Airport security

[scottish2]

Hi Group

Just joined up and I must say this looks like a great forum for Diving.

Now quick question as am going to Hawaii :mean: in November and had a concern. Has anyone been having troubles carrying your equipment with you through the new security at airports? Plan on checking my dive knife and such but want to carry on board with me my basic gear such as my dive compyter and my first and second stage as I don't trust these airlines with my equipment which keeps me alive down under.

So have anyone had troubles carrying any of this stuff onboard and has anyone had troubles with having dive knives in their checked loggage meaning luggage you turn in at the ticket counter during check in?

Thanks!
Dave

 

[ScubaRon]

I have carried my computer and regs and checked my knife several times in the last year and never had any issues.

The only question I have myself is if a Spare Air can be checked in.
ScubaRon

 

[scottish2]

Thanks for the feedback leave it to the government to make a great sport almost a headache at least for those of us traveling with our own gear.

As for spare air I would say even onboard would be safe but you would most likely have to empty it fully and be able to prove it's empty then I would assume it safe even onboard as it's just an empty unpressurize canister then. I think they just worry if it's pressurized. Unsure as well as I haven't used spare air myself but if it's possible to leave the value open so air goes both ways this would also help as the tank will also most likely hold sea level pressure even after emptied. I'll ask my scuba guy locally if he's ever had troubles but that is if I can get him. He's recently downsized his opperation but cleans boat bottgoms a lot so hard to get a hold of him lately.

 

[DeepTechScuba]

You cannot bring a dive knife into the cabin of an aircraft with your carry on luggage. I hope it is obvious why not. Can you imagine 4 terrorists with dive knives in an aircraft?

That goes for shears and spears and anything sharp as well, like a scuba tool.

You cannot bring a full pony bottle onto an aircraft. You need to disassemble it.

Lead weights and disassembled pony bottles will get you pulled out of line and taken into the private search room. If you are going to carry these items with you, get ready to be searched. Put them both into one piece of carry-on luggage and get ready mentally for the delay. Be polite, explain that you are a scuba diver, and apologize for any inconvenience that you are causing the inspectors who now have to search you.

Best thing is to put your dive knife, shears, spear, scuba tool, bag weights (if you bring them), and razor blades into your check-in luggage.

I carry-on all of my scuba gear, so that it cannot get lost. But I normally leave my knife, spear, shears, pony bottle, and weights at home. When I do bring the bag weights or the disassembled pony bottle, I always get pulled aside and searched. Otherwise, there is no problem.

 

[scottish2]

Well only thing I want to carry on-board is the items which help keep me a live at 40-50+ feet below the surface that being my regs and computer. But rest wilol be checked knife included but just wasn't sure on the regs and computer as I have never traveled with my gear before and was a little unsure with all this new issues at airports now a days. I figured it would be OK but just wanted to see if other had troubles with this before I take the trip.

 

[Mr. Sunday]

I would carry on my regs and comp. Everything else gets checked.

 

[scottish2]

yeah with my luck Delta would trash my bags and my equipment they did that to one of my suit cases several years ago had it ripped from end to end luckily it just was the uter pounch of the bag so no harm done to internal clothing and such but not even a note on how it happened so that Delta knew it was their fault. They paid for it anyways but still UGH.

 

[DeepTechScuba]

Here is what you need to think about, regarding your scuba gear and your luggage when you travel.

You just paid several thousand dollars for a diving vacation. Flight tickets, hotel tickets, and the activity itself. Now what could go wrong to spoil it all?

First, your luggage could get lost. That would spoil it all, if you put all your scuba gear into your checked-in luggage. Therefore you should only put into your checked-in luggage that which you absolutely must put there, such as knives, shears, scuba tool, etc.

And you definitely should carry-on anything that you would need for scuba:

fins
booties, if your fins require booties
mask
snorkel
dive computer
compass
regulator system

Those are easy decisions.

Not so easy is what to do with your B/C, exposure suit, hood, and other stuff. Plus, if you have huge fins, they wont fit into your carry-on, and that forces you to put your inappropriate-for-scuba, huge fins into your checked luggage. (Dont worry, because most people scuba dive with fins that are way too big as well! Youre not alone.)

You could probably rent a B/C at your destination, if yours got lost with your luggage. You might or might not be able to rent or buy an exposure suit at your destination.

If the dive site is tropical, the water is probably around 80^F [27^C] and you could dive in a swimsuit or in dive skins. I put my dive skins into my carry-on. They fold up into a nice small square.

A 3mm wetsuit or a drysuit would be virtually impossible to carry on, however, and that would need to go into checked luggage, unfortunately. Make sure your luggage is hard walled. That is more secure, and protects your gear better.

My B/C disassembles and the pieces roll up nicely and fit into my carry-on luggage. If yours does not, then it must go into the checked luggage.

My B/C has integrated weight pockets, so I do not need a weight belt. But I bring a cloth weight belt with me anyway, for freediving.

If you bring weights, bring bag weights. I use 8 lbs for freediving and 14 lbs for scuba with aluminum rental tanks. Most people do not bring any weights, because the boats provide weights. I like my buoyancy to be absolutely perfect, so I bring my own bag weights.

If you bring a pony bottle, make sure you have taken it apart. You should be able to carry on the valve and the bottle as long as they are separated. Be prepared to be pulled out of line for this, however, since the metal on the pony is dense and it will show up on the Xray screen as suspect. Same is true of your bag weights, if you carry those on as well.

 

[scottish2]

My case I will just throw my bean bags into my checked luggage as you said they do provide and no sense carrying 14 lbs extra weight in my carry on. and unfortunately my fins are nice and long to big for any normal carry on they just barely fit my normal luggage. But all my main worry on is my life gear that helps me stay a live. Unfortunately my BC will have to be checked as no dismantle and to big to pack in on-board so...

What BC you using that you can dismantle?

 

[DeepTechScuba]

Most back-inflation B/Cs can be dismantled. The jacket style B/Cs are the ones that normally cannot be dismantled.

You may need your scuba tool to take them apart. Sometimes there are two bolts that secure them in the back area.

Some can be dismantled without tools.