Regalator safe for ocean?? HELP!! ;)

[xObDiver2009]

Hi everyone!

I am brand new to diving and my dad said I should buy my equipment online cuz its cheaper. He gave me a list if what to buy and he said scubapro was the best brand...lol whatever. Anyways........... they don't say if theyre stuff is ok to take in salt water or not. Im in my first year of college and as a marine biologist I need to go i nthe ocean like a lot, so does it matter what kind I get? He wants to get me the m25 sumthing.

thanks for all the help!!

Manda

 

[iztok]

Hi everyone!

I am brand new to diving and my dad said I should buy my equipment online cuz its cheaper. He gave me a list if what to buy and he said scubapro was the best brand...lol whatever. Anyways........... they don't say if theyre stuff is ok to take in salt water or not. Im in my first year of college and as a marine biologist I need to go i nthe ocean like a lot, so does it matter what kind I get? He wants to get me the m25 sumthing.

thanks for all the help!!

Manda

Manda,

pretty much all the regulators on the market nowadays are good quality and sometimes brand doesn't make much of a difference.

However things to consider is what type of diving (mostly water temperature) will you be doing.

If you plan to have dives in cold water make sure the regulators are suitable for these temperatures.

Also keep in mind that regulators have to be serviced on a regular basis and that you need to make sure equipment is serviceable in the are you will be living/diving.

 

[sabbath999]

Iztok is correct.

Specifically answering your question, however... any scuba regulator on the market that is new will be safe for salt water. That's what they are designed for.

A comment about ScubaPro. If you see any new ScubaPro regulators online for sale, they are being sold by non-authorized dealers (leisurepro.com , for example, is not an authorized ScubaPro dealer) so if you purchase stuff from them you may have issues getting it serviced... and will only get warranty service from the place you bought it, not the nationwide network of authorized ScubaPro dealers.

Many of the other products that are sold online ARE authorized... just not ScubaPro.

BTW I use ScubaPro regs, they are excellent.

 

[OBXDIVEGUY]

The debate of buying online vs. a store is a tired arguement. Online is indeed cheaper, but a store often will help you to set everything up, which is very important. Being new, I'd recommend renting a for a little bit to get a feel for all the different styles of gear.

Where in VA are you? I know some places in VA and NC that I could recommend if you want.

 

[spectrum]

Manda

As others have said, any regulator is suitable for salt water diving. the next thing you need to get a handle on is temperature. Any diving that will get below the mid 40's or so in temperature requires a "cold water" regulator to avoid problems. This can include some fresh water that you may presently consider warm.

Based on your status and question I suggest that you not but anything until you have time to do a lot more homework and become gear savvy.

Part of your homework can include reading though the many threads here on the pros an cons of local vs. online gear procurement and service.

It's all here in the threads of ScubaBoard so start digging in.

Have you started your scuba training yet?

Pete

 

[rstofer]

Search of LP or LP vs LDS or LeisurePro. PLEASE, let's don't start that debate again... It's boring and everything that could possibly be said, has been.

ScubaPro does indeed make a Mk25 first stage and it is EXCELLENT for warmer water. A suitable second stage is probably the G250V If you search online you will be looking for Mk25/G250V

If you plan to dive in colder water (colder than 50F?) you might want the Mk17/G250V

ScubaPro makes excellent regulators but I bought the Oceanic Delta4/FDX10 for my wife. This is the regulator selected by the US Navy, US Coast Guard and NOAA for cold water diving. I have also bought a couple of Dive Rite Hurricane regs but I don't think they're available at the moment.

Richard

 

[Gerbs]

Hi xObDiver2009!

What the others have said: All Regs will take Salt water, and should be rinsed carefully afterwards - don't get water into the air path, saves on hassle regarding revisions or drying it out on the inside.

Scubapro makes a range of regs from cheap to very good. On the one end you have the Mk2/R395(?), which doesn't like cold water that much, but is nearly indestructible. The higher end stuff will deal better with cold water and will have a more comfortable breathe.

Mk17 or 25 with the G250V sounds like a good combination, but I don't know that much about scubapro.

As a suggestion, get the regulators (Brand/model) that the divers you dive with have, that the local dive centre will support. Most divers will bore you on exactly why they chose that particular model, and if the LDS sells them, they should, if they are professional, be able to take your money for servicing issues.

