There have been countless attempts to break into the scuba diving gear market, but only a handful of scuba gear brands have become household names. Whether you’re building a recreational or technical scuba equipment collection, here are 20 brands that will surely fulfill your needs and deliver the best diving experience.
Top Diving Equipment Brands
Apeks
Apeks is a renowned scuba diving equipment manufacturer with humble beginnings in Lancashire, England. It all started in a garage where two friends decided to combine diving and precision engineering to create rugged and lightweight regulators for all diving situations. Today, Apeks sells some of the most highly regarded products in the market. The Apeks XL4+ Regulator is a compact and lightweight regulator designed for diving in all settings, including coldwater locations. Users mark the product’s ease of use and sleek design and note a reduction in jaw fatigue on long dives. The Apeks XL4+ has also earned a spot in the technical exploration dive gear market.
Other notable products: XTX200 Regulator, XTX50 Octopus
Aqua Lung
Aqua Lung is the name that first introduced the world to scuba diving more than 60 years ago when Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emille Gagnan developed the first “Aqua-Lung.” Today, the company produces a complete line of diving equipment, ranging from some of the world’s best-performing regulators to a complete line of masks, fins, and snorkels for the recreational scuba diver and snorkeler. The Aqua Lung Blades II Flex Open Heel Fins promise a safer and more enjoyable diving experience. Advanced technology gives more snap and elasticity to the blades, while the hands-free fin release strap allows for quick removal with just a kick of the heel.
Atomic Aquatics
Specializing in scuba regulators, Atomic Aquatics continues to be the regulator of choice for divers who demand the best. The brand’s signature titanium T3 Regulator enables “natural breathing” underwater and offers unprecedented reliability. The brand also manufactures fins, masks, and dive computers along with their sought-after regulators.
Other notable products: Atomic Aquatics T3 Titanium Swivel Sealed Regulator, Atomic BC2 BCD
Bare
Bare manufactures exposure products designed for sports enthusiasts who share a passion for being in and on the water. Their products include wetsuits, drysuits, masks, snorkels, fins, and other accessories for scuba diving, fishing, and water sports like wakeboarding and waterskiing.
Other notable products: Bare 5mm Women’s Nixie Ultra Full Suit, Bare 3/2mm Revel Full Men’s Jumpsuit
Bigblue Dive Lights
Bigblue Dive Lights has grown to become a trusted leader in the dive light industry since its inception in 2007. Today, it has an impressive collection of efficient and portable lights for various diving scenarios, from recreational and technical lighting products to lights designed for underwater photography and videography. The AL1200NP-II is an obvious best-seller among tech divers with its waterproof and compact build. It works great for general purpose or for peering into crevices to find hidden critters.
Cressi-Sub
Cressi is one of the oldest scuba gear manufacturers. Founded in 1946 by brothers Egidio and Nanni Cressi, this Italian scuba gear maker is known for its numerous innovations in masks, regulators, fins, diving consoles, buoyancy compensators, dive computers, and fins. Its flagship product is the Cressi Travelight BCD, which is made from durable internally urethane laminated 210-Denier nylon. This lightweight BC is also economical, attractive, and highly durable.
Other notable products: Cressi Big Eyes Black Skirt Mask, Cressi XS2/AC2 Piston Regulator, Cressi Gara 2000 HF Fins
Dive Rite
Dive Rite is one of the pioneers in the scuba diving equipment industry. Founded in 1984, the brand is prized for its dependable backplates and harnesses. Today, the brand’s product line includes TransPac BCD/harness systems, O2PTIMA electronically-controlled closed circuit rebreathers (eCCR), Nomad Sidemount systems, and more. The brand also carries a wide range of sport diving equipment, such as the Advanced Open Water regulator set and the TravelPac BCD.
Other notable products: Dive Rite Classic XT Wing, Nomad XT-Harness Side-Mount Rig System
Fourth Element
Fourth Element is a leading brand for technical equipment and is designed for adventurers. It was founded in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, in 1999. Today, the brand is loved for its drysuits and wetsuits that feature a simple, diving-oriented design. The brand has won many accolades for combining the principles of performance, function, and innovation, as well as for revolutionizing thermal protection underwater. The brand champions environmental conservation by supporting charities and utilizes compostable packaging and recycled swimwear. The Proteus II features advanced wetsuit technology and is the highest performing 5mm wetsuit in the market.
Other notable products: Fourth Element Thermocline Short Sleeve Top
Henderson
Henderson was founded in the 1960s by partners Everett Edmund and Patrick Madison. During the infancy of scuba diving as a sport and recreational activity, Edmund and Madison identified the need for thermal protection and developed the first wetsuits. The brand was also the first company to develop a line of wetsuits for women that married both style and function. The Thermoprene PRO line is among the brand’s most popular collections. It has received significant improvements in terms of comfort and flexibility, with each wetsuit now 180% more stretchable than the original material. The wetsuit contours every curve of the user’s body and provides exception thermal protection.
Other notable products: 7mm Aqua Lock Quick-Dry Jumpsuit, 3mm Aqua Lock Quick-Dry Bib Hood
Hollis
Hollis prides itself in its superior line of technical diving equipment designed for complex experiences. Founded in the 1950s by Bob Hollis, a passionate technical diver, the brand has been at the forefront of technical diving innovation and disruption. The brand is known for products that push the limits of technical diving, making it a go-to brand for adventure-seekers and passionate divers. Its collection includes wings, backplates, regulators, lighting systems, sidemounts, reels, harnesses, rebreathers, and other instrumentation.
