Bwatsnyc
Registered
Hey everyone new diver from NYC here. I'm about to buy my first set of scuba gear and need some advice. Should I go straight to computers or start with gauges first?? Any manufacturers to stay away from?
Buying gear and need advice
- Thread starter Bwatsnyc
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
I suppose the question should be what were you trained on and what do you feel comfortable with.
Its all well and good having the latest "diving Tec Bling" but if it its too complicated to use in a situation of duress and pressure then its worthless. I started on gauges, then a computer and a gauge, now Im comfortable diving with both - either or.
Hope this helps
Its all well and good having the latest "diving Tec Bling" but if it its too complicated to use in a situation of duress and pressure then its worthless. I started on gauges, then a computer and a gauge, now Im comfortable diving with both - either or.
Hope this helps
PvtStash
Contributor
what brands are available locally? much in the way of LDS selection?
I'm in the same boat here and will be buying gear in about 3 months. He's gonna push the computer but I'm gonna go with the guages for 3 reasons: I'll be a better diver if I get solid on guages before getting a computer (and will Always have reliable backup in case of computer flood/failure); gauge consoles are Way cheaper than computers; everything computer gets Better and Cheaper with time, in a year my money will go Alot farther in acquiring whatevers available at that time.
My shop basically carries Aqualung, which is fine Aqualung makes a fine product. I'm not convinced that I wouldnt have gone Aqualung anyways... more specifically I'm thinking about the Titan reg line, I'm hoping to save a little money by going with the Titan LX Supreme over anything in their Legend series.
I'm in the same boat here and will be buying gear in about 3 months. He's gonna push the computer but I'm gonna go with the guages for 3 reasons: I'll be a better diver if I get solid on guages before getting a computer (and will Always have reliable backup in case of computer flood/failure); gauge consoles are Way cheaper than computers; everything computer gets Better and Cheaper with time, in a year my money will go Alot farther in acquiring whatevers available at that time.
My shop basically carries Aqualung, which is fine Aqualung makes a fine product. I'm not convinced that I wouldnt have gone Aqualung anyways... more specifically I'm thinking about the Titan reg line, I'm hoping to save a little money by going with the Titan LX Supreme over anything in their Legend series.
DivingPrincessE
Contributor
Welcome to the board! I'm assuming you have mask/snorkel/boots/fins, so exposure protection is next (people pee in them so you don't want to rent too long). A drysuit is best for NY water...but they are also between $2,000-$3,000 (hence why it's still on my wish list). You can get a 7 mil, or a semi dry for now and just dive in the summer locally. If you just want to do caribbean diving you could get a 3 mil full instead. It's recomended to rent for a while to find out what you like...but after contantly renting equipment that didn't work from my old dive shop, I decided I wanted to be able to rely on my equipment.
I recomend that your next purchase be a dive computer (either wrist or console) because it will keep you from doing stupid things as a new diver. I got one right after certification...until you get the feel for it (which I don't have yet) it will warn you if you are ascending too quickly, running out of air, getting close to deco, etc. Get a good one, one that is compatible with nitrox.
A regulator is a regular, there are few features that differenciate them. Talk to your LDS (if you trust them and they aren't just after $$), do research on here, and when you have it narrowed down to a few-read the reviews online and here on scubaboard. Since you're in NY, you will want one that performs in cold water. Another feature you'll want to look for is buying a brand that can be serviced in your area. There are online retailers that can service regs, but you have to pay shipping, and sometimes it takes a while...I would rather just drop it at the local shop.
There are a lot of BC options. Before you buy you will want to try out all the types. Vest inflate (probably what you used in class), rear inflate BCD, BP/W (back plate/wings) that are rear inflate. If you have questions on BP/W just use the search feature and type in "back plate" or google BP/W. It is the longest running debate here on scubaboard.
Then there are all kinds of other toys, but those are the basics you want to start with. Good luck!!
I recomend that your next purchase be a dive computer (either wrist or console) because it will keep you from doing stupid things as a new diver. I got one right after certification...until you get the feel for it (which I don't have yet) it will warn you if you are ascending too quickly, running out of air, getting close to deco, etc. Get a good one, one that is compatible with nitrox.
