Equipment & Configuration9 min
Building My High-End Oxygen Deco Stage
Why I built my 7-litre oxygen decompression stage around an Apeks DST/XTX50 Nitrox, two HP ports, AI, a button gauge and a clean carried-stage configuration.
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Equipment & Configuration
Masks, fins, cylinders, computers, exposure protection and practical equipment choices.
New articleEquipment & Configuration11 min
What’s in My SCUBA Diving Toolbox?
A tiny, minimalist toolbox that can still handle a complete regulator service and most jobs on my own SCUBA equipment.
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Equipment & Configuration18 min
Why I Finally Trust Wireless Air Integration in Sidemount Diving
Why I moved from scepticism to dual wireless transmitters in sidemount while keeping tiny mechanical gauges as independent pressure backups—and why the real value is the information before, during and after the dive.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Aluminium or Steel Cylinders for Sidemount?
The trade-offs I consider instead of declaring one material best.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
Apeks RK4: My Everyday Sidemount Fin
Why the Apeks RK4 became my everyday sidemount fin: blade design, neutral behaviour, spring-strap ergonomics, propulsion, trim, drysuit compatibility and the situations where I choose something else.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
Bare HD2: The Drysuit That Finally Ended My Drysuit Problems
Why a custom trilaminate suit became my winter and technical choice.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
BCD Mistakes I Made Before Finding the Setup I Wanted
A candid history of BCDs that taught me what I did not want.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Buy Once, Cry Once? Sometimes.
Where premium equipment makes sense and where price is a poor proxy for suitability.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Cold-Water Accessories: Hood, Gloves and Boots
Small exposure-protection pieces that change comfort and dexterity.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Could Modern Dive Lights Eventually Kill the Canister Light?
A forward-looking question about simplification in technical diving.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Cylinder Valves, Gas Analysis and the Small Details of Technical Diving
The small preparation habits that keep technical configurations understandable.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
DivePro L6: Why a Green Laser Changed How I Communicate Underwater
My experience with the DivePro L6 green laser, how I used it for low-impact underwater signalling, and why the 2021 safety recall fundamentally changes the recommendation today.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Don't Upgrade Equipment Just Because Something New Exists
Why I keep old equipment that still solves the problem.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Fin Choice Is About Trim, Exposure Protection and Mission
A framework for choosing fins without brand tribalism.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
From Mares Matrix to Suunto Vyper to Perdix 2: My Dive Computer Journey
How my computer needs changed as my diving changed.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
From Single Cylinder to Twinset: Why Modularity Matters
Why I value systems that can grow with the dive.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
Hollis F1: The Batman Fins I Use When I Want Zero Compromise
Why very heavy fins can be the right technical tool.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
How I Choose Between 3 mm, 7 mm and a Drysuit
My practical exposure-protection decision tree.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
How I Route My Sidemount Regulators
How the fifth port and rotating turret help me keep the hoses where I want them.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
How I Transport S80 Cylinders Without Letting Them Roll Around the Car
A small 3D-printed solution to an annoying transport problem.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
How I Wash and Store My Diving Equipment
My practical post-dive workflow after repeated salt-water use.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
If I Lost All My Dive Gear Tomorrow: The First Things I Would Buy Again
The ultimate test of which equipment choices matter most.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
Less Gear, More Intent: My Philosophy of Minimalist Diving
Minimalism as a method, not an aesthetic.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
Mares Quad: The Dive Computer That Refuses to Die
My long-term experience with the original RGBM-based Mares Quad, why it remains my trusted backup after extensive use, and how it differs from the newer Bühlmann-based Quad 2 and Quad CI.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
Mission Before Equipment: Why I Never Dive Like a Christmas Tree
Why I deliberately leave unnecessary equipment out of the water.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
My Dive Box Is Also My Rinse Tank
The simple drain-valve modification that speeds up my post-dive routine.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
My Dive Light Evolution: From 700 Lumens to 3,500
How my expectations of a primary light changed over time.
