The Ultimate Gift Guide for Scuba Diving Dads and Grads
Whether you have a dad-diver or a grad-diver in your life— or want to create one!— we have the perfect gift to splash out on for their special day.
Dads can often end up being a packhorse. Lighten their load and let them enjoy using their own gear with the Scubapro Go BCD.
Courtesy ScubaproScubapro Go BCD and Scuba Go Sport fins.
This packable travel option has all the features of a traditional front-adjustable vest, with no inherent buoyancy so dad can travel light even underwater. Grads can make their giant stride into the next chapter in conveniently packable fins, with Scubapro Go Sport Fins that offer excellent maneuverability and surprising power in a small package. At just 20 inches, these open heel fins can get tucked into a backpack or with the Go Travel BCD into a carry-on.
Courtesy NikonNikon Coolpix W300
If you can’t get your grad to stop with the selfies or the love of photography runs deep in the dad in your life, take it down to 100ft with Nikon Coolpix W300 underwater camera. Pics or it didn’t happen, as the kids say, and this easy-peasy point and shoot is so small and simple to use it won’t distract from the dive experience. You’ll notice these tucked into many an instructor’s BC pocket, just in case something spectacular happens. (Says the girl without one when three humpbacks joined her dive.) Aficionados of the art form can go next level with a Digital Underwater Photographer course through PADI.
Courtesy GarminFrom left; Garmin Descent Mk2i with T1 transmitter, the all-new Garmin Descent Mk2s.
One of a dad’s more stressful aspects of diving with the kids is worrying about their air. One of a grad’s more annoying aspects of diving with the folks is their worrying about your air. Enter the Garmin Descent Mk2i, a handy watch-style Titanium DLC that not only lets you track entry and exit points by satellite, use contactless pay for post-drive eats, connect to surf-and-ski performance apps, and looks like you swiped it off James Bond, but can access your buddy’s (or kids’) air consumption on up to five Decent T1-transmitter connected tanks. If this mac-daddy with endless bells and whistles seems like overkill for a grad, they’ll appreciate Garmin’s smallest watch-style dive computer, the fashionable Descent Mk2S. Divers can still store and review data for up to 200 dives and use their GPS smartwatch for all their topside activities, including pulse ox and sleep-monitoring and women’s health features.
Courtesy Aqua LungFrom left; HydroFlex 3mm Coral Guardian wetsuit, SEAFLARE dive light.
Aqualung’s reef-inspired HydroFlex 3mm Coral Guardian wetsuit features super-stretch neoprene, giving up to 250% more give for total dad-bod comfort, while grads will love the fresh tie-dye’esque vibe. Night dives will go swimmingly using the usb-chargeable, 1300 lumen Seaflare torch’s included 4 ID beam deflectors (Blue/Glacier/Pink/Yellow) to tell buddies or kids apart at a glance.
Courtesy CressiFrom left; Cressi Reaction Pro full foot fins, Calibro anti-fog mask, Alpha Ultra Dry Snorkel.
Cressi’s Reaction Pro full foot fins offer great grip for boat decks (as dads help their kids with gear) and pair nicely with the tech’d out Calibro anti-fog mask. The Calibro’s Fog Stop System works by isolating the nose pocket with a thin membrane and grad’s going for ‘flash’ might opt for mirrored HD lenses to draw the fishies in. The low volume-easy equalizing mask has great field of vision, so adding an Alpha Ultra Dry Snorkel makes this the ultimate boat dive tank-or-no-tank set that will go the distance.
Courtesy Sand CloudSand Cloud critter-themed marine bundle of 100% Turkish cotton towels.
No matter how tropical the climate, a small volume-big cozy dive towel is the best for the boat ride home. Dad can keep the whole family feeling warm and fuzzy, inside and out with Sand Cloud critter-themed Marine Bundle of sustainable 100% Turkish Cotton towels that double as sand-resistant beach blankets and benefit marine conservation. Grads will recognize these insta-famous marine animal prints on sight #savethefishies, and the shockingly quick-dry towel-blanket gives cover for the stroll to the dorm shower and won’t mildew in the laundry. Bonus — they make excellent airplane blankets for dive travel.
Courtesy TusaTUSA’s SAV-7 EVO3 DPV/Underwater Scooter
If Dad is your hero, give him a taste of becoming Superman with TUSA’s SAV-7 EVO3 DPV/Underwater Scooter. Fly to those distant shore sites without blowing all your air or treat the grads to an amped up cruise down the coast. Upgrades from the previous model include a new rotational speed adjustment function and hands-free riding saddle. An enhanced Variable Speed Control lets you go at your own pace (up to 4.5km) and fold-out wings on both sides of the saddle allows additional kids (or a grad’s buddies) to tag along. Look sharp donning the new Paragon S mask with UV 420 Lens Treatment with AR and CrystalView Optical Glass for total eye protection.
Courtesy 4OceanA portion of proceeds from 4Oceans bracelet packs helps pay for plastic and trash removal from the ocean.
Whether a sweet dad-and-me coordinated gift, or a graduation marine-themed friendship bracelet for departing or incoming dorm roommate, 4ocean’s two-pound packs look good and feel even better. Each pack features a different color scheme of classic braided and recycled post-consumer plastic bead for each marine animal. Choose a favorite creature you spotted together on a dive, or hope to on an upcoming trip. A portion of proceeds go to organizations helping that species, and also pays for a pound of plastic and trash to be removed from the ocean, per Bali-artisan made bracelet.
As any diver knows, the most precious gift to give anyone is to open their world to the wonders below the surface. Even the busiest dad or finals-weary grad can find time to become a diver through PADI’s eLearning options. Prospective divers can move at their own pace and finish their bookwork before the vacation to make the most of their time by the sea. For certified divers dreaming of a liveaboard or challenging destination escape, remove any stress and anxiety of not qualifying for certain sites by tackling an advanced open water course or enriched air specialty, leaving a fun handful of checkout dives to accomplish on site.