With another dive season upon us, we’re pretty sure you’re already thinking about weekend exploring, catching up with your dive buddies, and those first visits back to your favourite dive sites. Of course, you might even have been braving the colder and darker months under the surface, but it’s now that most of us are dusting off our dive bags and planning 2026’s adventures.
With all that excitement building and plans being made, it’s the perfect time to take stock of your kit and make sure that it matches your ambitions for the season ahead. Whether you want to dive more comfortably this year, develop your skills, or find an excuse to get a shiny new piece of kit, the right upgrades can really take things to the next level. With that in mind, our expert team of divers have handpicked their favourite diving gear for the year ahead, covering every essential from BCDs and regulators to masks and torches. If you’re planning to invest before your next big dive trip, these are the upgrades we’d suggest…
BCD
Our pick: xDeep Zen Ultralight Wing BCD
If you’ve been pondering a BCD upgrade throughout the off-season, the benefits of our pick, the xDeep Zen Ultralight Wing BCD, could certainly justify your purchase. This Wing BCD is the ultimate all-rounder, as it’s designed with both travel and performance in mind and therefore perfect for both regular and holiday dives. It’s noticeably lighter and more streamlined than other options on the market right now, but crucially, the Zen system manages to stay light without sacrificing all-important comfort and stability.
One of the things we particularly love about the Zen Ultralight BCD is the attention to trim and buoyancy control. Everything sits neatly and naturally against the body, making it easy for you to maintain a stable position while reducing drag. Add in its durable construction and thoughtful harness design, and you’ve got a bit of scuba diving kit that you can’t imagine ever diving without.
Dive Mask
Our pick: xDeep Radical Diving Mask
Where comfort is concerned, a good dive mask can also be one of the most significant scuba diving kit upgrades you’ll ever make. Our pick is the xDeep Radical Diving Mask, which absolutely earns its place as one of the best dive masks available right now, thanks to a design process drawing on feedback from divers of all face shapes to create a natural and secure fit.
The result is a dive mask with an impressively wide field of vision, low internal volume, and a super-soft silicone skirt that’s comfortable even on the longest dives. Equalisation is straightforward (even with thick gloves on), and a reduced volume minimises fogging and makes clearing easier too. This is the kind of kit upgrade that you’ll thank yourself for making almost as soon as you hit the water this year.
Regulator
Our pick: Scubapro Mk25 Evo S620Ti With Free R105 Octo
Upgrading your regulator is not a decision to be taken lightly. It requires a significant investment and plenty of research to make sure that you’re opting for a first and second stage that is truly right for you. However, whatever your reasons for getting a new regulator, reliability and performance should always be at the very top of your priority list, and the Scubapro Mk25 Evo S620Ti delivers both in abundance.
This regulator combines Scubapro’s flagship balanced first stage with the lightweight titanium S620Ti second stage, creating a smooth and natural breathing experience from first use. One of the biggest advantages of this setup is how well it performs even during deeper dives or cold water conditions. Throw in the included R105 Octopus and you’ve got a seriously capable regulator package that provides the foundation of your scuba diving kit all the way from shore dives to holidays abroad.
Drysuit
Our pick: Scubapro Evertec Dry Breathable Drysuit
Particularly for us UK divers, a high-quality drysuit is never far from the top of the wish list! Our pick is the Scubapro Evertec Dry Breathable Drysuit, which is a brilliant upgrade for anyone wanting comfort across long days in colder water. This drysuit immediately stands out thanks to its breathable trilaminate construction, which avoids that clammy feeling that can sometimes build up in older suits.
Beyond comfort, the Evertec Dry Breathable offers practicality and freedom in abundance. It’s lightweight and never feels restrictive, while reinforced areas add durability where it matters most. This is the kind of upgrade that will quickly pay for itself dive after dive.
Wetsuit
Our pick: Scubapro Everflex Yulex Wetsuit
For warmer weather adventures and those who prefer wetsuit diving, the Scubapro Everflex Yulex Wetsuit is a great choice. It’s built using Yulex natural rubber rather than traditional neoprene, delivering impressive flexibility and thermal protection while also offering a more environmentally conscious approach to your diving kit.
We particularly love this Scubapro wetsuit for how comfortable it is. The suit stretches naturally with movement, while the fit and thermal lining retain warmth without adding unnecessary bulk. We can almost guarantee you’ll love diving in this wetsuit, and it more than deserves its place as our top-recommended diving wetsuit for 2026.
Dive Computer
Our pick: Suunto Nautic S Dive Computer
If it’s been a while since you gave your dive computer much thought, now might be the right time. Dive computer technology is evolving rapidly, perhaps more so than any other type of diving kit, and staying ahead of the curve will see you reap the rewards in terms of dive performance.
The Suunto Nautic S is an excellent example of where this technology meets functionality in the perfect balance. We love this dive computer because it's intuitive and packed with genuinely useful features, delivering clear information without too much complication. Particular highlights include the easy-to-read display, which works fantastically even in low visibility, as well as the streamlined interface for accessing key information underwater.
Dive Torch
Our pick: OrcaTorch Orca7
Your dive torch isn’t necessarily the most glamorous piece of scuba diving equipment to upgrade, but doing so is certainly a choice that pays off. In fact, a dependable dive torch is quickly one of those pieces of kit that becomes impossible to dive without once you’ve experienced a good one.
Our pick is the new OrcaTorch Orca 7, the latest compact but powerful light from the leading OrcaTorch brand. Striking a good balance between practicality and performance, the focused beam cuts cleanly through low-visibility water to aid communication and awareness underwater. Meanwhile, the robust construction means this dive torch is more than capable of handling the realities of dive season, whether that’s in peering into wrecks or illuminating night dives.
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If any of these upgrades have caught your eye, or you’d like some personalised advice on the best diving equipment for your plans this year, do not hesitate to get in touch with us. The Aquanauts team know firsthand just how exciting it is to start the dive season with the right kit and are on hand to help fellow divers get fully prepared for their next dive.