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Equipment & Configuration12 min
My Diving Equipment: What I Use, Why I Use It, and What Years Underwater Have Taught Me
A detailed tour of the sidemount, backmount, regulators, computers, exposure protection, fins, lights, cameras and practical systems I use—and the reasoning that connects them.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
My Old Scubapro 3 mm: Why I Still Haven't Replaced It
Why 'still works' can beat 'newer exists'.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
My Two-Box Dive Gear System
Why two stackable plastic boxes beat one enormous bag for me.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
One Mask Does Not Do Everything
Why I own different masks for scuba and freediving roles.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Scubapro Go Sport: The Fins I Used to Love but Rarely Use Now
Why good equipment can stop fitting the job without becoming bad equipment.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
Shearwater Perdix 2: The Lamborghini of My Dive Computers
My long-term Shearwater Perdix 2 experience: Bühlmann, gradient factors, GF99, SurfGF, NDL, TTS, air integration, SAC, GTR, sidemount gas tracking, batteries, strengths and limitations.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Technology Is Changing What a Minimalist Diver Can Carry
How better materials, batteries and electronics can simplify configurations.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
The Best Equipment Is Sometimes the Equipment That Lets You Remove Equipment
A general principle illustrated by modern lighting.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
The Best Regulator Story Is the Emergency That Never Happened
Why boring reliability is the highest compliment I can give a regulator.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
The Equipment Mistakes That Made Me a Better Diver
A personal history of wrong purchases and what they taught me.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
The Long Search for the Right Dive Mask
Why repeated use matters more than the shop mirror.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
The Small Diving Accessories That Actually Earn Their Place
My test for small tools that are genuinely useful.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
The Strange Behaviour of Aluminium S80s Below About 140 Bar
How cylinder buoyancy changes become a trim-management task.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
There Is No Perfect Diving Setup
Why the right setup depends on diver, mission, environment and experience.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
Tovatec T3500S: The Best Dive Light I've Owned So Far
My long-term experience with the Tovatec T3500S: beam, charging, battery indication, harness placement, real-world use and why it became my favourite general-purpose dive light.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
Transmitters Plus Button Gauges: Why I Use Both
Electronic convenience with a simple local backup.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
TUSA Tri-Force: An Unexpectedly Good DPV Fin
Why its blade design feels particularly good when I use a scooter.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Waterproof W1 7 mm: Why Front-Zip Matters When You Dive Alone
Why independent donning is a practical feature, not a luxury.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
What I Would Buy Again Today - and What I Wouldn't
A direct review of which purchases survived long-term use.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Why I Dive With Two Computers
How the role of my second computer changes between recreational and technical dives.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Why I Own Five Different Pairs of Fins
Fins as mission-specific tools rather than duplicates.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Why I Prefer Single-Emitter Dive Lights
My experience with beam quality, with an important technical caveat.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Why I Sometimes Dive a Drysuit in Summer
The drysuit as part of a technical system, not just thermal clothing.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
Why I Use Aluminium S80 Cylinders for Sidemount
Why aluminium S80s fit my sidemount logistics and trim.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
Why I Use Apeks DST + XTX50 Regulators
Why Apeks DST first stages and XTX50 second stages became the backbone of my sidemount and technical regulator configurations, including routing, reliability, transmitters and mechanical backup.
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
XDeep Mask: Performance, Fit... and Yes, Lime Green
A reminder that aesthetics are allowed to matter after function is satisfied.
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Equipment & Configuration4 min
XDeep Zen: My Minimalist Backmount Setup
Why the Zen became my personal backmount platform.
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Equipment & Configuration11 min
The Digital Shift: Modernising Sidemount Gas Management
Modernising a sidemount configuration does not have to mean adding complexity. Moving primary gas information to dual wireless transmitters while retaining compact mechanical backup gauges can reduce physical clutter while providing richer information on the wrist.
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Equipment & Configuration8 min
Rubber vs Braided Regulator Hoses: Which One Is Best?
Which regulator hose is best: traditional rubber or a textile-braided hose such as Miflex? The honest answer is that it depends on routing, environment, maintenance and personal preference.
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Equipment & Configuration6 min
Misconceptions About Visual Inspection of Diving Cylinders
Misconceptions About Visual Inspection of Diving Cylinders Diving enthusiasts often overlook the importance of visual inspection when it comes to maintaining their diving cylinders. Many perceive it as a superficial examination limited to the…
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Equipment & Configuration5 min
The Different Types of Dive Gear and Equipment and... rent or buy?
