What You Need to Know About: Dive Accessories

Having the right dive equipment can make a big difference to your scuba diving experience. Here are some of our best tips, tricks and strategies about getting the most out of your dive accessories — from diving knives to lights.

Now That’s a Knife
Unless you are an underwater hunter — or play a scuba diving villain in a James Bond movie — dive knives are not weapons for stabbing, they are tools made for prying, tank banging, and sawing or slicing through entangling fishing lines or ropes. Choose your blade accordingly.

Steel Yourself?
Stainless steel or titanium — which makes for a better dive knife blade? Stainless tends to be more cost effective — just make sure you choose a premium grade – and typically holds an edge longer, while titanium is virtually corrosion free, and new alloys are far less brittle. Some manufacturers meet in the middle by adding a titanium coating to a steel blade.

The Light Choice
Diving lights not only brighten the reef, they can also be used as an underwater signaling device. A narrow, focused beam penetrates in murky water and is ideal for investigating dark nooks and crannies, while a wider beam may provide a greater sense of well being for those not fully comfortable with scuba diving in the dark.

Squared Away
Light sources decrease with distance according to the inverse square law, which in layman’s terms means a diving light that is twice as bright won’t necessarily penetrate twice as far down the reef. That said, brighter is usually better, though beam shape, color temperature and consistency can be as important as total output.