New TSA security rules: Any change for divers?

Two trips planned so far for this year ... one Caribbean, one Indonesia. Just wondering if anyone has traveled since the holiday near-bombing issues aboard aircraft, and if it changed your security checks as far as dive gear goes. I usually stuff the empty space in my reg bag with back-up lights and rechargeable batteries, and put that in my carry-on, which also has camera equipment. Wondering if I should move the batteries to my checked bag, though I try to keep the weight down on that.

Any info?

Thanks!

It depends upon if you carry anything aboard and if you wear explosive underwear. N

I haven't traveled with dive gear since the Underwear Bomber scare, but that said, my gear always gets checked by the TSA, and probably always will. After a couple of bad experiences, I learned never to check dive gear, and now always pack it as carry on (yes, everything - I take half and my fiance takes half) and pack our clothes in a checked bag. The backplates always attracts the attention of TSA staff - a sheet of metal is a red-flag for the person manning the X-ray machine - so our bags always gets thoroughly searched. My fiance and I have learned to leave a bit of extra time for repacking our gear, as everything has to be just so in order to fit in a wee carry-on bag!

Some Caribbean destinations like Roatan request that batteries be taken out of dive lights/cameras and packed in a checked bag. Somehow, the authorities never had an issue with our batteries on the two occasions we flew in, but our resort asked us specifically to remove all batteries when we departed, so we did.

I've had my carry-on opened on almost every flight on dive trips, so I'm accustomed to that. When we left Kuala Lumpur in November, there was an agent considering confiscating my batteries, about $150 worth of them. Convinced him they were harmless. I don't want to have to press the case any harder about my carry-on. And if I put them in my checked bag, I don't want to show up at a dive destination and find out that TSA didn't like batteries in my checked luggage and confiscated them from there.

I wasn't allowed to carry my canister light on over the New Years holiday. Other than that, no problems.

I went to the local sheet metal shop and had them punch out "scuba" in a couple pieces of thin metal, two inches by ten inches.. I place them on top of whatever's in the luggage. I don't take a carry-on since I fly Southwest. They allow two fifty-pounders for free which takes care of whatever I'm hauling. Haven't had a TSA check since then.

Nemrod:

It depends upon if you carry anything aboard and if you wear explosive underwear. N

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Remember "Olestra"? IIRC it was pulled from the market as one of the unintended consequences was explosive underwear (of a different kind).

When we flew home for the holidays we could not carry but one item. I don't know if that is a new policy. Previously you could have two items, a backpack and a small luggage. ??

What about SHC? What if they put it inside them, exploding breast implants, one has chemical A, the other chemical B? It is not like they are not going to die anyways. Can we go back to being free and being able to travel at our leisure, please. Is the TSA now going to do a breast check? Shoe checks, underwear/panty/Depends/diaper checks and what next?

N

Nemrod:

When we flew home for the holidays we could not carry but one item. I don't know if that is a new policy. Previously you could have two items, a backpack and a small luggage. ??

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Weird. I still got two (bag + "personal item").

I think that's an airline policy, though, not TSA.

It seems that the carry-on policy may vary according to whether the flight originates within the US (or a protectorate) or in another "untrustworthy" country. I've taken two flights since the underwear event. One was a LAN flight from JFK to Toronto. It originated in Santiago, Chile, on the 28th Dec. Things were still very much in flux. Normal carry-on luggage was allowed, but passengers were prevented (without any forewarning) from using the toilets over American air space. Created a bit of hardship on the pregnant lady sitting behind me.

The return flight was on American Eagle. For those of you who don't know, flights from Toronto to the US go through customs in Toronto. So, there are multiple levels of extras before getting to boarding area. Nevertheless, two new twists were added. The first was the presence of an employee in the check-in area whose job it was to determine what was and what was not allowed to be carried on the plane. Typical handbags and computer bags were allowed. A few small backpacks serving as handbags were also allowed. One of those three items per person. No exceptions. My typical "carry-on" had to be checked.

The second twist was an additional security check just before entry to the pre-boarding area. This involved a full body pat down, except for the crotch. Male patters for men; female for women. Carry-on bags were opened and searched carefully.

So, what does that portend for upcoming trips to the Caribbean? I am expecting that I will be able use a normal carry-on without checking it from the US to a final destination. Returning, I am not sure what will happen. We will be returning from Dominica on American Eagle and I don't know whether bags will be checked through to the final destination at JFK or if I will even be able take my carry-on as a carry-on. The added complication is that American Eagle planes typically require carry-ons to be given to baggage handlers on the tarmac to be stowed in the luggage compartment because there is insufficient overhead storage space. For fragile things, this is still better than putting them through as checked luggage. I suspect we'll learn more about this as we proceed from San Juan to Dominica, but at the moment, I am not certain how to pack for the return flights.