A regulator is a regular, there are few features that differenciate them. Talk to your LDS (if you trust them and they aren't just after $$), do research on here, and when you have it narrowed down to a few-read the reviews online and here on scubaboard. Since you're in NY, you will want one that performs in cold water. Another feature you'll want to look for is buying a brand that can be serviced in your area. There are online retailers that can service regs, but you have to pay shipping, and sometimes it takes a while...I would rather just drop it at the local shop.
There are a lot of BC options. Before you buy you will want to try out all the types. Vest inflate (probably what you used in class), rear inflate BCD, BP/W (back plate/wings) that are rear inflate. If you have questions on BP/W just use the search feature and type in "back plate" or google BP/W. It is the longest running debate here on scubaboard.
Then there are all kinds of other toys, but those are the basics you want to start with. Good luck!!
donkey
Registered
I started with gauges, then got a computer a "while" later. (two years or so, but only 11 dives in) :-( I went with a wrist mount computer (suunto gekko) and still have the gauge on my console because I like the redundancy. A computer does generally(?) give you longer bottom times, but shouldn't be followed blindly. They certainly are convenient though... I'm sure that there are dozens of threads discussing the relative safety of computers vs. tables, if you are interested.
Kevin Carlisle
Contributor
Aqua lung makes a great product. If you can try the legend versus the titan. I love my legend enough that I am about to buy another to use on doubles for cave diving. Just remember all regs are not equal. Some breath much better at depths than others. I am not against a titan though, but I would try out the legend.
RonFrank
Contributor
If I could only carry one piece of equipment to a destination location, it would be my computer. Why? A lot of DiveOps require a computer to extend BT. A computer is specialized vs. a reg for example. IOW's learning to use a different reg involves... breathing on a different reg. Learning to use a different computer may take some time to first learn the ins and outs, and then become proficient when diving.
As for analog gauges (a computer IS a gauge), dive tables work, but why bother unless you have a specific reason for doing that type of planning. Many also choose to carry some redundancy. For years I dove with a Nitrox computer, and a Citizen Aquamaster that provided depth, time, temp, etc. as a backup. Now I generally dive with two computers for redundancy.
I prefer wrist mounted gauges, but that is a personal and subjective opinion.
As for analog gauges (a computer IS a gauge), dive tables work, but why bother unless you have a specific reason for doing that type of planning. Many also choose to carry some redundancy. For years I dove with a Nitrox computer, and a Citizen Aquamaster that provided depth, time, temp, etc. as a backup. Now I generally dive with two computers for redundancy.
I prefer wrist mounted gauges, but that is a personal and subjective opinion.
RonFrank
Contributor
How does one follow a computer *bindly*. Most new divers run out of air before the hit an NDL. I've never heard of a computer failing in a sneaky way. IOW's it's very obvious.
Computers are based on the tables, so I'm not sure if saying that a computer is less safe is accurate. Computers just do things based on second by second readings during a dive rather than our less impressive what we THINK we may do on a dive. If one is diving flat profiles, than tables as taught by PADI/NAUI/ect are fine. For multi level profiles, it would be difficult to use the wheel to calculate an accurate profile if constantly doing a slow ascent which is a rather common profile in a lot of sites.
There are some folks that don't dive computers. However they are not diving the tables in a traditional sense either.
RonFrank
Contributor
Using Analog gauges will not necessarily make one a better diver. Computers do a lot of things that gauges don't that might make one a better, and especially safer diver when new.
For example, it is not easy to judge ascent rate with an analog gauge, and analog depth gauges are not as accurate as digital computers. PADI explains why in the OW book!
The computer will tell you when you are ascending too fast, and IMO that is one of the biggest advantages to using one for a new diver who is going to have difficultly judging ascent rates. Most folks diving a computer discover that having analog consoles are bulky, and difficult to chimp on! IOW's it's easy to glance at a wrist mounted computer, less so to constantly be unleashing a console. Many turn to a second computer as a backup, or a diving watch with a depth gauge as a backup.
Gauges are not much more expensive than low end computers, and some are more (this assumes you are not looking at an AI computer). Price a good bottom timer, and a good depth gauge. It's going to run over $100, and for not a lot more one can pickup a basic computer.
So your plan is to spend twice? Not generally a recommend plan, but to each their own. Maybe get certified first, and then start making decisions.
Similar threads
