Flying With Dive Gear: Baggage, Batteries and What Goes Where

A dive trip does not start when you jump in the water. For most divers, it starts several hours earlier at the airport, where a bag full of fins, regulators, computers, batteries and oddly shaped neoprene has to make it through check-in and security.

Flying with dive gear is straightforward once you know what belongs in the cabin, what should be checked and which items have specific restrictions. The important thing is not to rely on a generic “dive equipment allowance”, because airlines set their own baggage allowances and can apply additional requirements to dangerous goods.

This guide focuses on the practical rules that matter most: regulators and computers, dive knives and cutting tools, lithium batteries, torches, cylinders and the all-important wait before flying after a dive.

Airline and airport rules can change, so always check the requirements for your particular airline and route before travelling. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) specifically advises passengers to check with their airline, while Divers Alert Network (DAN) also recommends researching your airline and destination country's baggage allowances.

There is no single airline rule that says all dive equipment must be carried in one particular type of bag. Instead, individual items have different restrictions, and your airline's cabin baggage allowance still applies.

DAN's travel guidance provides a useful starting point. It lists regulators, dive computers and masks as items suitable for carry-on baggage, while BCDs, fins and snorkels can be carried either on board or checked. Cutting tools are listed as check-only.

For a typical dive holiday, your cabin bag can therefore contain:

• Dive computer

• Regulator

• Mask

• Certification card and logbook

• Other small personal dive equipment permitted by your airline

• Valuable electronic equipment

• Spare lithium batteries, correctly protected

• Power banks, subject to the applicable battery rules

Your airline's cabin baggage size and weight limit still applies, even when an item is permitted in the cabin. Check the allowance for your specific ticket before you pack.

DAN specifically lists a regulator as a carry-on item. That makes sense from a practical perspective: it is valuable, relatively compact and important to the functioning of your dive kit.

Pack it so that the first stage and second stages are protected from knocks. A dedicated regulator bag can help keep the equipment together and protected.

There is no need to assume that carrying a regulator means it will automatically be accepted as an additional cabin item. If your regulator is going inside your cabin bag, its weight and dimensions need to fit within your airline's allowance.

DAN also recommends checking your airline and destination country's requirements before travelling rather than assuming the same rules apply everywhere.

Larger pieces of dive equipment can usually be packed in your checked baggage, provided the airline permits them and they fit within your baggage allowance.

DAN specifically lists BCDs, fins and snorkels as equipment that can be either carried on or checked.

Common equipment to put in your main dive bag includes:

• BCD

• Fins

• Wetsuit or drysuit

• Boots

• Gloves and hood

• Snorkel

• Reels and other non-restricted accessories

• Other larger items permitted by your airline

Pack checked dive equipment so that it is protected from damage during baggage handling.

A practical way to protect smaller equipment is to use the spaces inside larger items rather than leaving everything loose in the bag. However, avoid putting heavy equipment somewhere it could crush a mask or damage another fragile item.

Dive knives, shears and other cutting tools are different from ordinary dive accessories.

Cutting tools list as check-only equipment. They should therefore be packed securely in your checked baggage rather than your cabin bag.

Do not rely on the fact that a particular dive knife is small. Airport security and airline restrictions can apply to blades and cutting tools regardless of their intended use.

If you are travelling with a dive knife or line cutter, check the rules for both your departure airport and airline before packing it.

Batteries are one of the most important parts of flying with dive gear to understand before you leave home.

The UK CAA requires spare lithium batteries to be carried in cabin baggage rather than checked baggage. Spare batteries must also be individually protected against short circuits, such as by keeping them in their original packaging, covering exposed terminals or placing each battery in a separate protective pouch.

That applies particularly to divers carrying spare cells for a torch.

The current CAA guidance also states:

• Lithium-ion batteries up to 100 Wh are generally permitted within the applicable passenger rules.

• Batteries over 100 Wh and up to 160 Wh require airline approval.

• Batteries over 160 Wh are prohibited in passenger baggage and must be transported separately as dangerous-goods cargo.

• Spare batteries must be protected against short circuits.

• Damaged, swollen or overheating batteries should not be carried on an aircraft.

Do not assume that a dive torch is permitted simply because it is a small piece of equipment. Check the battery rating and the airline's rules.

Power banks have additional restrictions under the current CAA guidance.

They must be carried in cabin baggage and must be individually protected against short circuits. The CAA currently limits passengers to two power banks per person. Power banks must not be recharged on board, and the current guidance also says they should not be used to charge other portable electronic devices during the flight.

If your cabin bag is taken from you at the gate and placed in the aircraft's hold, remove your power bank and spare batteries before the bag is checked in. The CAA specifically highlights this precaution.

Some batteries clearly display their watt-hour rating. If yours does not, the CAA provides a simple calculation:

Voltage (V) × Amp-hours (Ah) = Watt-hours (Wh)

If the battery capacity is shown in milliamp-hours rather than amp-hours:

Voltage (V) × mAh ÷ 1,000 = Wh

For example, a 3.7 V battery rated at 5,000 mAh is:

3.7 × 5,000 ÷ 1,000 = 18.5 Wh

That calculation tells you the battery's watt-hour rating, but it does not replace checking the airline's requirements.