Other notable products: Hollis DC7 500SE Regulator with Maxflex Hose, Hollis M1 Frameless Mask
Luxfer
Luxfer is the go-to brand for durable, high-pressure aluminum scuba gas cylinders. Fifty years ago, the brand collaborated with legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, inventor of the original Aqua Lung, to develop the first aluminum gas cylinder for scuba diving. Today, Luxfer is trusted by many rec and pro divers worldwide. Each cylinder is made of a proprietary L6X alloy, a nitrox-ready formula exclusive to Luxfer. The cylinders are also pressure-tested and are designed to be corrosion- and damage-resistant.
Mares
Mares has everything divers need to attain a unique and unforgettable diving experience. It has an extensive range of gear and accessories for scuba divers, beginners and pros alike. The brand also carries top-notch equipment for spearfishing, free diving, and technical diving. Horizon, its flagship product, is a semi-closed rebreather designed for maximum simplicity, ease-of-use, and performance. The device maintains a minimum flow rate of 5 liters/minute via the orifice at all times. During a dive, it provides 30l/min of nitrox flow into the breathing loop, which is more than enough to maintain safe breathing gas even with very high exertion.
Other notable products: Mares Avanti Quattro + Open Heel Fin, Mares Magellan BCD
Oceanic
Oceanic founder and CEO Bob Hollis took up scuba diving in the late 1950s when recreational diving was still in its infancy. Hollis’ love for underwater photography led him to start designing and manufacturing underwater cameras and strobe housings. Before long, divers and others were asking Hollis to make equipment for them. Today, Oceanic manufactures high-performance instruments, regulators, buoyancy compensators, masks, fins, snorkels, thermal wear, and accessories. Among its top products is the Oceanic Alpha 8 SP5 Piston Regulator, an affordable, no-frills regulator system that promises easy breathing. Its rugged construction ensures dependability in many dive scenarios.
Other notable products: Oceanic Geo 4.0 Wrist Computer, Oceanic Delta 5 eDX Yoke Regulator
Pinnacle
Pinnacle Aquatics is the fastest growing manufacturer of thermal protection in the world. While the brand has been acquired by Zeagle Systems, the Pinnacle range remains. Whether you’re snorkeling above a tropical reef near the Equator or diving beneath a polar ice cap, the brand brings you the best thermal protection that money can buy. The collection includes wetsuits, drysuits, boots, gloves, goods, bags, and belts designed and manufactured for divers by divers. The Pinnacle Cruiser Men’s 7mm Jumpsuit () has a 10mm thick spine pad that protects the back and reduces internal water movement, ensuring a warmer dive.
Other notable products: Pinnacle Cruiser Women’s 7mm Jumpsuit
Scubapro
Since it entered the market in the 1960s, ScubaPro has brought many innovations to diving, many of which are still loved by pros and hobbyists today. Their catalog of products feature everything a scuba diver would want, from regulators and recompression chambers to submarines. The company combines advanced technologies with intuitive designs to provide divers with an effortless experience underwater. The Scubapro Air 2, Combination Octopus/Inflator Regulator is a classic example. This ingenious piece of gear is both a second stage regulator and a balanced inflator, eliminating the need for a back-up regulator. With this device, you’re sure to react properly to out-of-air situations.
Other notable products: Scuba Pro Jet Fins, ScubaPro Frameless Single Window Mask
Sealife
Established in the early 90s, Sealife Cameras offers simple and fun ways to photograph marine environments. The company developed the world’s first commercially available underwater digital cameras, and the brand continues to release innovative imaging and lighting products that divers, snorkelers, and watersports enthusiasts will appreciate.
Sherwood
Sherwood was the first manufacturer of scuba regulator components that allowed people to breathe underwater. This helped kick-start the sport of scuba diving. As scuba diving grew in popularity, Sherwood evolved with it and became a household name. Today, the Sherwood brand has expanded into a full line of dive equipment and products.
Other notable products: Sherwood Avid CQR 3 BCD, Sherwood Wisdom 3 Computer with Compass and QD
Suunto
Innovators and pioneers of the first marine compass, Suunto is the leading name in the scuba diving industry for wrist dive computers. The brand paved the way for the next generation of wrist-top computers and has continued to excel in the field of sports instruments with their range of products. The Suunto D5 Wrist Computer with USB Cable allows you to follow your dive details on its clear, high-contrast color screen. The D5 is water-resistant up to 100 meters, offers up to three gas mixtures (from 21% to 99% oxygen), and supports the Time Proven Fused RGBM2 Algorithm for all dive computations.
Other notable products: Suunto EON Core Wrist Computer, Suunto Zoop Novo Wrist Computer
Tusa
One of the world’s first scuba equipment manufacturers, TUSA was founded by Kazuo Tabata in Tokyo, Japan, in 1952. Tabata’s handmade masks and goggles, which he built in his garage, have evolved into dependable, high-performance scuba and recreational products. Other products include fins, lights, boots, and gloves.
Other notable products: TUSA Paragon Mask, TUSA Conquest II BCD
Zeagle
Zeagle is a family-owned company that first introduced the concept of integrated weight buoyancy systems in 1982. The brand manufactures and designs buoyancy systems, regulators, and many other dive products for recreational, commercial, public safety, and military divers. The brand’s line of buoyancy compensators come in all varieties, as well as customization options, to make sure each BC is the perfect fit for all divers.
Other notable products: Zeagle Ranger BCD with Ripcord Weight System, Zeagle F8 Yoke Regulator
