Beginner set-up

[francois_si]

Mares rover kit
Hi everyone, first of all, I am from Quebec Canada and just got my OW cert. I learned from your site that I should be renting gear before buying but , as I don`t plan to take more advanced diving courses, I wanted your opinion. There is a deal at a dive store here in Quebec that include a Mares Rover bcd, rover reg. and octo, mission 2 console for 700$ canadian. For a beginner, is it a good set-up ? I think the price is good. Thanks in advance and sorry for my english cause I am french canadian.

 

[pollywogg]

francois_si,
The reason people tell you to rent your gear before you buy is so you have a chance to try out different gear and see what you like best. I am not familiar with the Mares BC you mentioned, so I looked it up on Google. It looks like a solid BC; however, have you ever tried it yourself?
With such a vast array of gear out there, it's all about personal preference. Try multiple setups before you settle on one. I dove at least 10 different BCs before I decided I liked the back inflation style, and bought a Hollis HD100, and a Zeagle Ranger.
The regs look like solid performers, but I did notice that it says on the Mares site that these regs are not designed for cold water. If you will be diving in your local waters, I would advise another reg choice.
Now for the console. Many divers shy away from the traditional console setup because it's simply too bulky. For instance: I dive with a pressure gauge in a boot clipped off on my left hip, because I don't need it as often as my depth gauge or bottom timer. Those I wear separately on my right arm, with a compass clipped off on a shoulder ring. This allows me to see my depth and time at any given moment, keeps my pressure close by, but out of the way, and provides a fairly streamlined setup. The console you are looking at looks great (if you have decided that console is the way to go for you), just keep in mind that you should also have a compass, which will just be another item to wear elsewhere and another purchase that is not included here.
All in all, I would say you should look elsewhere for a deal on gear. The BC looks like a great travel BC, and the regs look like solid warm water performers. Sounds great, if you will be flying down south for all of your diving. But if you will be diving locally, I would say pass on this deal.If you look around online, you can find great deals on gear, and make a nice setup for yourself one piece at a time.

 

[halocline]

Dive shops teach OW classes primarily to create a market for deals just like the one you mentioned. That doesn't mean that it's necessarily a bad deal, but your long term interests are almost certainly better served by waiting until you know exactly what gear you want to use. Almost any regulator will work well, but there are BC options radically different than the Mares jacket BC in your deal, and you want to try some of those before spending money on one. The console is something that could get you through a season or two, but eventually it's likely that you would want depth/time info on your wrist; it is considerably more convenient.

 

[Crush]

Bonjour, Francois! Welcome to SB!

I am relatively new to diving. However, may I make a few suggestions?

1. I don't think much of the fact that your LDS is offering to sell you a Mares Rover reg and octo (pollywogg noted this) unless you are planning on only ever diving warm water. For cold water Mares recommends the Proton 42 Metal, Prestige 22 NTT, Octopus Abyss, or Carbon 42. For very cold water they recommend the Abyss 22 Extreme or the Octopus Abyss Extreme;
2. I know of many Canadian divers, some of whom live in Quebec, that buy most of their gear on-line at places like LeisurePro.com (I have not affiliation with LP). Shipping will be about $80 (unless you want to ship it to a US address and pick it up), but on a large purchase you may find this to be a bargain. I often visit my LDS, tell them of LP pricing, and ask them if they can meet the price (or at least get close to it). Sometimes they can, sometimes not;
3. Will you be traveling to dive locations, or diving locally? If you are going to travel, consider a "travel BC" or aluminum BP/W. If you plan to dive locally (in colder water) you can consider larger BCs or stainless steel BP/W. If you opt for a BC, I would strongly recommend a rear-inflate rather than one that inflates like a vest as the latter can be very uncomfortable and is more unstable underwater; and
4. Most importantly, I strongly recommend that you do not stop at basic OW. Most agencies consider basic OW to be akin to a learner's permit when diving. Please consider training at least to scuba rescue diver (SRD) - you will be amazed at how much better a diver you will become.

 

[Crush]

Francois,

I suspect that, if you dive locally, you may be expecting vis to be 30 feet at best, and often not that good. If this is the case, I would recommend from experience that, if you do buy a computer, buy one with the largest display numbers you can find. Now, often this means using an air-integrated console computer rather than a smaller wrist-mount, but in low vis there is no substitute for large numbers. However, it seems that most divers prefer wrist-mounts.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

pollywogg and mattboy give good advice.

Congrats on your recent basic OW certification. You wrote that you don't plan to take more advanced diving courses. I'm going to interpret this as: you don't have any current plans to take more scuba instruction. At some point, I would highly recommend that you further your dive education (advanced OW and rescue/stress classes). You'll become a safer, more confident, more efficient diver...and this will enhance your enjoyment of the sport.