Scuba diving gear and equipment can be overwhelming, especially for new divers. The variety of options available can make it difficult to know what you need and what to look for when purchasing or…
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Equipment & Configuration2 min
The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Divers!
Are you on the hunt for the perfect Christmas gifts for the SCUBA enthusiast in your life? Look no further! This guide has got you covered, from budget-friendly options to the most luxurious treats…
Read articleEquipment & Configuration3 min
Cylinders: Alu and Steel
As a SCUBA diving instructor, I have had the opportunity to work with both steel and aluminum SCUBA cylinders on a regular basis. Both types have their own unique pros and cons, and it…
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Equipment & Configuration3 min
Should You Rent or Buy Your Scuba Equipment?
As a scuba diving instructor, I have had the opportunity to both travel with my own scuba gear and rent gear at various dive locations. While both options have their pros and cons, it…
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Equipment & Configuration3 min
Defog the Scuba diving mask
Defogging a scuba diving mask is an essential skill for all divers to master. Foggy masks can obstruct your vision and ruin your diving experience, so it's important to know how to prevent and…
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Equipment & Configuration3 min
Ready for the flight?
As a scuba diving instructor, I have had the opportunity to travel to various diving locations around the world. One thing that is always a challenge, however, is packing my scuba diving gear before…
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Equipment & Configuration3 min
Equipment: Scuba Diving fins
SCUBA diving fins are an essential piece of equipment for any diver, and as a SCUBA diving instructor, I have had the opportunity to use and teach with many different types and brands of…
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Equipment & Configuration3 min
Scuba Diving: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding the Underwater World
If you're passionate about scuba diving and want to learn more about this exciting underwater world, you've come to the right place. Busaboy is your one-stop-shop for all things related to scuba diving, with…
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Reviewed archiveEquipment & Configuration2 min
Choosing a Wetsuit: Fit, Thickness, Flushing and Neoprene Compression
A wetsuit does not warm the water around the diver indefinitely. It reduces heat loss by trapping a thin layer of water and limiting how quickly that warmed water is replaced by colder…
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Reviewed archiveEquipment & Configuration2 min
Dive Knives, Line Cutters and Shears: Choosing an Entanglement Tool
A cutting tool in diving is not a weapon. Its purpose is to free a diver, buddy or animal from fishing line, netting, rope or other entanglement. The best tool is the one that can cut the…
Read articleReviewed archiveEquipment & Configuration2 min
How a Drysuit Really Keeps a Diver Warm and Dry
A drysuit keeps most water away from the diver’s body. It does not normally provide all the warmth by itself. The insulation comes mainly from the undergarments and the gas trapped within…
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Reviewed archiveEquipment & Configuration2 min
Understanding Your Dive Computer: NDL, Ascent Rate and Personal Settings
A dive computer is a pressure and time recorder running a decompression algorithm. It continuously updates guidance from the profile it has measured, but it does not examine your…
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Reviewed archiveEquipment & Configuration2 min
What a Dive Watch Bezel Really Does—and What It Cannot Do
The rotating bezel on a traditional dive watch is a simple elapsed-time tool. It can be useful, elegant and mechanically reassuring, but it is not a decompression computer and it does not…
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Equipment & Configuration3 min
Scuba Diving Masks
Scuba diving masks are a crucial piece of equipment for any diving enthusiast. These masks allow divers to see clearly underwater and to communicate with their diving partners. They also protect the diver’s face…
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Equipment & Configuration3 min
Diving Cylinders: Aluminium or Steel?
A practical archive comparison of aluminium and steel scuba cylinders, including weight, buoyancy and intended use.
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Equipment & Configuration6 min
Eight Valuable Rules for Safer Diving
Eight practical habits covering buddies, equipment, preparation, relaxation, site knowledge, insurance and regular practice.
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Equipment & Configuration2 min
Can I Carry Scuba Cylinders in My Car?
A historical overview of transporting scuba cylinders in private and commercial vehicles under European ADR rules.
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