around Malaysia as they are a bit heavier and they can use up those valuable kg’s in your baggage allowance, the other drawback I find is that if there is current they struggle a bit. The second pair I have are some Aqualung Stratos ADJ fins which I tend to take with me when travelling abroad or if there will be a bit of current. They are solid fins, if not spectacular and I can’t really find much to say negatively about them but I also struggle to love them too.

Dive computer

As mentioned in our blog post about Dive Computers I own two, both Suunto dive watches which I think are just fantastic. My main dive computer is now a Suunto D5 which offers loads of features such as a colour display, rechargeable battery, tank pod integration and wireless connectivity as well as the ability to adjust the aggressiveness of the no decompression algorithm. I really love it and have been so pleased with it. My back up is a Suunto Zoop Novo which I have had for a number of years and has never let me down. Always good to have a back up in case something goes wrong.

exposure protection

As we’re based in Malaysia and tend to mainly dive in warm, tropical waters I don’t tend to use a wetsuit very much, in fact I don’t even own one - who really needs one when you dive in 30 C waters most of the time! I started out diving in a rash guard and board shorts, but have since splashed out on a Sharkskin Performance Longsleeve top which is nice and comfy, keeps my core warm and doesn’t necessitate adding extra weights like a normal neoprene wetsuit. I have since added another Sharkskin Chillproof top and a pair of shorts which are equivalent to a 3mm wetsuit, its definitely worth the investment when doing three or four dives a day as it does keep you much warmer! Have read out the new Sharkskin Chillproof Titanium Top which is apparently as warm as a 5mm wetsuit - may e worth it if heading back to the Philippines or diving in Australia.

lights

Lights are becoming more and more affordable and smaller all the time so there’s really no excuse to not have one on you. I tend to always have a small Scubapro Nova 220 in my BCD pocket at all time just in case I need it to look underneath a rock or some coral. For night diving I have an Orcatorch D520 which is really great and easy to use. For video lights I have recently upgraded to an X-Adventurer M2500 which i got about a year ago and really really love. Check out or blog post on different dive lights for more details.

camera & video

Like most people I started off with a trusty GoPro which led to an expensive hobby! My first camera was a GoPro Hero4 which served me proud for a good few years, which I then upgraded to a GoPro Hero7 which really gave a leap forward in terms of quality, not only for 4k, but with the hyper smooth feature which made a massive difference. As with all GoPro’s you will need a red filter and video light and if you want to attempt getting some shots of macro, a magnifier. But, with GoPro’s they do have their limitations and I upgraded to a Sony RX100iv last year with the Sony underwater housing. What I have released is that underwater photography is an expensive hobby and I swapped my Sony housing for a more rugged Nauticam housing which gives me more confidence in the water, you can see the picture showing my current rig with dual Sea & Sea YS-D2J stobes, the Nauticam CMC-1 wet macro lens and a flip holder for it. I also have a Fantasea Wet Wide angle lens too for the set up. Really pleased with the results I get from this but also looking to make another upgrade and get a housing for my Sony a6400 soon - wait for a new blog post coming soon!

Unfortunately underwater photography is not a cheap hobby and the more you get into it, the more gadgets you find you want to buy and the more you spend!