Christmas gift ideas for Divers, Snorkellers & Ocean Lovers

With less than a month to go until Christmas, it’s time to start finding that special something for the thalassophile (aka Ocean Adorer) in your life.

But there’s no need to panic! From blow-out gifts with serious “Wow” factor, to nifty little stocking fillers, you’ve come to the right place for inspiration.

Whether it’s a shiny new piece of equipment, an unforgettable trip, or simply a voucher to spend on whatever the heart desires, we have boatfuls of ideas for the perfect present on any budget.

New Divers

Scuba diving for the first time is an unforgettable, even “addictive” experience, as your new diver will know all too well! A gift of their own personal equipment can help to make them feel more comfortable in the water as they can become accustomed to the way their kit works, instead of using different rental options.

Mid-range: Ask any diver what their first piece of equipment they bought was and Mask often comes up trumps. Finding a mask that fits your face is a wonderful moment, and means your eyes can spend more time looking at the underwater world instead of being closed to clear a little leakage! The Hollis M3 Mask comes with a GoPro attachment and custom prescription lenses can be ordered for those with restricted vision. In addition, it is only $149 (not including prescription lenses).

Snorkelling & Freediving Addicts

Do you have that one friend who can’t get enough of the ocean? That spends most of the holiday wrinkly because they’ve spent too much time in the sea or pool? While you can’t give them the whole ocean, you can help them enjoy it to their fullest either by letting them stay down longer by trying a scuba dive which requires no previous experience, or with some great gear.

Top Marks: Where Harry Potter has Gillyweed to help him breathe underwater, the rest of us have Scuba Diving! Help your friend discover the magic of diving – without having to enrol in a school of witchcraft and wizardry – by buying them an Introductory Dive at the Great Barrier Reef! Just $319 for one dive or $359 for two (second dive can be bought onboard).

Divers at the Great Barrier Reef

Mid-range: All fins are not created equal. While shorter fins can be great for surface snorkelling and shallow water, specially designed freediving fins are much longer and help cover greater distances with minimal effort but can mean less maneuverability and higher risks of damaging coral – especially for the less experienced.

The Apollo OD Glide Fin ($169) is the perfect mid-ground. Light and easy to travel with,  but also perfect for gliding through the water, they come with a FREE SV-2 Pro Mask & mask defogger worth $143.95 when you buy the Snorkel too ($49.95). The set comes in a range of matching colours for even the most fashion-conscious.

Black Apollo OD Glide Fin

Budget Option: If your snorkeling fanatic has it all, you can always get them an accessory for their existing equipment. Many dive professionals swear by “comfort mouthpieces” which have a little bridge across them that minimises rubbing and ulcers, ideal for longer swims ($5.95). For the ultimate tailored experience, the JAX/Mares Individual Mouthpiece ($39.95) can actually be moulded to the shape of your mouth and teeth. Both are suitable for attaching to most brands of snorkel.

Stealthy Spearfisher

Australia is famed for World-Class fishing, yet spearfishing can be the most sustainable method, ruling out by-catch and giving fishers greater control over selectivity. Support sustainable fishing whilst guaranteeing great gift-giving with a double-win spearfishing present.

Top Marks: The Phantom Railgun 1000 by Undersee Australia has a compact fibreglass reinforced nylon muzzle and  a 700mm long barrel making it suitable for most. The best part is, Undersee offer a variety of upgrades from extra loops, to interchangeable spear tips, meaning that gift-givers with little to no prior knowledge of spear equipment can rest assured that the receiver can tailor their use of the gun to their own specifications, and need not worry about ‘buying the wrong thing’ $199.95.

Phanton Railgun with fish caught using the gun from Undersee’s website

Land and Sea Stealth Dive Knife with webbing sheath and belt

Mid-range: A specially designed Dive Knife is a must-have for any spearfisher. Designed to withstand salt water, be easily sheathed for greater safety while staying sufficiently sharp means faster kills and less suffering for the catch. Land and Sea’s Stealth Dive Knife is made of 420 marine-grade Stainless Steel with a handy line-cutter in the blade. It comes with a lifetime warranty, durable webbing sheath and a quick release belt attachment all for just $29.95.

