🤿 The 9 accessories in detail
#1
🛟 Safety first
SMB 5 ft Surface Marker Buoy with 100 ft alloy spool
A 5 ft open-bottom marker buoy with a reflective band, sold as a set with a 100 ft (30 m) alloy finger spool and a double-ended snap. On an outer-reef drift dive you can surface well away from the boat: the SMB shows the crew where you are.
✅ Pros
- · Alloy spool and snap included
- · Reflective band
- · 4.4/5 on Amazon.com.au
❌ Cons
- · Practise deploying it from depth with an instructor
- · Generic brand
5 ft30 m spoolOpen bottom
Check price on Amazon.com.au →#2
✂️ Safety
Dive Rite Ceramic Line Cutter
A ceramic blade protected inside a hook-shaped body, supplied with a sheath. It cuts monofilament cleanly without the risk of slicing yourself, and ceramic does not rust. Around jetties and wrecks, lost fishing line is the real entanglement risk.
✅ Pros
- · Ceramic blade, no rust
- · Protected edge
- · 4.7/5 from 175 reviews
❌ Cons
- · Not for thick rope
- · Mount it where either hand can reach it
CeramicSheath includedWreck diving
Check price on Amazon.com.au →#3
🔦 Backup torch
Wurkkos 2000 lm (SST40)
A compact 2,000-lumen dive torch with its rechargeable battery. Even in clear tropical water, a torch brings back the reds under bommies and ledges, and every liveaboard night dive needs one, plus a backup.
✅ Pros
- · 2,000 lumens
- · Rechargeable
- · Compact
❌ Cons
- · Wide beam, less punch than a narrow-beam torch
2,000 lm18650Compact
Check price on Amazon.com.au →#4
🥽 Comfort
Cressi Big Eyes Evolution
A dive-school classic: tilted lenses for a wide view downwards, where your gauges are, a low internal volume that is easy to clear, and a silicone skirt. To check the fit, hold it on your face without the strap and breathe in through your nose: it should stay put.
✅ Pros
- · Wide downward field of view
- · Low volume, easy to clear
- · 4.3/5 on Amazon.com.au
❌ Cons
- · Several colour listings at very different prices
- · Wash the new lenses before the first dive
Low volumeSiliconeMade in Italy
Check price on Amazon.com.au →#5
💧 Comfort
Cressi Premium Anti-Fog
A few drops on dry lenses, spread, quick rinse, and the mask stays clear. Humid air on deck and cooler water at depth is exactly what makes masks fog. Nearly 12,000 reviews on the listing.
✅ Pros
- · Cheap
- · Nearly 12,000 reviews
- · Small bottle for the dive bag
❌ Cons
- · A new mask must be degreased first
LiquidPocket-sizedBestseller
Check price on Amazon.com.au →#6
☀️ Warm water
Quiksilver All Time Long Sleeve UPF 50 Rash Vest
A long-sleeve UPF 50 rashie from the Australian surf brand. It blocks the sun between dives and on surface intervals, protects against stinging plankton and scrapes, and means less sunscreen in the water. In stinger season, ask your operator about full stinger suits.
✅ Pros
- · UPF 50 sun protection
- · Australian surf brand
- · 4.6/5 on Amazon.com.au
❌ Cons
- · No thermal protection: not a wetsuit
- · Not a stinger suit
UPF 50Long sleeveMen's cut
Check price on Amazon.com.au →#7
🪸 Reef safe
Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+
A mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide, fragrance-free and water-resistant. Mineral filters avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate, the two chemicals most often linked to coral damage. Apply it before boarding, not at the dive site.
✅ Pros
- · Zinc oxide mineral filter
- · Fragrance-free
- · 4.5/5 from 3,300 reviews
❌ Cons
- · Small 3 oz tube
- · Can leave a light white cast
SPF 50+MineralWater-resistant
Check price on Amazon.com.au →#8
🧭 Navigation
Dive compass Southern Hemisphere Wrist Compass
A wrist dive compass balanced for the southern hemisphere, with a luminous dial. A compass balanced for the north tilts and sticks in Australia: check the hemisphere before buying any compass here.
✅ Pros
- · Southern-hemisphere balance
- · Luminous dial
- · Wrist strap
❌ Cons
- · Few reviews
- · Learn to use it on a navigation course
Southern hemisphereLuminousWrist mount
Check price on Amazon.com.au →#9
🎒 Transport
Sea to Summit Big River Dry Bag 13 L
A tough roll-top dry bag from the Australian outdoor brand Sea to Summit. On a reef boat or a liveaboard tender everything gets wet: this is where your phone, keys and dry clothes go.
✅ Pros
- · Australian brand
- · Heavy-duty fabric
- · 4.8/5 from 400+ reviews
❌ Cons
- · 13 L: pick a larger size for a towel and clothes
Roll-top13 LHeavy-duty
Check price on Amazon.com.au →❓ Frequently asked questions
Which accessories should I buy first for diving in Australia?
A mask that fits and an anti-fog, then sun protection: a UPF 50 rashie and a mineral sunscreen. Next come the safety items: an SMB with a spool, a line cutter and a backup torch.
Does a compass bought online work in Australia?
Only if it is balanced for the southern hemisphere (or is a global-balance model). A northern-hemisphere compass needle tilts and can stick. The compass in this guide is sold as a southern-hemisphere model.
What sunscreen should I use on the Great Barrier Reef?
A mineral sunscreen (zinc oxide) without oxybenzone or octinoxate, applied well before entering the water. Better still, cover up with a rashie so you need less sunscreen at all.
Is a rashie enough protection in stinger season?
No. A rashie stops sunburn and some minor stings, but in tropical waters from roughly November to May operators recommend full-length stinger suits. Most reef boats provide them.
Do I need an SMB on a reef day trip?
Many operators require one per buddy pair, and it is essential on drift dives where the tender follows the group. It is cheap and fits in a BCD pocket.