Usually, if you buy what others are using (not what they have bought and are willing to sell on for a pittance!), you won't go too far wrong. Remember: Getting a good deal is more important than cheap. Buy stuff that isn't going to let you down, it's cheaper in the long run.

Hope that helps.

Gerbs

ps. I, same as the other people I dive with, use the Mares MR22/Abyss or Apeks 50s or 200s. Then again, we consider 40°F to be a good temperature for diving, so that might just be complete overkill for the diving you want to do.

 

[xObDiver2009]

Thanks to everyone who answered my questions..i didnt mean to start a big fight :depressed:

until next time :kiss2:

 

[Jediscuba]

Iztok is correct.

Specifically answering your question, however... any scuba regulator on the market that is new will be safe for salt water. That's what they are designed for.

A comment about ScubaPro. If you see any new ScubaPro regulators online for sale, they are being sold by non-authorized dealers (leisurepro.com , for example, is not an authorized ScubaPro dealer) so if you purchase stuff from them you may have issues getting it serviced... and will only get warranty service from the place you bought it, not the nationwide network of authorized ScubaPro dealers.

Many of the other products that are sold online ARE authorized... just not ScubaPro.

BTW I use ScubaPro regs, they are excellent.

And ... if you ever visited leisurepro at their one and only Manhattan location, you would most probably run and hide. I find the place to be a joke. they may be great at selling cameras and film but scuba gear ... you've got to be kidding. Visit them and see for yourself. By the way, their real operation is a few flights down in the camera store better known as Adorama. How these guys got a PADI 5 Star rating is beyond me.

 

[Davidstealey3]

xOBDIVER2009

what i might say here could be ofensive to some of the people here, so i will appoligize in advance

as you are new to diving, i agree with the rental of equipment first. this does give you a chance to use some diferent type of gear and learn how the feel in the water. some regs are eaiser to breath than other, you will get the feel for weight intergratred bc over a weight belt, try a back inflation over a jacket style or hybrid type bc ect...

as for the ocean compatiable reg, they will all work fine. the things you would be looking for is if you will dive in cold water or not. if you do, you would be looking for a reg with an enviromental seal or other designed specificly designed for cold water use. another thing you will need to think about is if you will buy a piston or a diaphram reg. diaphram regs are extremely easy to take care of. get out of the water and leave your reg attached to a tank, and rinse the body and attachments off and your done. if you get a piston reg you will have to spend a little more time making sure you rinse out the holes that allow the water into the reg to adjust the pressure. if you dont do this, you will have salt and sand get traped in the holes or on the o-rings and the reg will not perform as good as it should.

now for the long heated debate of buying online vs. the local dive shop (lds) i would say the lds. i do work for a shop that my parents own, so my oppinion my be a little bias, but you will understand where i come from.
you can go buy your gear online, and may get a lot of help while on the phone talking to the sales person, but this is not allways the best. nothing beats getting to hold the gear in your hand and play with it. next, how will you know if it will fit you properly with out getting to try it out first. if you do buy your gear online, they might not sign you owners book, or show you how to register your equipment, and than you will have a hard time getting your gear serviced at a lds, and will be stuck shipping it back to the place you bought it and paying the shipping fees.
if you buy from a lds, you will have a chance to go try the gear out in the pool before you purchase, along with the benefit of the personal service you will recive while looking and getting fitted for gear. also if you tell them what type of diving you will be doing, hopefully they will not try to sell you the mose expensive gear in the shop, but assit you with question and show you the most approperiate gear for your needs. next they will help you fill out your warenty registration so you can have your gear serviced at any authorized dealer of that type of gear. finally if you continue to go to one or two dive shops continually, you will make a good customer relationship with them, and if you have a problem with your gear they might look at it and fix it for you free of charge, and you would have your gear back the same day

i hope some of this info if helpful to you and you have a good experiance when you do get your gear.

the last bit of advise i can give to you is to read the back cover of a Dive Training magizine and read the back cover about buying gear. this is a good insight into the reasons behind all of this
i dont know where you are at in virginia, but if you are not to far from Hagerstown Maryland, stop by the shop and we would be glad to help you out with any questions you might have