Budget Option: Never underestimate a good catch bag! It can be seriously frustrating to lose a caught fish due to equipment and the sharp spines and teeth on many fish can mean frequently needing to replace old or torn bags. The Land and Sea large mesh bag is made of durable nylon and is only $10.95. Equipped with a drawstring and toggle lock for quick but secure opening and closing, it is protected by Land and Sea’s standard lifetime warranty against manufacturers defects. Simple but effective.

The Experienced or Tec-Diver

With 25 PADI specialty courses and even more Distinctive Specialties being made each year, seasoned divers literally have the world as their oyster in terms of how they want to focus their skills. A gift voucher is a safe, strong option since at Adrenalin they can be used on nearly everything offered in store. Furthermore, they are personalised for each individual – just let our friendly staff know what you need.

Top Marks: The X-Tek Sidemount system is highly regarded as a customisable, close-quarters dive system made by the experts at Scubapro. In store, ours comes with the 20lt Aircell for $1135.10 and can be used with one tank or two. Stainless steel grommets, D-rings and handles provide plenty of clip-on points and handholds with a good lifespan. This top of the range BCD was originally designed for cave-diving but has evolved to suit most diving types and provides excellent streamlining for efficient dives, no matter what the conditions.

XTek Sidemount System

Mid-range: Technical Diving comes in many shapes and sizes, so if you’re unsure what to get your experienced diver then you can’t go wrong with a gift certificate… and this Christmas we even have a festive template available! You choose the amount for the certificate and we do the rest, there is no extra charge. So if you buy a certificate for $100 then the value of the certificate would also be $100. Valid for one year it can be used on trips, courses, retail equipment and even servicing so you can give the gift of everything all in one. Purchase one online here, starting at $50 or call us to order one for any amount.

Budget Option: A Dive Saver Kit can be the make or break of a dive when the unexpected occurs. The Princeton Tec kit comes with spare o-rings for tank or hose malfunctions, a spare snorkel keeper, mask strap, fin strap, mouthpiece and tie wrap in a useful pocket-sized tub while remaining a steal at $24.95.

History & Wreck Enthusiasts

Before the RMS Titanic came the SS Yongala, which tragically sank just one year prior to the famous film ship. Dubbed as Australia’s Titanic, the story of the Yongala wreck is one fraught with mystery, speculation and wonder after it claimed the lives of 49 passengers, 73 crew, a prized bull and a racehorse named “Moonshine”. Now a world renowned dive site and protected under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976 the Yongala put Townsville on the diving map, sees 10,000 divers a year and is regularly listed as one of the top wreck dives in the world.

Adrenalin Scuba Diver at the SS Yongala shipwreck

Top Marks: Nothing quite beats seeing the SS Yongala Shipwreck in all her glory face to face, sitting at 28m amidst sea snakes, bull and marble rays, a plethora of sharks, and sometimes even Manta Rays and Whale Sharks, all only observable by Scuba Diving. If your ship-loving significant other can’t dive yet, why not join a 3 day 3 night liveaboard where they can learn to dive on the Great Barrier Reef and complete the trip with a finale of a lifetime, Australia’s best wreck?! $1200 for Open Water or $895 for certified divers.

Mid-range: Haven’t got 3 days to spare? Certified divers can still soak up the shipwreck with a 2 dive day trip, from just $279 including tanks and weights. You can even do some pre-visit research on the way there with an Audio CD ($10) or Yongala book ($29.95)

Range of mask strap covers from Adrenalin Dive

Budget Option: Been there, done that but did you get the t-shirt? From mask straps to ladies and men’s T’s, there are plenty of ways to ‘wear the wreck’. T-shirts $28 and Mask Straps $15.