Dive equipment

It is important to make sure that you have the right dive equipment for your stay and that it is in good condition before you arrive in Madagascar. It is not possible to purchase dive equipment or spares in Madagascar so we ask that you bring with you anything you might need. In addition, if you are bringing you own equipment make sure that it has been serviced at a reputable service centre before you depart.

While ReefDoctor does have some dive equipment available for volunteers you will need to bring some yourself. When planning your trip let us know if you need us to help with your equipment requirements and we can tell you what we can and can’t help with. If you are planning to buy your own equipment before joining us look at the advice below and visit our diving links for more help and advice on what and where to buy.

ReefDoctor specifies the following minimum equipment requirements:
• Mask, snorkel and fins (ideally open-heel with booties)
• Wetsuit
• BCD
• Regulators and gauges (incl. air and depth)
• Weight belt (if you do not have integrated weights in your BCD)
• Dive knife
• Whistle
• Compass
• Dive watch / timer or dive computer
• Pocket DSMB (Delayed Surface Marker Buoy) for use at the surface
• PADI RDP
• Your log book and certification cards

Mask, snorkel and fins

ReefDoctor do have a selection of masks and snorkels that we can provide as spares, but most people prefer to buy their own. The kind you buy is down to your own personal preference but do try a range to make sure you are happy with your final purchase. For fins, we recommend open-heel fins with booties to protect your feet when walking to and from the boat. We do have a small selection of fins but our size range is limited. If you have small feet, 5 / 38 / 7 or less (UK / European / US), please bring your own fins to ensure that you get a good fit.

Wetsuits

What wetsuit you bring depends of the time of year. The table below provides approximate water temperatures and wetsuit suggestions.

Months Malagasy season Water temp. ºC Wetsuit
Dec - Feb Summer 26 - 30+ (Av. 28) 3mm shortie or steamer
Mar - May Autumn 23 - 30 (Av. 26) 3 - 5mm steamer
Jun - Aug Winter 22 - 25 (Av. 23) 5mm steamer
Sep - Nov Spring 24 - 30 (Av. 26) 3 - 5mm steamer

If you feel the cold you may want to bring a thermal under-vest or go for a thicker wetsuit. We also suggest that you bring a rash vest or light sweatshirt to wear on the boat after dives during the colder months.

BCDs and regulators

ReefDoctor has a good range of BCDs and regulators if you do not have your own. However, if you are planning to use ReefDoctor equipment please check with us first to make sure that we have the right sizes and that the equipment you need is available during your planned visit, we can then reserve it for you.

Dive timer

Make sure that you bring some kind of dive timer - this is an important piece of your equipment. A dive timer can be anything from a small diving specific timer to a watch that can be used underwater or a dive computer. Watches capable of being used underwater do not have to be expensive - Swatch, Timex and other brands have cheaper models. If you are considering buying a dive computer visit our diving links for buying equipment to get an idea of the range available.

Miscellaneous

All divers visiting ReefDoctor must have a dive knife and compass, and if possible a DSMB (Delayed Surface Marker Buoy) that can be used at the surface to get attention. You should also make sure you have a whistle on your BCD (if you are borrowing a BCD from us it will have one) and a weight belt or integrated weight pouches on your BCD (if you are using a ReefDoctor BCD you will need a weight belt).

Please also bring with you your certification card, dive log and PADI Recreational Dive Planner (RDP) - we ask all of our volunteers to get involved in dive planning and we’ll provide revision if you haven’t used an RDP for a while.

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