How to Maintain Your Scuba Gear: A Complete Care Guide
Salt water is relentless — but with the right post-dive ritual and a yearly service plan, your kit can last fifteen years and counting.
Your dive gear is a life-support system. Treated well, a good regulator can outlast three boats; treated badly, it can fail on the dive that mattered most. Here is the maintenance routine our travelling guides actually follow — at home, on liveaboards and between trips.
After every dive
Salt is the enemy. Within an hour of surfacing, soak every piece of equipment in a fresh-water rinse tank — separately from cameras and lights to avoid impact damage.
- Pressurise the regulator before rinsing — never depress the purge button when the first stage is dry or submerged.
- Inflate and deflate the BCD several times with fresh water inside, then drain fully.
- Rinse mask, fins, snorkel, computer, SMB and reel.
- Hang everything in the shade — UV destroys neoprene and rubber faster than salt.
End-of-trip deep care
Once back at the hotel or before flying home, give the kit a proper soak: a 30-minute warm fresh-water bath (with a capful of dedicated wetsuit shampoo) restores neoprene flexibility and removes urine and sunscreen residue from the suit interior.
Dry everything fully — never pack a damp regulator or BCD into a closed bag for a long flight. Mould and mildew are a bigger killer than salt.
Annual & biennial servicing
Most regulator manufacturers (Apeks, Scubapro, Mares, Aqualung) require an annual or biennial service to keep the warranty valid — and to keep you breathing safely. Don’t skip it because the regulator “feels fine.” Internal o-rings degrade silently.
- Regulator full service: every 1–2 years or 100 dives, whichever comes first.
- BCD inflator and dump valves: inspected yearly.
- Cylinder visual inspection: yearly. Hydrostatic test: every 5 years.
- Dive computer battery: as recommended, plus a pre-trip check.
Travelling with your kit
Always carry your regulator, computer and mask in your hand luggage — checked bags are lost, dropped and frozen. Pack the BCD around the regulator as padding, and place a desiccant sachet inside the BCD bladder for long-haul flights.
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Create my dive tripFrequently asked questions
Can I service my regulator myself?+
No — only a manufacturer-certified technician should open a regulator. DIY servicing voids warranty and is genuinely dangerous.
Is a wetsuit shampoo really necessary?+
Yes, every few trips. It removes biological residue, prolongs neoprene life and dramatically reduces odour.
How long should good gear last?+
A serviced regulator can last 15+ years. A 5 mm wetsuit, 4–6 years of regular use. A BCD, 8–10 years.
