Free PDF
The first-time liveaboard packing checklist
For divers booked on their first liveaboard who want to stop second-guessing the packing list. Built from years of pre-trip emails Niki has answered the same way. Specific, opinionated, and tested on real boats.
- What actually fits in a carry-on (and what to never check)
- The save-a-dive kit Niki packs for every trip
- Why you want small cash bills, even in 2026
- The single comfort item that pays for itself on day one
What’s inside
A real checklist, not a wall of generic gear-shop talk. Sections you can scan the night before, with the few items most first-timers forget until they wish they hadn’t.
- Before you fly: passport, insurance, gear servicing
- On the plane: what belongs in your carry-on (and what really doesn't)
- On the boat: gear, comfort items, and the little things
- Stuff that surprises first-timers: cash, dongles, dive log, save-a-dive kit
- What you can leave home
- Niki's personal must-haves after a decade on liveaboards