What safety gear is considered mandatory for scientific divers?

The mandatory safety gear for scientific divers includes essential items that enhance safety and communication underwater. Floats serve multiple functions, such as marking dive sites and ensuring the diver's visibility to surface support teams. Signaling devices are crucial for communication both underwater and at the surface, allowing divers to signal for assistance if needed or to convey their presence to other divers or boats in the area. Medical kits are important for addressing potential injuries or health issues that may arise during a dive, ensuring divers have the means to provide immediate care if required.

While techniques and equipment such as prescription goggles and snorkels, underwater cameras and compasses, or wetsuits and dive weights may be useful in various diving scenarios, they do not hold the same level of critical importance in the realm of safety gear as the items listed. The emphasis on floats, signaling devices, and medical kits aligns with the priorities of safety and risk management essential for scientific diving operations.