Air Travel With Scuba Gear

[jgttrey]

From a "rules" standpoint, the only key issues are:

(1) lithium based batteries must be carried on and it is good practice to "safe" them by removing them from lights and having a little case for them. Those usually cannot be checked because of the fire hazard. If you have a big canister light, you might want to print out the specs and the rules about how big the battery can be so you can show the TSA that it is compliant. see Air Travel with Lithium

(2) don't carry on tools, not just cutting devices. It's mostly been a problem internationally, but I've had scuba multitools (without blades), even tiny crescent wrenches, and cable wraps confiscated when I happened to have a save a dive kit in my carry on. I guess they theory is I might have disassembled the plane from the inside out and used the little cable ties to handcuff infants.​

Good practice is to have your dive computers in your carry on where they are less likely to activate and common sense would be to take mission critical/custom/expensive/delicate items in your carry on to the extent possible. Whatever you would most want to have if your checked bags were misrouted, lost or abused.

If you have a camera housing, remove the o-ring or port so that you don't end up having the thing locked up tight because of a pressure difference. It needs to breath. Same with a gopro housing - leave it open. Otherwise, it can burp air out when the pressure is low (not designed to contain air) and then be a bear to open once you're back on the ground.

 

[hroark2112]

I always try to fly with all my dive gear in carry-on. It’s harder with one of my rebreathers, but I’ve done it. I’d rather get to my destination with all my dive gear and have to buy shorts & t-shirts if they lose my checked bag. I don’t carry on tools anymore after losing a set of Allen wrenches at TSA.

 

[nolatom]

Keep weight in mind too, to keep your checked baggage under 50 pounds each. Put your BC and wetsuits/masks/plastic stuff (and dive knife) in with your lightweight clothes in a big suitcase. Don't bring weights, rent them, along with tank (duh). Then heavy stuff (shoes, books, other sports gear, whatever) in a separate checked bag (can you tell I fly Southwest?).

I carry on regs and gauges.

I also mostly drive instead whenever I can ;-)

 

[northernone]

We carry on everything, no checked bags. Makes coming back through customs a breeze not having to wait for your bags.

I too carry on everything.

Batteries depend on the airline, and more importantly the agent's interpretation of their policy.

Once I've had too too many sets of gear for just carry-on:

Checked bag I put the big lowvalue items. (Wetsuits, fins, bcds, hoods, masks, tank bands, clothing, boots etc. )

Carry-on for the small, heavy and expensive parts. (Regs, computers, lights, Camera, batteries)

 

[TASCPA]

From a "rules" standpoint, the only key issues are:

(1) lithium based batteries must be carried on and it is good practice to "safe" them by removing them from lights and having a little case for them. Those usually cannot be checked because of the fire hazard. If you have a big canister light, you might want to print out the specs and the rules about how big the battery can be so you can show the TSA that it is compliant. see Air Travel with Lithium

(2) don't carry on tools, not just cutting devices. It's mostly been a problem internationally, but I've had scuba multitools (without blades), even tiny crescent wrenches, and cable wraps confiscated when I happened to have a save a dive kit in my carry on. I guess they theory is I might have disassembled the plane from the inside out and used the little cable ties to handcuff infants.​

Would never have guessed on the tools, but this is correct. Just returned via Cancun and they confiscated a 1/2" standard wrench. Of all the batteries, lights and other stuff, the wrench was the lone casualty.

 

[northernone]

Would never have guessed on the tools, but this is correct. Just returned via Cancun and they confiscated a 1/2" standard wrench. Of all the batteries, lights and other stuff, the wrench was the lone casualty.

Gotta keep the plane's maintenance crew happy. They didn't need any more inspection lights.

I've flown in 2014 with a weightbelt full of weights as part of my carry on... Surprised it wasn't flagged as a weapon.

The fickle application of policies can be a little frustrating. In the same manual search I've had tinned chunked tuna waved through and a chunked tuna pouch confiscated.

Cameron

 

[jgttrey]

Would never have guessed on the tools, but this is correct. Just returned via Cancun and they confiscated a 1/2" standard wrench. Of all the batteries, lights and other stuff, the wrench was the lone casualty.

I'm sure there's a booming secondary market for slightly used save-a-dive kits right outside the arrival terminal. They got my little tiny wrench and a handful of cable ties in Cabo.

It's not just Mexico, though. I had one of those little tiny scuba multitools confiscated coming back from Cayman. Most dangerous thing about that was a o-ring pick about an inch long. But, those folks are paid to enforce the letter of the rule I guess.

 

[scrane]

In two weeks I'm flying to Cancun on American so Everything goes in Carry on/Personal item to save me $25. In September it's off to Indonesia, free bag with International, so I'll bring a bigger bag with an extra pair of shorts to ride in the hold.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

On a recent trip, I packed anything delicate/fragile in my personal carry on (computer, lithium batteries, full reg, mask) and most other dive gear in my larger carry on (bc, wetsuit, hood, flashlights without batteries, booties, etc). My fins were the only thing that went into my checked bag, simply because they wouldn’t fit anywhere else.

It helped to break down my reg before packing so it fit better. I took everything off of the first stage then reassembled it when I got there. BIG space saver in my personal carry on.

As far as the larger carry on, if it gets checked at the gate you know it is still going to get there with you. I figured if I had to rent fins till mine showed, no big deal.

Hope it helps, and have a great trip!!

Erik

 

[hilljo88]

I carry on computers lights and camera gear in backpack, chargers, extra batteries, power strip in rollaboard along with clothes. Rest of dive gear gets checked.

On a recent trip to Bonaire, I saw one passenger walk on wearing rEVO CCR with a mask on his forehead. The rEVO had lots of metal parts that would each have been confiscated if they were carried on individually.