Scuba Diving Holiday Gift Ideas

Have a scuba diver on your holiday list, or perhaps you’re a diver looking for some ideas to give to others for gifts for yourself? Don’t worry, Scuba Jay has you covered. Below are some ideas, from lower priced gear to big ticket items, that will make nice gifts for that certain someone…even if that someone is you.

Gifts for under $100

We all know scuba gear can get costly, but your scuba gift does not have to break the bank. Below are some ideas for some smaller gifts that could be nice stocking stuffers.

1) Bag and gear tags

Help your scuba diver keep track of their luggage on trips with some spiffy scuba bag tags.

Some scuba bag tags can help you keep track of your dive gear bag.

With so much gear looking alike, you can also distinguish your gear on the dive boat with a nice personalized BC name tag.

You can grab one here!

A BC nametag is a nice way to distinguish your gear.

2) Wrist Compass

Knowing where you’re going and how to get back can be key when in the underwater world. A wrist compass always makes for a nice useful tool for divers. You can also get one attached to a retractor that can clip to a BC, if your diver would prefer not to wear one on the wrist.

A wrist compass can help you get to your underwater destination and then back again.

Grab the one I recommend here.

3) Weights

Us divers need to be able to sink. depending on water temperatures, wetsuit thickness and salt or fresh water, we are always twiddling with our weights. A variety of different weights on hand can be rather useful to help dial in your buoyance just right.

Make sure your diver can sink on their next outing.

You can pick-up the ones I recommend here.

4) Log Book

Having a log book of all your dives is not just nice for your memories, but helpful to recall what wetsuit and weights you wore for a particular dive in a particular location. Plus many dive operators want to know how many dives you’ve had, including boat and deep dives, before they will take you out on that kind of dive.

A log book is a nice way to save memories and store important dive information.

I have this one.

5) Knives

For scuba diving, a knife is used more as a tool as opposed to a weapon and is a very important item to have in case of entanglements.

There are many options to choose from that fall under $100. Some of the popular choices are the Rite Edge’s Divers Knife, Akona Edge, Tanu Dive and Rescue Knife and the SORD 4″ Dive Knife.

If a knife is not your diver’s thing, then try trauma shears that will also work well with entanglements.

The Tanu Dive and Recue Knife conveniently attaches to your BC.

You can snag one of my favorite ones here.

6) Signaling device

Being able to get your dive buddy’s attention underwater is key. Whether a training dive, or diving for fun, I always bring along my DiveAlertPLUS signaling device. This is a snap to attach to your inflator house and definitely gets attention underwater.

The DiveAlertPLUS is a great signaling device.

Some less expensive signaling devices include tank bangers like the Seafard and the Woanger.

You can grab the one I like – the DiveAlertPLUS – here.

7) surface marker buoy

A piece of scuba equipment that is handy AND helps to keep you safe, makes for a doubly nice gift. That’s what you have with surface marker buoys.

While there are many to choose from, you can pick a marker buoy that is just the buoy, or, for a little bit more, one that comes with a built in reel line. Your diver will appreciate the gift for being a scuba item and for you thinking about their safety.

A surface marker buoy will help to keep your diver safe.

Grab the one Scuba Jay uses here.

8) Snorkels

A commonly misplaced or lost piece of equipment is the snorkel. Make sure your diver has one, or a spare, this holiday season. A few popular choices are the ScubaPro Nexus Semi-Dry Snorkel, Cressi Adult Dry Snorkel and Kraken Aquatics Dry Snorkel.

Your diver will be thinking of you as they use their snorkel on the surface, conserving air in their tank.

You can grab my favorite one here.

9) Gloves

Help to keep your diver’s hands warm in those colder water temps with some scuba gloves like the Henderson Thermoprene, Scubapro D-Flex and H2ODYSSEY. Of course, you should always wear gloves even in warm water, when allowed, for protection. In those situations, some thinner gloves like the ELFGO, Scubapro Tropic and Cressi Conch Dyfiber can be of help.

Warm your diver’s hands and heart with some scuba gloves.

