Your kit is essential to safe and enjoyable diving

When you first start, it may all seem daunting but with some simple instruction, your diving equipment will soon make sense. As you build on your diving skills and experience, so will your diving kit. But as a new diver, here are the essential items you will use:

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 Mask

As the human eye was only designed to work properly in air not water, your mask is your essential window on the underwater world.

Regulator

A demand valve supplies air whenever you want to take a breath via the mouthpiece. You will also have a second demand valve – known as an octopus – which you or your buddy can use as an alternative air source. The regulator is attached by a hose to an air cylinder that you wear on your back.

Wetsuit or drysuit

Depending on where you dive – in warm or cold water – you will need a protective layer of clothing. In warmer waters, a wetsuit is used, which is made of a layer of neoprene rubber. This acts as insulation by trapping a thin layer of water next to the skin which the body then heats up. The colder the water, the thicker the wetsuit.

In the UK, divers mostly use drysuits which are made of tough, waterproof material with seals at the neck and wrists to keep water out. Worn with insulating undersuits, drysuits are designed to keep divers comfortable in colder waters.

Buoyancy Compensation Device (BCD)

This is a streamlined jacket connected via an inflator hose to your air cylinder. At the surface, enough air can be injected into the jacket to keep you afloat while, underwater, small amounts of air can be added and adjusted so that you are neither rising or sinking – this is known as neutral buoyancy.

Weight belt/integrated weights

A weight belt worn around the waist is used to help a diver descend and stop them rising to the surface involuntarily. The weights also help to counteract the positive buoyancy of a diver's equipment. Integrated weights can also be used with BCDs that have pockets.

Fins

Fins enable divers to swim underwater and allow a level of control and freedom of movement that would otherwise be impossible. There are a wide range of fins on the market but they fall into two types – full foot fins, most commonly used in the pool while training and strap fins, which are worn with boots.

Gauges

Attached by a hose to your cylinder, your gauge tells you how much air you have. Gauges also tell you how deep you are and can include a compass and temperature reading.

Dive computer

Your dive computer displays essential information about how deep you are, how long you have been underwater and how long you can safely stay at the depth you are at.

Torch

These come in all shapes and sizes. The deeper you go, the more light is filtered out by the water. Torches restore the natural colour to coral and marine life and are good for general looking around.