Any advice on needed/not needed accessories?

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

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

ScubaCole

New
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Kentucky
# of dives
0 - 24
Hello! My husband and I are brand new to diving. We are doing our certification classwork and confined dives this coming weekend and completing our OW dives in the Southern Caribbean in April during a cruise. I have seen some great posts on this site and was hoping to take advantage of divers that aren't trying to sell me things but just have good advice.

We have our mask, snorkel, fins and boots but that is it. Any advice on whether we need or don't need the following things and if we do, what is recommended for us since we will probably only start out diving about once a year (we have small kids) and don't want to spend a fortunate right away.
*watch or computer of our own?
*wet suit
*bcd
*type of bag that works best?
*regulator

I will say we will probably be diving with shops to get started so we will be able to rent as much or as little as we need I am assuming. But any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Oh and this doesn't have anything to do with gear but if you have any recommendations for spots or shops we should book our referral dives with, that would be appreciated too. We will be in St. Thomas, St. Kitts and Curacao.

Thanks!
 
I would say most rentals provide a computer now a days. So you should be ok there (just make sure they explain how to use it before you dive)
Everything else is also rentable. However, remember everyone pees in their wetsuit, if that is a problem, that may be on your list.
 
Most dive shops survive off of new divers who purchase a lot of stuff. Some of it is good, a lot of it is just extra "stuff," and some is worthless. You would be surprised how many people get certified, dive a couple of times and then let the stuff sit in their closets until they sell it.

So, resist the urge to buy anything until you are certain you like diving and have a better idea of the type of diving you're going to be doing (hence, the type of gear you will need to support the type of diving you will be doing).

Rental stuff is great. Also, take a look at what is being offered for rental. If you don't see it on the rental list, then you probably don't need to buy it, well at least at first.

Most of us who have been diving for some time have a complete dive shop somewhere in our house or garage. Hopefully you will be smarter than those of us that have such collections, but the odds are not in your favor.

Hope you enjoy your diving!
 
Be very careful of the "rent to own" scenario..... I have yet to see one that is honest.... just follow the advice here, its been good so far.

I will say that prices of a wet suit (if you can fit the "off the rack" stuff), make it possibly a desirable thing to own. Closeouts of previous years models can be a good buy. check reviews if you can.
 
Considering what ppl "do" in rental-wetsuits, that is definitively one of those things I would consider. I do not know the areas you're traveling to, so I cannot advice you when it comes to thickness.

I would also consider maybe going for an entry-level computer with nitroxabilitiy. The Suunto Zoop is a cheap and reliable one. Knowing how your computer works, and being confident in how it works will save you a lot of hassle. (Ie, learning a new one every trip you take...) And could possibly save your life when the chewed up, discarded foodstuff hits the rotating air shifting ceilingmounted device.
 
If you only dive once a year and want to rent bcd's, wetsuits, regs, and computers than you should buy clips and octo holders to hold your gear in place. You'll need something to hold your pressure gauge or console in place and something to hold your octo in place.
 
You can get small dive light (35$) and economic underwater watch (50$) that are also very useful when not diving.
 
You can get small dive light (35$) and economic underwater watch (50$) that are also very useful when not diving.

The economical watch is causing us troubles to find. Any brands you recommend? We are having trouble finding them under $250 with any good reviews.

Thanks for all the replies!!
 
a watch, not a PDC.....
 
You state you will be diving once a year only to start with, and assuming you will be diving for a few days on that trip I would recommend you invest in a wetsuit and regulator.

1) the wetsuit will be your own and will fit you every time you don it, as opposed to the ones you will be renting
2) I only trust my own regulator, as I take very good care of my equipment and service it every year. I do not trust a rental regulator.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

Back
Top Bottom