10) Mask

A good scuba mask does not have to break the bank. The Cressi Eyes Evolution fits that bill and is a Jay’s Faves. Now a scuba mask is a very personal choice and the number one thing is that it should fit well. While the Eyes Evolution may not be for everyone, it has served me well and I bought a second one for a backup. Other popular options are the Cressi Large Wide View Mask, the Phantom Aquatics Panto-180 (which comes with a dry snorkel) and the Scubapro Spectra Low Volume 2.

The Cressi Eyes Evolution is a great mask and would make a good gift.

You can grab my favorite one – the Cressi – here.

Gifts for between $100 and $300

Looking for a scuba gear gift that’s a little more substantial, then check out the below.

1) Knives

For a dive knife that is a little more expensive, but very durable, the Spyderco Salt 2 is a great option. The Spyderco Snap-It Salt is a Jay’s Fave’s, but unfortunately they have been discontinued. What made the Snap-It so great was that the knife had a clasp making it easy to attach to your BC for quick access.

The Spyderco Salt 2 is a superior dive knife.

Other popular dive knives in this price range include the TUSA FK-940 X-Ppert II Titanium Dive Knife, Audeamus Titanium Dive Knife and the ‎Cressi Orca.

You can grab the one I recommend the most here.

2) Mask

Just like dive knives, If you’re looking for a mask that is a little more high-end, some popular options are the Atomic Aquatics Venom (might slightly come in over $200 with tax), ATOMIC Aquatics Venom Frameless and Scubapro Synergy 2 Mask.

The ATOMIC Aquatics Venom Frameless Scuba Diving Mask is a nice gift for that certain someone.

You can grab the ATOMIC shown above here.

3) Fins

When it comes to fins that are comfortable, durable and travel well, the The Scubapro Go Sport fins are not only a great gift idea, but a Jay’s Faves . Some other options are the Scubapro Go Travel, Apeks RK3 Military Rubber Fin, Atomic Aquatics Split Fins and Scubapro Jet Fins.

The Scubapro Go Sport is a versatile dive fin that won’t break the bank. (Photo courtesy of Scubapro.com)

You can grab my favorite ones – The Scubapro Go Fins – here.

4) Wesuits

Like the gloves mentioned above, wetsuits help to both keep a diver warm and protected. When it comes to wetsuits, the lower the millimeter the thinner the fabric.

If your diver is typically diving in cold water, you may want a wetsuit in the 5mm to 7mm range like the Neosport, Lemorecn and Hevto.

If your diver sticks to the warm waters, you may want a wetsuit in the 3mm to 5mm range like the XCEL, SCUBAPRO Men’s Sport Steamer.

The Neosport is a good wetsuit for a reasonable price.

Woman divers have some of their own choices too, like the Seaskin, XUKER, Hevto and Cressi Ladies’ Ultraspan.

If your certain someone is a woman, check out womans’ wetsuits, like the one made by Cressi.

You can grab my recommended cold water wetsuit here, and the warm water dive one here.

5) BCs

The Buoyance Compensator or “BC” helps us divers to float before and after our dives and to achieve neutral buoyance during our dives.

There are three basic types, Jacket, back and hybrid. The differences are where the airbladders are in the BC.

Make sure to know your diver’s preference before buying this item…unless exchanges don’t bother you too much. Also, you’ll want to make sure the BC will fit over the size wetsuit your diver usually wears.

There are some nice options for BCs that don’t have to break the holiday bank, such as the Cressi Scuba Diving Jacket, Cressi Durable Start Jacket Style BC and TUSA Liberator Sigma II. Some of these may be on the $300 cusp depending on size, but maybe your dive was a little extra nice this past year and deserves a few bucks more.

The Cresssi Start is a nice BC and nice gift.

You can grab the BC pictured above here.

Gifts above $300

If your scuba diver has been extra good this year, you may want to consider treating them to some of the below gifts.

1) Wetsuits

Looking to keep your diver extra warm and protected, then you may want to check out the Hollis Neotek, Hollis Semi-Drysuit, Fourth Element Proteus II, Scubapro mens Definition Dry Hd Drysuit and, for those environmentally friendly divers, the Henderson Greenprene wetsuit.

