Travel Tech Gear for Dive Trips

I travel a lot for work, so I’ve gradually refined my travel setup over the years. Here’s what’s currently working for me.

Bags

Dive Gear

My dive gear travels in an Osprey 120-litre roller bag . I haven’t found a dive bag that’s as good as the Ospreys for basically acting as a really tough, really good roller bag. They’re easy to use, and the wheel systems are incredibly solid—which I absolutely need. Australian wheel systems in particular seem to be really well built.

For what actually goes in the bag, see my Dive Gear for Komodo – 2025 notes.

Main Travel Bag

My main travel bag is the Osprey Sojourn Shuttle 130 . It’s an amazing bag. Strong, reliable, and the wheels can handle anything.

Camera Carry-On

For camera gear, I use the Think Tank Airport Accelerator as my carry-on. I’ve been using this model since 2015—it’s perfect. Lightweight, fits all my underwater photography gear, and still goes in overhead bins on every airline I’ve used, including Air New Zealand’s small regional flights (if I remove the laptop). It’s durable and surprisingly comfortable even when overloaded. (More on what goes in it in my Underwater Photography Gear for Komodo notes.)

I pair it with a small stuff bag as my personal item under the seat—that holds my in-flight essentials.

Day Bag for Diving

It’s useful to have a small water-resistant duffel or stuff bag for daily essentials when you’re on the boat—sunscreen, snacks, and a towel. Boats generally have dry areas, but splashing is inevitable. On this trip I borrowed a Kathmandu Duffel (the Duffberg), which was perfect. A small dry bag inside for valuables like your wallet works well.

The USB-C Everything Setup

I’ve finally been able to USB-C all the things. That was one of the last holdouts for me, and it’s made travel so much simpler.

The Anker 140W Charger

The centrepiece of my charging setup is the Anker 140-watt charger (I got it off the Apple website). It has four USB-C ports, which is fantastic when you’re travelling with a lot of gear. On a typical dive trip I’m charging lithium batteries for my strobes, laptop, GoPro, and camera—and this unit handles all of it.

I didn’t even bring a separate battery charger for the camera on my last trip; I was just charging it over USB-C directly through the Nauticam housing’s USB-C PD system. The Anker really does the job.

Power Board

I also carry a small Jackson power board—it’s a really good one with four outlets plus USB-C and USB-A ports. I don’t usually use the built-in USB ports, but they’re nice to have as backup.

The power board used to be essential when I was charging AA batteries for my strobes, but now that most of my gear runs on lithium and charges via USB-C, I don’t need as much power infrastructure. Still, it’s great to have because it means I can use one travel adapter, plug the power board into that, and run all my chargers from it. One adapter, multiple devices. Power board: good.

Cables

One of my favourite travel hacks: a couple of two-metre USB-C cables. It means you can have your phone next to your bed while charging, even if the plug is in an inconvenient spot on the other side of the room. Two-metre cables for the win.

For planes, I bring a USB-A to USB-C cable so I can charge off the seat-back USB-A outlets, plus USB-C cables in case they have that option. Most long-haul flights have at least USB-A these days, so it’s worth being prepared.

Devices

Laptop

My laptop is a MacBook Pro 16-inch—matte black with the non-reflective screen and 4TB SSD. It’s kind of my all-in-one photography laptop. It’s a bit heavy for travel, but the extra screen size and power are totally worth it. The speed really improves my workflow—especially when I’m processing hundreds of photos from a dive trip. It’s a fantastic machine.

The 4TB internal storage means I can keep all my photos on the laptop during a trip without needing to rely on external drives, though I do carry a 4TB external SSD as backup.

iPad Mini

The iPad Mini has been a really nice little travel device—definitely a recommended travel buddy. I use it on the plane instead of my phone, which saves my iPhone battery for when I arrive and need it for travel logistics and communication.

iPhone

My iPhone 16 Pro Max has fantastic battery life, so I don’t really use a battery pack much these days. I do have a small Anker one that magnetically attaches to the phone, but I rarely need it.

AirPods

I’ve got the new AirPods Pro, and the enhanced noise cancellation is a big plus. I use AirPods so much that the upgrade was immediate for me. Battery life might be a bit better than the Pro 2s—it was fine on those—but the noise cancelling improvement is noticeable.

My old AirPods Pro case was completely broken after years of use, so I managed to hold out until the new ones were released. Great to have them now.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

I also use my Apple Watch Ultra 2 as a backup dive computer and for GPS logging of dive sites. It’s not great as a primary dive computer—it lacks the customisability I want—but the GPS integration is useful. More on that in my Dive Gear for Komodo – 2025 notes.

Camera Cleaning Kit

I always have a camera cleaning kit with me—a rocket blower and lens pen usually does the job. I’ve also got a synthetic cleaning kit as backup.

I’ve learned from experience to never travel without one. In Antarctica I didn’t have a cleaning kit, and luckily my roommate Brent Stewart did. Total lifesaver. Now it’s a non-negotiable part of my kit.

Other Small Bits

A few other things that live in my travel bag:

  • Tissues – always useful on planes and in transit
  • Small toothbrush – for freshening up on long flights
  • Sandwich bags – for things like toothpaste or sunscreen, just to stop them from leaking through the bag
  • Travel adapters – obvious, but easy to forget

I’ve also made some notes separately on toiletry items that I should just have as a pre-set travel kit in a dedicated bag, so I can grab it and go. When you travel a lot for work, that kind of thing saves a surprising amount of mental energy.

What I’d Still Like to Add

A USB-C rechargeable electric toothbrush would be nice—one less charging cable type to think about.

That’s my current setup. It’s evolved a lot over the years, and the shift to USB-C for almost everything has been a game-changer. Less bulk, fewer cables, simpler logistics. Highly recommend making the switch if you haven’t already.

  • Dive Gear for Komodo – 2025
  • Underwater Photography Gear for Komodo
  • Komodo Diving and Photography Trip – 2025

Dr. Simon Pierce is the Executive Director of the Marine Megafauna Foundation, where he leads the Global Whale Shark Program, and a specialist ocean wildlife photographer.