A spare battery and a battery installed inside a device are not the same thing under the dangerous-goods rules.

The CAA advises passengers to take battery-powered electronic devices such as phones, tablets and laptops in the cabin where possible. It also provides specific requirements for lithium-powered equipment and says airline rules should always be checked.

For a dive torch, check the manufacturer's battery specification and your airline's requirements before travelling. If you are carrying spare cells, those spare cells belong in your cabin baggage and must be protected against short circuits.

If a torch or other electronic device is permitted in your checked baggage under the applicable rules, it should be completely switched off and protected from accidental activation and damage as required by the relevant rules. Your airline may apply stricter requirements.

Cylinders are an area where you should not rely on a generic internet packing list, because the guidance is not identical between organisations.

The current UK CAA passenger baggage guidance states that diving cylinders can be carried in checked or cabin baggage when they are below 200 kPa (2 bar / 29 psi). Cylinders above 200 kPa cannot be carried. The CAA also notes that check-in staff may have difficulty verifying the pressure and may ask you to empty the cylinder; if it is emptied, the CAA says the valve should be closed to prevent moisture entering.

DAN's Smart Guide gives more conservative advice: it lists cylinders as check-only and says that when travelling with cylinders, divers should remove the valves.

Because those recommendations differ, the safest advice for a diver is simple:

• Contact your airline before travelling with a cylinder.

• Check the airline's dangerous-goods requirements.

• Follow the airline's instructions for preparing the cylinder.

• Do not assume that a cylinder accepted by one airline will be accepted by another.

For a normal recreational dive holiday, taking your own cylinder is rarely necessary. Check with your destination dive centre first and see what rental equipment is available.

Weights are usually another item worth leaving behind.

Lead weights add a significant amount of mass to your luggage, while many dive centres and boats already have the weights required for their equipment and cylinders.

Ask your dive operator what is included before you travel. If weights are available locally, there is little reason to pay to transport them around the world.

Once you know which items are going in each bag, packing becomes much simpler.

A simple packing system is:

1. Put your regulator and dive computer aside first if you intend to carry them on.

2. Protect your mask from crushing or heavy equipment.

3. Pack BCD, fins and exposure protection into your checked bag where appropriate.

4. Secure cutting tools in checked baggage.

5. Keep spare lithium batteries and power banks in the cabin.

6. Check the weight of both cabin and checked bags.

7. Check your airline's current rules before leaving home.

Do not pack spare lithium batteries loose inside your checked dive bag. The CAA specifically requires spare batteries to be carried in the cabin and protected against short circuits.

If you travel regularly, lightweight equipment can make the difference between staying within your baggage allowance and paying for excess weight. A lightweight regulator, travel-friendly BCD or compact dive bag can all be worth considering when building a setup specifically for travel.

Airlines can have requirements that are stricter than the general CAA guidance. Always check the airline's baggage and dangerous-goods information for your specific journey.

This is particularly important for:

• Lithium batteries

• Power banks

• Large batteries

• Scuba cylinders

• Cabin baggage dimensions

• Checked baggage weight

• Additional or unusual equipment

DAN and the CAA both advise passengers to check airline-specific requirements.

Before packing:

• Check the Wh rating.

• Protect spare batteries individually.

• Make sure batteries are not damaged or swollen.

• Put spare lithium batteries in your cabin bag.

• Check whether any battery requires airline approval.

• Remember that power banks have a two-per-person limit under current CAA guidance.

Do not take a damaged, swollen or overheating lithium battery onto an aircraft.

Make sure your equipment is in good working order before travelling. Remember about servicing scuba equipment according to the manufacturer's requirements and checking equipment before diving after travel or servicing.

For equipment you are relying on for a dive trip, discovering a problem at the destination is much worse than discovering it at home.

Packing your equipment correctly is only half of the travel equation. You also need to plan the time between your final dive and your flight.

The current flying-after-diving guidance is based on recreational divers who have no symptoms of decompression sickness and flights at cabin altitudes of approximately 2,000 to 8,000 feet.

For dives within no-decompression limits, DAN recommends:

• At least 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive.

• At least 18 hours after multiple dives in one day or multiple days of diving.

These are minimum recommended surface intervals intended to reduce decompression sickness risk. They do not guarantee that decompression sickness will not occur, and longer surface intervals reduce the risk further.

A dive computer can be extremely useful when travelling because it records your dives and provides a no-fly indication after diving.

However, your computer's displayed no-fly time should be treated as part of your overall dive planning rather than a reason to ignore other guidance.

If your computer indicates a longer no-fly period, follow the longer interval.

Flying with dive gear does not have to be complicated. Once you know which equipment belongs in the cabin, which items need to be checked and how to deal with batteries, you can spend less time worrying about airport security and more time thinking about the diving ahead.