How much luggage allowance do I need for dive gear?

A full set of dive gear weighs 15–22 kg. Budget 30 kg total checked baggage and carry your regulator, computer, mask and camera in hand luggage.

A complete personal kit — BCD, regulator set, wetsuit, fins, mask, torch, SMB, boots and accessories — typically weighs 15 to 22 kg, before you add clothes or a camera system. Standard economy allowances of 20 to 23 kg are therefore tight, and excess baggage fees on the connecting regional flights are where budgets get destroyed.

Ways to manage it: several airlines offer a dedicated sports or dive baggage allowance, sometimes free, sometimes for a modest fee — Emirates, Qatar, Turkish and Garuda are worth checking. Booking a second bag online in advance is always cheaper than paying at the counter. And if the itinerary is warm-water, renting the bulky items — BCD and wetsuit — cuts eight to ten kilos instantly.

Always carry on: regulator, dive computer, mask, camera bodies, lenses, and all lithium batteries. Regulators and computers are expensive to replace and impossible to source mid-trip; lithium batteries above certain watt-hour ratings are prohibited in checked baggage anyway.