drrich2
Contributor
It's my understanding from posts on this forum that Dive Masters usually don't make particularly good money. So demanding they provide their own set of expensive gear and subject it to dozens & dozens of highly chlorinated pool dives seems a bit much.
That said, back when I was training in late '05, I was interested in what products my instructor was using. Not because he pushed any brand (he was an independent; no LDS), but because I was overwhelmed by a huge array of choices for multiple gear types, for which one could find pro & con posts on retailer web sites, and I didn't have the background to make an informed decision. Is that budget XScuba reg. 'so close I'll never know the difference' to that Atomic Aquatics B2, or would the latter breathe easier & reduce SAC? Scuba gear costs enough money that many of us don't want to buy it twice (yeah, good luck with that...), so polling the one seasoned pro. we know at the time seems wise.
You can say what's right for one person may not be right for another, but I'm thinking most of you seasoned instructors could probably pick better gear for many of your students than they would pick for themselves (talking basic OW students here).
Richard.
That said, back when I was training in late '05, I was interested in what products my instructor was using. Not because he pushed any brand (he was an independent; no LDS), but because I was overwhelmed by a huge array of choices for multiple gear types, for which one could find pro & con posts on retailer web sites, and I didn't have the background to make an informed decision. Is that budget XScuba reg. 'so close I'll never know the difference' to that Atomic Aquatics B2, or would the latter breathe easier & reduce SAC? Scuba gear costs enough money that many of us don't want to buy it twice (yeah, good luck with that...), so polling the one seasoned pro. we know at the time seems wise.
You can say what's right for one person may not be right for another, but I'm thinking most of you seasoned instructors could probably pick better gear for many of your students than they would pick for themselves (talking basic OW students here).
Richard.