Stricter enforcement of cabin baggage limits and battery rules is creating new challenges for travellers carrying underwater photography equipment.
Airlines increasingly enforce 7kg carry-on limits and battery rules, affecting travellers carrying camera and underwater photography equipment.
Divers, in particular underwater photographers, heading for dive destinations may be encountering a subtle but noticeable shift in airline cabin baggage policies. While no single new regulation or airline industry standard has been introduced, a combination of stricter enforcement and operational pressures appears to be changing how existing rules are applied—particularly affecting members of the dive community travelling with fragile and expensive equipment.
Stricter checks
One of the more notable changes is the increasing tendency for airlines to weigh carry-on luggage at check-in or the gate. A limit of 7kg is already common among many carriers, and it is now being enforced more consistently. For travellers carrying camera bodies, lenses, housings and laptops, let alone dive computers and rebreather electronics, this leaves precious little wriggle room and some tough choices to make, especially when even lightweight hard-shell cases can weigh several kilograms empty.
In practice, this means that carrying an amount of equipment in carry-on luggage that previously passed without comment is now more likely to be challenged. On recent long-haul dive trips, I have personally had my carry-on weighed on each occasion, something that was rarely enforced in the past.
Workarounds
Faced with these constraints, some travellers are adapting in pragmatic ways. In my own case, this has meant redistributing the heaviest lenses into a small, inconspicuous rucksack that passes as a “personal item" and stuffing other pieces of kit into deep jacket and cargo trouser pockets to stay within limits at the check-in counter. It is a ritual I find somewhat annoying, but it gets me checked in without any further hassle.
Battery rules
At the same time, airlines are paying closer attention to lithium battery safety. Power banks must still be carried in the cabin, but some carriers now also require them to remain within reach of the passenger rather than be stored in overhead compartments. This reflects heightened awareness of fire risks, rather than a fundamentally new rule.
Emerging pattern
Taken together, these developments suggest a broader trend. While carry-on size is gradually becoming standardised, weight limits remain inconsistent but appear to be tightening in practice. For travellers carrying camera equipment, this evolving landscape may require more careful planning and perhaps a degree of creativity when packing for the next trip.
