Here is the entire packing list for a day of diving with us: a swimsuit, a towel, sunscreen and sunglasses. That is not a simplification — it is the point. Every piece of actual diving equipment — tank, regulator, BCD, wetsuit, mask and fins — is included in the price of every trip, owned and serviced by us, and waiting on the boat when you step aboard.
Still, gear feels less intimidating when you understand it. This guide walks a first-timer through each piece of equipment — what it does, how it will feel, and why you can trust it — then covers the short list of things to bring yourself and the one optional extra worth knowing about.
Everything Important Is Already on the Boat
Scuba diving looks like an equipment-heavy sport, and it is — but on our trips, none of that weight lands on you. The full professional kit is included in every trip price, from the €43 Kumköy day to the flagship Side Underwater Museum dive: there is no rental counter, no hidden gear surcharge, and no risk of arriving to find the essentials cost extra. What you see on our prices page is what the diving costs, equipment and all.
Just as important as what is provided is who maintains it. Every regulator, tank, BCD, wetsuit, mask and fin set in our lockers is our own equipment, serviced and checked by our team — not a mixed bag of rentals with unknown histories. Regulators are the life-support piece of the kit, and they are treated that way: inspected, maintained and breathed from by our own instructors before they are ever handed to a guest. Tanks are filled and checked as part of the same routine, and anything that does not pass inspection does not go on the boat.
Fitting happens on deck, unhurried, as part of the safety briefing that begins every trip. Your instructor helps you find a wetsuit that fits properly, a mask that seals against your face, and fins that will not pinch — and with only 3–4 divers per instructor, nobody's fitting is rushed to keep a queue moving. By the time you enter the water, the gear should feel less like borrowed machinery and more like something adjusted to you personally. That transformation — from intimidating pile to comfortable second skin — is most of what the first hour of a first-time diving experience is about.
Your Kit, Piece by Piece
Six pieces of equipment will take you underwater. Here is what each one actually does, in the order you will meet them.
The tank carries compressed air on your back — ordinary air, squeezed small, not oxygen as films suggest. You never operate it yourself; your instructor opens and checks the valve before every dive.
The regulator is the cleverest object you will use all holiday: it takes high-pressure air from the tank and hands it to you at exactly the pressure your lungs want, one relaxed breath at a time. It works effortlessly in any position, and it includes a spare mouthpiece and a pressure gauge so your instructor always knows how much air you have. Breathing from one feels strange for about ninety seconds — then it becomes the most normal thing in the world.
The BCD — buoyancy control device — is the inflatable vest that holds your tank and lets you float like a balloon at the surface or hang weightless mid-water. During your dives, your instructor manages its fine-tuning for you, which is one less thing to think about.
The wetsuit keeps you warm not by keeping water out but by trapping a thin layer of it against your skin, which your body heats. A snug fit is the whole trick — which is why we size it on you rather than guessing.
The mask gives your eyes an air pocket so you can focus, and encloses your nose so you can equalise pressure. Fins turn small leg movements into real propulsion, letting you glide instead of paddle.
Every piece is included on all five of our boat trips — nothing on this list ever appears on a bill.
What to Bring Yourself — and What Is Not Included
Your side of the packing list is genuinely short. Bring a swimsuit (worn under the wetsuit — easiest to arrive wearing it), a towel for the boat and the ride home, sunscreen for the sun deck between dives, and sunglasses for a day spent on Mediterranean water. If you are a certified diver, add your logbook — your instructor will sign and stamp your dives at the end of the day, and there are few better souvenirs of a holiday.
A few practical notes from long experience. Apply sunscreen well before diving and generously after — the surface interval on the sun deck is where fair skin quietly burns. Prescription glasses cannot be worn under a mask, but soft contact lenses generally can — just keep your eyes closed if you ever clear your mask, exactly as your instructor will show you. Seasickness remedies, if you know you need them, are best discussed with a pharmacist before the trip.
In the interest of the honesty we promise everywhere on this site, here are the main things not included in the trip price: beverages on board, the optional underwater photo and video service (below), and personal expenses. Lunch — freshly prepared on the boat — is included, as are hotel transfers, all equipment, both guided dives and full insurance. So the realistic budget for extras on a diving day is: drinks, plus photos if you want them, plus whatever you would spend anywhere. Check current trip prices on our prices page.
Optional: Underwater Photos and Videos
There is one moment we can predict for almost every first-time diver: a week after the holiday, someone asks what diving was like, and words do not quite cover it. This is what the optional underwater photo and video service is for — a record of you actually underwater: breathing calmly at depth, hovering over the reef, hand-feeding fish among the sunken statues if your day is the Side Underwater Museum trip.
The honest details, as always. The service is optional and not included in the trip price — it is one of the main extras on the not-included list, alongside beverages and personal expenses. If you would like photos or video, ask about it when booking or on board — it is available as an optional extra on our trips. If you skip it, nothing about your dives changes.
Why not just bring your own camera? Certified divers with their own underwater equipment are welcome to shoot their dives within the limits of the briefing. For first-timers, though, we gently advise against juggling a camera: your first dive deserves your full attention, and your hands will be busy learning to be weightless. Let someone experienced frame the shot while you concentrate on the breathing, the fish and the blue. You will look calmer in the pictures for it — and the pictures are the point.
One last packing thought before you book: if diving is on your holiday plan, keep the 24-hour no-fly rule in mind when choosing your day, pack the four items from the list above, and leave the rest to us. The gear is serviced, the boat is stocked, and the sea, most mornings, is exactly as blue as you hope. Reserve free online, pay on the day — and if plans change, cancellation is free up to 24 hours before. See all five trips to choose your stretch of coast.