We all like getting a super deal on dive equipment. $700 for BCD/reg/gauges sounds great. After all, Mares is an established company. I'm sure that the package would be very usable in temperate/warm water conditions. However, I'm going to go out on a limb here and tell you not to purchase it now. There will always be other deals in the future. Take your time. Don't hesitate to rent from different scuba rental shops in your area.

At this point, the most important thing you can do is to find good dive buddies. A great way to do this is to join a dive club. Every club will be populated by experienced divers who have the inside track on what gear works best in your local conditions, i.e., cold water, low vis, etc. Learn from them. Ask those guys what they bought and their reasons for their various purchases. You should know that many experienced divers have extra gear that they'd be happy to lend out. I let dive buddies borrow my gear all the time. That's how we make informed purchases.

When it comes to purchasing your first set of gear, be patient. What's the rush anyway? Do you plan to go diving right now in Quebec? The air temp is currently 20°F/-6°C. Assuming that you'll be diving locally, I'd be thinking about buying the appropriate exposure protection (drysuit or high quality thick wetsuit) before purchasing any of that other stuff you listed. That's just my opinion.

Hope this helps...

 

[oly5050user]

Mares rover kit
Hi everyone, first of all, I am from Quebec Canada and just got my OW cert. I learned from your site that I should be renting gear before buying but , as I don`t plan to take more advanced diving courses, I wanted your opinion. There is a deal at a dive store here in Quebec that include a Mares Rover bcd, rover reg. and octo, mission 2 console for 700$ canadian. For a beginner, is it a good set-up ? I think the price is good. Thanks in advance and sorry for my english cause I am french canadian.

I cannot believe what I am about to say,but, Do Not purchase any gear if you are not at a minimum going to take an advance class.You are setting yourself up to be one of divings drop outs.The gear will just sit in a closet unused.Your excuses will be "don't know where to dive"-"don't have anyone to dive with" "really do not have a comfort zone with it" "the gear is uncomfortable or don't trust it "...."no one wants to dive with me as I only have ow certification "...etc
Diving is about learning and new experiences. Also I have issue with "beginners" that they think they need the cheapest gear available.In reality they need the best performing,most reliable,comfortable gear available.If they buy junk that is not comfortable,does not work easily,difficult to simply put on themselves, how long do you really think they will stick to diving? Makes it much more difficult to use the gear and get comfortable with diving. It would be torture every time you go on a dive and then you drop out. A experienced comfortable diver can use roof shingles tied to his feet to use as fins and have a good time.A beginner needs every advantage they can get.If you do purchase gear buy what you need for the locations and type of diving you plan on doing.Do not buy because it is on sale at a cheap price.It would cost you more if you go that route when you either drop out of the activity and your $700. investment sits in a closet or if you go on in your dive education and realize that you have purchased junk based on price and have to replace it all.An example is the console you plan on purchasing.Its a 2 gauge console,no computer no compass.You will find that you NEED a compass to dive in the limited visibility areas you live in ,and as to the computer you will find that it really is not that expensive and offers many advantages over tables.Ask the facility you learned to dive at if they can offer you a advance course free or reduced rate if you buy some decent ,appropriate for your location,gear from them.

 

[Atomic_Diver]

When I started diving, my First gear set up was a Cressi Sub Bac Jac bcd, Atomic Aquatics M1 regulator, and Z2 octo, Aladin Prime computer, Scubapro Crystal Vu mask, Atomic Aquatics Smoke on the Water fins, Genesis SPG console, Catalina AL 80, an Orange Saftey Sausage (SMB), a USCG Whistle, Bare 5/4mm wetsuit, 5mm boots, and 2mm gloves, and I was pretty happy with the gear set up I had, and I would highly reccomend it, Although if I could have gone back I would have bought a Dive Rite Transpac and wing as supposed to a standard bcd, I would also highly suggest a BP/W bouyancy devise, or a Back Inflated BCD...

 

[BClendening]

My first kit was a SeaQuest Balance, I must say I would definitely look towards a backplate and wing rig. I should have gone with that first, that way I wouldn't still have the Balance that I'm trying to get rid of. The BP/W is more versatile and simple in my opinion. It also creates less bulk which is nice if you get into wreck diving, or any other type of diving. Just my personal preference, like others have said, try out some gear and go with what works for you.

 

[Malene]

Hi everyone, first of all, I just got my OW cert. (...), as I don`t plan to take more advanced diving courses

That's a nice change from people wanted to become an instructor immediatly after their first 5 dives...