🤿 The 10 accessories in detail
#1
🛟 Safety first
Cressi Surface Marker Buoy
An orange inflatable buoy you send up during the safety stop or at the surface so the boat can see you. In UK tidal water, where you can surface well away from the shot line, this is the cheapest and most useful safety item in the bag, and most clubs and charter skippers expect you to carry one.
✅ Pros
- · Bright orange, visible from a distance
- · Folds into a BCD pocket
- · One of the most reviewed SMBs on Amazon.co.uk
❌ Cons
- · Needs a reel or spool to deploy from depth
- · Practise deployment before relying on it
OrangePocket-sizedBoat diving
Check price on Amazon →#2
✂️ Safety
Dive Rite Ceramic Line Cutter
A ceramic blade protected inside a hook-shaped body, supplied with a sheath. It cuts monofilament and thin rope cleanly without the risk of slicing yourself, and ceramic does not rust. Around British wrecks, lost fishing line is the real entanglement risk, and this is safer and easier to use than a big knife.
✅ Pros
- · Ceramic blade, no rust
- · Protected edge, hard to cut yourself
- · Rated 4.7/5 on Amazon.co.uk
❌ Cons
- · Not for thick rope
- · Mount it where either hand can reach it
CeramicSheath includedWreck diving
Check price on Amazon →#3
🔦 Backup light
Wurkkos 2000 lm (SST40)
A compact 2,000-lumen torch rated to 150 m, supplied with its 18650 battery and charger. It is enough as a first light, then becomes the backup you clip to your harness for night dives, wrecks and the days when the light disappears below 10 m.
✅ Pros
- · Battery and charger included
- · Rated to 150 m
- · Compact enough for a pocket
❌ Cons
- · Wide beam, less punch in murky water than a narrow-beam torch
2,000 lm150 m18650
Check price on Amazon →#4
💡 Cold-water upgrade
OrcaTorch D710
Our cold-water addition. A 3,000-lumen torch with a narrow 6° beam rated to 150 m. In green water a narrow beam cuts through the particles instead of lighting them up, which makes it the light for wrecks in Scapa Flow or Plymouth, and for signalling to your buddy.
✅ Pros
- · Narrow 6° beam for poor visibility
- · 3,000 lumens
- · Rated to 150 m
❌ Cons
- · The most expensive item in this guide
- · Narrow beam is less suited to filming
3,000 lm6° beam150 m
Check price on Amazon →#5
🧤 Cold water
Osprey 5 mm Neoprene Gloves
Five-finger 5 mm neoprene gloves with an anti-slip palm and an adjustable wrist strap. Cold hands lose dexterity fast, and you need it to deploy an SMB, read a computer or clip a torch. Choose them snug: loose gloves let water flush through.
✅ Pros
- · 5 mm neoprene for 8–15 °C water
- · Adjustable wrist strap
- · 4.6/5 from 475 reviews
❌ Cons
- · Thick gloves reduce feel: practise clipping with them on
- · Check the size chart
5 mm5 fingersAnti-slip
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🧢 Cold water
Osprey 5 mm Neoprene Hood
A 5 mm hood that seals around the face and neck. A large share of body heat escapes through an uncovered head, and a hood also prevents the ice-cream headache when you descend into cold water. With a wetsuit in British water, it is not optional.
✅ Pros
- · 5 mm thickness for UK temperatures
- · Several sizes
- · Under £25 when we checked
❌ Cons
- · A tight fit takes a few dives to get used to
- · Burp air out of it on descent
5 mmFace sealMultiple sizes
Check price on Amazon →#7
🥽 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
- · 4.5/5 from 2,000 reviews
❌ Cons
- · One adult size: try the fit
- · Wash the new lenses before the first dive
Low volumeSiliconeTilted lenses
Check price on Amazon →#8
💧 Comfort
Stream2Sea Anti-Fog Spray
A biodegradable anti-fog spray for dive masks. A couple of sprays on dry lenses, spread, quick rinse, and the mask stays clear. Cold water against a warm face is exactly what makes masks fog, so it earns its place in a UK kit bag.
✅ Pros
- · Biodegradable formula
- · Easy spray format
- · Around 2,000 reviews
❌ Cons
- · A new mask must be degreased first, or no anti-fog will work well
SprayBiodegradablePocket-sized
Check price on Amazon →#9
🧭 Navigation
Suunto SK-8 Wrist Compass
A benchmark dive compass with a luminous dial that reads in dark water and a side window for following a bearing with your arm out. When visibility drops to a few metres, it is how you get back to the shot line or the shore without surfacing.
✅ Pros
- · Luminous, easy-to-read dial
- · Side reading window
- · Suunto build quality
❌ Cons
- · The listing title says 'Swim Computer': it is the SK-8 compass
- · Few reviews on this listing
Wrist mountLuminousSide window
Check price on Amazon →#10
🎒 Transport
Earth Pak Waterproof Dry Bag
A roll-top dry bag with a waterproof phone pouch, sold in several sizes (20 L is the right one for a dive day). On a RIB everything gets soaked: this is where your towel, car keys and the fleece you want after a cold dive go.
✅ Pros
- · Several sizes on the same listing
- · Waterproof phone pouch included
- · Thousands of reviews
❌ Cons
- · Pick the size before adding to basket
Roll-topPhone pouch20 L option
Check price on Amazon →❓ Frequently asked questions
Which accessories should I buy first for diving in the UK?
A mask that fits and an anti-fog, then the cold-water items: 5 mm gloves and a hood. Next come the safety items you don't always get from the club: an SMB, a line cutter and a backup torch.
Do I really need an SMB on a UK boat dive?
Yes. In tidal water you can surface far from the shot line, and an SMB is how the skipper finds you. Most charter boats and clubs expect every pair, and often every diver, to carry one.
3 mm or 5 mm gloves and hood for British water?
With water between 8 and 15 °C, 5 mm is the sensible choice for wetsuit divers for most of the year. Keep 3 mm for the warmest summer weeks or for travel.
Why does my new mask fog up?
New lenses carry a manufacturing film that encourages fog. Degrease them first (non-gel toothpaste or a dedicated cleaner, then rinse), then use anti-fog before each dive.
Do I need a compass if my dive computer has one?
Entry-level computers usually have no compass. A wrist compass remains the basic navigation tool taught on Sports Diver and Advanced Open Water courses, and it does not need a battery.