TSA and Dive gear

[Jimothy]

I'm flying out to Kona Saturday morning, and this will be the first time bringing all of my dive gear (minus cylinders, cutting tools and drysuit), and its all going as carry-on. BP/W + STA, regs, turtle fins, two lights, etc. you get the idea.

I'm expecting to be pulled aside for a more thorough screening, mainly for the bp/w and regs. Besides packing everything so its easily accessible and telling the tsa agent that its a bag full of scuba equipment, does anyone have any tips to avoid confiscation/delays?

[CaptnJack]

SEATAC TSA sees dive gear every day. They generally just swab it and let you go. Canister light batteries (in particular) are too dense for them to see well and look like a bomb too.

Remember not to joke about anything prohibited and to pack knives in checked baggage.

[Jeff Pack]

I assume you're putting into luggage compartment, correct? Most people say to put a sticker outside with your name and cell number to have them call if any questions.

[Jimothy]

SEATAC TSA sees dive gear every day. They generally just swab it and let you go. Canister light batteries (in particular) are too dense for them to see well and look like a bomb too.

Remember not to joke about anything prohibited and to pack knives in checked baggage.

Precisely why I'm not taking one of my can lights. Cutting devices are being put in someone else's checked luggage. I'm taking the gear bag as carry-on since it meets the Alaska Air dimensional requirements for carry-on luggage.

[CaptnJack]

SEATAC TSA sees dive gear every day. They generally just swab it and let you go. Canister light batteries (in particular) are too dense for them to see well and look like a bomb too.

Remember not to joke about anything prohibited and to pack knives in checked baggage.

Precisely why I'm not taking one of my can lights. Cutting devices are being put in someone else's checked luggage. I'm taking the gear bag as carry-on since it meets the Alaska Air dimensional requirements for carry-on luggage.

You won't need a can light anyway.

SEATAC (and presumably Kona) sees so much dive gear every day they don't really hassle people about it. At least I have never been hassled here. I've gotten far more scrutiny at Orange County. And Cancun is TERRIBLE - but mostly because they are idiot contractors down there who think a pencil is a weapon (they are pointy afterall).

[GearHead]

Since the backplate is likely to block X-rays, you'll probably be asked to open your bag so TSA can take a closer look at things. If your regs are in a separate bag, they might run this through the X-ray separately. No big deal.

I went to Kauai last December with my gear split between carry-on and checked. Only issue was the weight of the checked bag on the way back.

[BillZ]

I've carried on my can light during several trips and never had an issue. During screening I make sure to take it out of my bag and put it in a separate tray so they can inspect it easily.

[CaptnJack]

I've carried on my can light during several trips and never had an issue. During screening I make sure to take it out of my bag and put it in a separate tray so they can inspect it easily.

Don't try that in Cancun. They insist on all batteries being in checked baggage. Even alkaline AA and C cells. That's not what the international screening agreements/law actually says (in fact its the opposite for li-ion) but they are idiots down there. Cancun screeners make the worst TSA agent look like a Mensa member.

[nwscubamom]

I had a problem at PDX with my camera INSIDE my housing, inside my carryon. They said it appeared as "Electronics within organic matter". Um, OK. It caused quite a delay since they had to completely unpack my entire carryon, and inspect ME too.
They said in the future, to take it out of the carryon and put it in its own tray to go through screening, just like you'd do with your laptop.

I just took it out of the housing and kept it in my carryon, packed, and haven't had a problem since that one time.

So just take out anything suspicious and put it in one of the gray TSA trays to go through screening.

- Janna