My Dive Gear Setup

When you dive a lot, you figure out pretty fast what gear actually works for the kind of diving you do and what falls apart.

None of my gear is about chasing the newest release or having the most expensive setup. It’s about finding what works and sticking with it.

Some of it is budget, some of it is higher-end, but everything here has earned its place after a lot of dives, a lot of travel, and a lot of lessons learned underwater.

Below, you’ll find a full breakdown of what I currently dive with: my BCD, fins, wetsuits, regs, dive computers, and sidemount setup.

If you’re putting together your own dive kit or you’re just curious what real-world travel and tec diving gear looks like, here’s everything I trust and use.

And if you ever have questions about dive gear, setups, or planning your own trip, feel free to get in touch. Always happy to talk diving.

Mask

Beuchat Maxlux S

Why I Dive It:

  • Fits smaller faces really well — no leaks, no weird pressure points.
  • Soft silicone skirt that seals easily without needing to overtighten.
  • Comes in tons of colors (which is a fun bonus, even if I usually stick to black).

Personal Note: It’s the only mask I keep coming back to because it just fits and works without drama. I know a lot of girls who swear by this mask too.

BCD

XDEEP Zeos 28 lbs wing
+ Tecline short backplate
+ Tecline soft webbing

Why I Dive It:

  • Lightweight and simple for travel diving.
  • The short backplate fits me better and gives me great balance and trim.
  • Softer webbing packs easier and feels way more comfortable.

Regulators

Apeks XTX50 with DST first stages (DIN)

Why I Dive It:

  • Bulletproof reliability, built for real-world diving, not just pretty photos.
  • Great for sidemount, backmount, and twinset diving.
  • The DST first stage makes hose routing super clean across all setups.

Personal Note: They’re a little heavier than some lightweight travel regs, but for me, the extra reliability is 100% worth carrying.

Dive Computers

Shearwater Teric (primary)
Suunto D4i (backup)

Why I Dive Them:

  • Shearwater Teric: Shearwater makes the best dive computers on the market in my opinion. Watch-sized (perfect for small wrists), does everything from rec dives to full tec dives, super adjustable settings, and amazing customer service (unlike Garmin).
  • Suunto D4i: Old but rock solid and now my backup. Safe, reliable, and still a great choice for a first computer.

Personal Note: The D4i was my very first dive computer and I’d never sell it. Suunto’s conservative algorithm and bulletproof reliability make it a computer I still recommend to new divers all the time.

Sidemount Setup

Razor Sidemount System (harness and wing)
Sugar Sea Tank Bands
XDEEP NX Series Bolt Snaps

Why I Dive It:

  • I love the simplicity and minimalism of the Razor system, no unnecessary extras.
  • It fits me way better than other systems I tried (like the XDEEP) and feels like a perfect hug around my body underwater.
  • Super travel-friendly thanks to the slim, minimalist design.
  • Sugar Sea tank bands are slim, look clean, and are super fast to attach.
  • XDEEP NX bolt snaps are easy to grab and clip even with thick gloves.

Personal Note: I dive my Razor system with continuous bungees.

Fins

OMS Slipstream (main fin for warm water)
Mares Avanti Quattro (for strong currents)
Tecline Power Jet (for drysuit diving)

Why I Dive Them:

  • OMS Slipstream: Lightweight, great for warm water diving, super versatile — perfect for teaching, tec, and fun dives.
  • Mares Avanti Quattro: My go-to for strong currents with powerful kicks, and lots of thrust, even if they’re not as precise.
  • Tecline Power Jet: Heavy and stiff, perfect for drysuit diving. Incredible precision underwater — feel razor sharp on control.

Wetsuits

Random 3mm no-name fullsuit
Fourth Element Thermocline Fullsuit
Sharkskin Chillproof T2 Fullsuit
Fourth Element Xenos 5mm

Why I Dive Them:

  • Random 3mm: Cheap, decent, and good enough when I don’t care about performance.
  • Thermocline: Neutrally buoyant, 3mm equivalent, looks great, feels good — but I’m often too cold in it (I freeze easily).
  • Sharkskin T2: my go-to suit – comfortable, windproof on the boat, and enough warmth for most of my dives.
  • Xenos 5mm: Super warm and stretchy, but an absolute pain to get into — I only use it when it’s properly cold and worth the effort.

Personal Note: I’m a total freeze baby, so picking the right wetsuit for the conditions makes a huge difference for me – which is probably the reason why I have so many.

Accessories

SMB: Tecline Closed SMB 11/117 (slim version)
Spool: No-name finger spool with ~35m line
Torches: Orcatorch D710 (everyday), Orcatorch ZD710
Cutting Tools: Eezycut Trilobite + no-name ceramic cutter

Why I Dive Them:

  • SMB: Slim, easy to deploy underwater, perfect size for places like Koh Tao where you don’t need a massive buoy.
  • Spool: Basic but reliable.
  • Orcatorch D710: Small but insanely powerful and my go-to torch for night dives, blackwater dives, or spotting critters hiding in cracks.
  • Orcatorch ZD710: Bigger, adjustable beam, and crazy bright — great for when I want a lot of light.
  • Cutting Tools: Reliable and both do their job, that’s all I need.

Personal Note: I always carry a DSMB and a cutter, no exceptions, no matter where I’m diving. And I don’t overcomplicate accessories. Reliable, simple gear that does its job is all I need.

Future Upgrades

Even though I’m really happy with my current setup, there are a couple of things I’m keeping an eye on for the future:

  • Mask: I still love my Beuchat Maxlux S, but the new Cressi Z2S just came out and looks really promising. The shape is super similar to the Maxlux, but the silicone feels way better than the old Cressi masks. It’s clear they put serious work into the new design. So next time I need a new mask, I might give the Z2S a try.
  • Dive Computer: At some point, I’ll need a second tec-capable computer, both because my Suunto D4i won’t last forever and because I want two computers that can handle mixed gases. I’d love to love Garmin. I really like their designs and crazy battery life (especially the G1 Solar), but honestly, their reliability and customer service are still a dealbreaker. So unless something changes big time, my next computer will probably be a Shearwater Perdix.