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You have spent a chunk of your hard earned cash on scuba gear and now you want to make it last, here’s some handy hints to help you.

The suns U/V rays are as damaging to scuba gear as they are to your skin, the rays break down the neoprene and fabric and cause fading, cool black can turn to a dirty brown very quickly. Try and always dry your gear in the shade

One of the harshest elements on all regulators is sand.  Sand on a diaphragm can cause it to breathe wet or freeflow.  Especially when shore diving, take a mat to put your equipment on when setting up or between dives and be careful when transporting equipment that your regs don’t drag in the sand

How many times does the PADI video say wash your scuba gear in fresh water?  There is a reason for it, as salt is corrosive and can destroy metals and alloys.  Don’t forget your accessories too such as cameras and torches, they should all be rinsed in fresh water.

Chlorine from swimming pools accelerates the breakdown of materials and can fade the colour of your scuba gear, again, rinse it thoroughly in fresh water. Baby shampoo may seem a great way to clear you mask, but use the same rinse bucket as your camera and you can damage the o-rings.

If scuba gear is not properly dry when it is stored it can grow mould and is a haven for insects.  Camera and torch O-rings should be lubricated with silicone gel before stored and regulator should be curled so there are no kinks in the hoses.

When transporting gear always make sure that your regs are inside a dedicated reg bag or wrapped inside your BCD and wetsuit to give them padding especially on a plane.  In a car or boat never put your weights with your dive gear, mask and regs are fragile and can easily be broken by moving weights.

One last tip before your holiday, check your battery level on your dive computer especially if it’s been stored for a while.  There is nothing worse than having a ‘Battery Low’ flashing at you after the first dive of a week long liveaboard!

Check out where you can use your scuba gear in Bali with our scuba diving day trips