The Henderson Greenprene is a sustainable wetsuit for those looking to lighten the load on the environment. (Photo courtesy of Hendersonusa.com)

Pickup the one pictured above here.

2) Scuba gear travel bags

Your diver is going to need a bag to pack all their new scuba gear gifts in. Some popular ones are the Cressi Moby 5, Stahlsac Curacao Clipper, which is a Jay’s Faves, and the Stahlsac Caicos Cargo Pack.

The Stahlsac Curacao Clipper is Scuba Jay’s dive travel bag of choice.

Grab my favorite one here.

3) BCs

As with most scuba gear, there are many choices and price points to consider when picking out a BC. Some popular high-end BCs include Aqua Lung Pro HD, Mares Bolt SLS and Hollis HD200

The Hollis HD200 is a nice gift for your diver and sure beats coal in the stocking.

Get the one pictured above here.

4) scooters

Want to help your diver get more quickly from point A to point B? Then a scuba scooter might be just what Santa is going to bring. Many options here to choose from including the Asiwo, whiteshark Mix , EDGE K5 Underwater Scooter and LEFEET P1.

Scuba scooters help divers to travel quicker and are a whole lotta fun!

Pick up the one pictured above here.

5) Regulators

It’s the regulators that lets us divers breath underwater. There is the first stage, which attaches to the scuba tank, and the second stage that is the regulator we breath off of. Your diver may want to pick out their own regulator, but if you want to give it a shot some options are the Sherwood Brut Pro (the regulator that I’ve used for over a decade), AQUALUNG Titan Regulator and Octo (Octo is what your diver’s buddy uses in an out of air emergency), and SCUBAPRO MK11 EVO/C370, MK25 EVO/S600.

The Sherwood Brute Pro is an affordable and durable regulator that is the regulator of Scuba Jay.

Pickup the one pictured above here.

Misc. Gift Ideas

Perhaps your diver is all set on gear, well there are plenty of other scuba themed gifts to choose from this holiday season.

Entertainment

Scuba diving gifts can be found across all the media types, including books, movies and toys.

1) Books

There are many books that touch upon real life adventures in scuba diving.

Some of my favorites include:

Shadow Divers is a thrilling nonfiction novel about the hunt to identify a German U-Boat.

Some good books on where to go diving include:

2) movies

I am a movie buff, and I live in Buffalo, NY. That means that unless I’m traveling, there is a good potion of the year that I’m not diving…but watching movies and TV shows on diving. For a list of some of my favorite scuba movies, check out The 25 Best Scuba Diving Movies. Some movies of note that include diving are:

The Deep House is an original scary movie that puts divers in a haunted house at the bottom of a lake.

Some really good scuba diving documentaries include Blue Water, White Death and Hitler’s Lost Sub, which documents the events that take place in the book “Shadow Divers” that is mentioned above.

3) Toys

There are plenty of scuba toys for the young and for the young at heart. For the kiddos, you can find wind-up bath toy divers and playsets.

LEGO has plenty of sets that deal with diving, like the Sunken Treasure Mission, Diving Yacht, Deep-Sea Explorer Submarine and Arctic Explorer Ship. There is even a Ninjago Scuba Jay figure! Not just anyone gets a LEGO named after them.

Scuba Jay holding the actual Scuba Jay Lego figure (that’s pretty cool).

2) Home Decor

Last, but not least, your diver might like some scuba/nautical related items for around the house. Some ideas here include decorative diving helmets, desk clocks and wall clocks, signs, posters and lamps.

A cool diving lamp makes for a nice gift and conversation piece.

Wrapping Things Up

So there you have it. Some excellent gift ideas for your scuba diver or for yourself. I hope you divers out there have been extra good this year and can score a few of the items off of the above list. But no matter what you do get this year, remember it’s the thought that counts.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from Scuba Jay!

Don’t forget to get your loved one some Traveling With Scuba Jay gear too!

If You’re Looking For other Scuba Diving Tips, Check Out The Below.

“How boring would the world be if everywhere and everyone were the same. Safe travels and good adventures.” Scuba Jay