Slates and Wetnotes

Underwater you cannot talk, and hand signals only go so far. Slates and wetnotes are how divers write things down: a plan, a gas figure, a sketch of a site, or a question for a buddy. This collection covers rigid slates, wrist-mounted and multi-page slates, and wetnote books with waterproof pages, from Apeks, Aquatec, Beaver, DIRZone, Halcyon, Lumb Bros and Nautilus, plus refill paper.

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Aquatec Multi-Layer Wrist Slate

AQUATEC

£15.95

Lumb Bros Lumb Bros Size 3 Divers Slate

Lumb Bros

£8.95

DIRZone Wet Notes - Inner Notes

Halcyon Underwater Paper Refill for Diver's Notebook

Sold Out

Nautilus Heavy Duty Wetnotes

Nautilus

£39.95

DIRZone Wet Notes Complete with Plastic

DIRZone

£24.95

DIRZone Wet Notes Complete

DIRZone

£24.95

Slates

A slate is a rigid plastic board you write on with a pencil and wipe clean afterwards. The simplest are a single flat board with a lanyard hole. Larger ones give you more room for a site sketch or a longer briefing, and wrist-mounted and multi-page versions strap to the forearm so both hands stay free while flipping between several writing surfaces. We stock slates from Aquatec, Beaver and Lumb Bros. Sizes vary, so check the product listing for the one you are looking at.

Wetnotes

Wetnotes are notebooks made from waterproof paper in a protective cover, usually with a pencil holder and often with pockets for tables, small tools or spare pages. Unlike a slate, what you write stays. Divers use them for dive plans, gas and decompression notes, contact details on a trip, and anything they want to refer back to after the dive. Apeks, DIRZone, Halcyon and Nautilus wetnotes are all here.

Refills and paper

The pages are a consumable. Waterproof paper refills and replacement inner notes let you keep the cover and swap the contents when it fills up or the pages get worn. Refills are made to fit a particular cover and sizes are not standardised between manufacturers, so match the refill to the wetnotes you already own rather than assuming they interchange. Check the product listing, or ask us and we will confirm it.

Which one do you need

Broadly, a slate suits writing that only matters for the dive itself: a signal to a buddy, a depth, a sketch of where you are heading. Wetnotes suit anything you want to keep. Plenty of divers carry both. Either way, write with a graphite pencil rather than a pen, and carry a spare pencil, because that is the part that goes missing.

Related kit

Slates and wetnotes are usually clipped on alongside the rest of your accessories: see Reels and Spools and SMB & Lifting Bags.

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Frequently asked questions

An ordinary graphite pencil. Pencil marks wet plastic and waterproof paper; ink pens generally will not. Most slates and wetnote covers come with a pencil or a holder for one. Carry a spare, because the pencil is the part that goes missing.

A slate is a rigid board you write on, wipe clean and reuse, so it suits information you only need during the dive. Wetnotes are a bound book of waterproof paper in a cover, so what you write stays and can be referred back to afterwards. Wetnote covers also usually carry pockets for tables or small items. Many divers carry both.

Not necessarily. Refills and inner notes are made to fit a particular cover, and sizes are not standardised between manufacturers. Check the product listing against the wetnotes you already own, or send us the make and model and we will confirm the right refill before you order.

Either works, and plenty of divers start with a simple slate because it is straightforward to use and easy to clip on. What matters more is having something: being able to write a number, a name or a question down covers the situations hand signals cannot. If you are working through a course, ask your instructor what they carry, as most have a firm preference and a reason for it.