The ultimate liveaboard packing list

A week on a boat is not a week in a hotel. Cabins are small, everything gets damp, charging points are scarce, and there's no popping out for the thing you forgot. Pack for those constraints and the trip is easy. Pack like it's a normal holiday and you'll be borrowing a torch by night two.

Dive gear

Decide owned vs rental before you pack, rental needs reserving, especially less common sizes and computers. If you haven't booked the trip yet, GetYourGuide lists liveaboard dive trips across most major destinations. If you're bringing your own gear:

• Mask, snorkel and fins (plus a spare mask if you're prone to floods)
• Wetsuit, check the water temp; a 3mm is common but cooler sites want 5mm
• Dive computer + spare battery (and the charging cable)
• Regulator and BCD if you dive your own
• SMB / DSMB and reel, most liveaboards require one
• Dive torch + backup torch (night dives, overhangs)
• Reef-safe sunscreen and a rash vest
• Save-a-dive kit: o-rings, mask strap, fin strap, cable ties, mouthpiece
• Mesh gear bag (drains and dries, never a hard case for wet kit)

Documents

These are the items that end the trip before it starts if they're missing. Bring them, and keep digital copies somewhere offline:

• Passport (valid 6+ months from entry)
• Visa or entry permit, checked for your nationality
• Dive certification card(s)
• Dive insurance certificate (DAN or equivalent, standard travel cover often excludes diving)
• Travel insurance policy
• Logbook (or a logging app) and proof of recent/logged dives if the operator requires it
• Flights, transfer and liveaboard confirmations

Clothing (7 days, humid, limited space)

• Light, quick-dry clothes, you'll mostly live in swimwear and a rash vest
• 2-3 swimsuits (so one's always dry)
• A warm layer and a windproof for night crossings and surface intervals
• Flip-flops and one pair of deck-friendly shoes
• Hat, polarised sunglasses, a buff

Electronics and power

• A multi-USB charger and a short cable per device, outlets are limited and shared
• Power bank (handy for surface intervals and overnight)
• Universal travel adapter (boats vary)
• Dry bag or waterproof pouch for phone and camera on tenders
• Camera, housing, spare batteries and memory cards

Health and personal

• Seasickness tablets (even if you don't usually need them)
• Personal medication in carry-on, in original packaging
• Ear drops, decongestant, basic first aid
• Toiletries in a hanging wash bag, cabin shelf space is minimal

What the boat almost certainly provides

Half of overpacking is bringing things that are already on board. Check your operator's list, but on most liveaboards you can safely leave these at home:

• Tanks, weights and weight belts. Bringing your own weights is a common and expensive mistake, because they are heavy, they are on the boat, and airlines charge by the kilo.
• Towels, both bath and deck. Almost universal.
• Basic soap and shampoo, though rarely anything you would choose yourself.
• Drinking water, tea, coffee and usually soft drinks. A refillable bottle is worth bringing, a week of bottled water is not.
• Tank bangers, pointers and often SMBs, though bring your own if you have one you trust.

The corollary matters too. What boats almost never have spare of: prescription mask lenses, your computer's charging cable, a wetsuit in your size, and anything in the save-a-dive kit. Those are the items where being self-sufficient is worth the space.

Pack for the flight, not just the boat

The boat is the easy part. The flight is where dive trips actually go wrong, and most of it comes down to batteries and weight.

• Spare lithium batteries must travel in carry-on, never checked. This applies to dive torch batteries, camera batteries and power banks, and it is enforced consistently. Tape the terminals or keep each in its own case.
• Your dive computer goes in carry-on. It is small, expensive, and the one item a lost bag genuinely ruins. Same for prescription masks and any medication.
• Weigh the bag before you leave home. Dive gear is dense and it is very easy to be five kilos over without feeling it. Regulators in carry-on is the standard trick, and most airlines accept it.
• Soft bags, not hard cases. Boats have nowhere to store a rigid suitcase, and crew will usually ask you to collapse your bag and stow it. A hard case becomes everyone's problem in a narrow corridor.

One more, worth checking before you book rather than after: some destinations require proof of dive insurance at check-in, and some operators require a logged dive within the last twelve months. Both are easy to satisfy and miserable to discover at the dock.

The things people actually forget

Not the obvious gear. These are the items that come up on the boat, every single trip, from someone who has done this before:

• A short charging cable. Every outlet is shared and behind something, and a two-metre cable will not reach where you need it.
• Motion sickness tablets, taken the night before rather than when you already feel it. Also worth having spares, because you will end up giving them away.
• A dry bag big enough for the tender ride, not just a phone pouch.
• Cash in small notes for crew tips and the odd port fee. Card acceptance on liveaboards is inconsistent and cash machines are not a feature of the open sea.
• Ear drops. Seven days of repeated immersion causes more ear trouble than any single day of diving.
• A hanging wash bag. Cabin shelf space is roughly one book wide.

The group organiser's extras

If you're the one who organised the trip, you're also the one people turn to. A few extras for the crew save the week:

• A copy of everyone's emergency contacts and dive insurance details
• Spare o-rings, mask strap and cable ties for the inevitable
• The full itinerary and transfer times, available offline
• A running tally of who paid for what, so settle-up isn't guesswork

Pack for the boat, not the holiday: small, quick-dry, salt-proof, and backed up offline. Do that and the only thing left to think about is the diving. Still searching for the right trip? Browse liveaboard dive trips on GetYourGuide.