By Robin Battley

"The approaching low front will bring windy and wet weather for the next few days" drones the weather channel while you stand surrounded by every piece of scuba equipment you have ever owned. It merely confirms your decision to get outta here. It's time for a breaka vacationa change of scenery and climate. Your dive buddies have arranged this trip but you can't help wondering, "why'd they do that?" Why are you going on a cold water dive vacation? Everyone knows you step on a plane to go to a warm tropical destination with coral sand and palm trees, right?

The arguments including you love to explore shipwrecks, the marine life is incredible, the visibility will amaze you, and of course, you've never been there, all convinced you to try something new. Cold water dive travel. After browsing through old scuba manuals and talking with more experienced divers, they all concurtake as much of your own gear as possible. You are more familiar with it, it's well serviced, and there are a host of other reasons. Easier said than done. Which one of these "buddies" will be your dive sherpa to haul all this stuff?

It's time to prioritize. First, you have a plane ticket. In addition to baggage weight limits, scuba tanks are not recommended on aircraft. All high pressure containers, yes your tank is one, have to be empty. If you needed your tank specifically, it is possible to take it after the tank is emptied, the valve is removed and it is properly packed in a box. At the other end of the trip, it would require a visual inspection, valve refit, air fill and then you're on your way. The extra weight and expense doesn't justify the means. Tanks are readily available for rental or are included in some charters just to keep your travel simpler. Weight belts can be left at home too since they are also easily obtained at your destination. Is it getting easier?

Continue to prioritize your equipment into the "must have" and the "nice to have". For many divers, their prescription mask, regulator and dive computers go into the "must have" stack. If you have a custom-made dry or wet suit and are a difficult stock fit, your exposure suit may go into the same pile. Anyone able to rent stock suits off the shelf will save on their baggage limit by leaving their suit home as well. Other equipment can be sorted based on special use or fit or by the amount of diving you intend to do on this trip. One or two orientation dives will not require the volume of gear and spare parts you may need on a two-week liveaboard dive charter.

Another source of packing information is the charter or destination you're going to. Having problems deciding what to take because you don't know what's available? Call them. Not only will one call help with your packing decisions but you'll be able to get phone numbers for local dive facilities to reserve necessary rental equipment.

All set? Your mountain of dive gear is now sorted into manageable piles. What are you going to pack it in? Most manufactur ers have durable soft-sided equipment bags into which all your equipment will easily fit, some with removable regulator bags to include in your carry-on baggage. Remember that dive knives are always packed into checked baggage. Airline staff will hold them during your flight if you inadvertently include them in your carry-on bag. Over the years, some divers have had diving gear taken from baggage carousels but it has often been the red bags with the diagonal white stripes or the ones with the dive club crests or stickers on them. Get the point? Use luggage that is nondescript. Stop advertising that it contains expensive dive equipment.

Packing the dive gear you need is a skill that improves with practice. After your first cold water vacation, you may want to keep exploring the coastal shipwrecks of the east coast, the marine heritage scattered across the Great Lakes, the fresh water lakes and rivers of the Prairies, and the marine life of the west coast. Don't forget to pack your toothbrush.