Soon after getting your OW qual, you eagerly go out and buy a wet suit, BC and AL 80 with Octo and show up at your local dive spot eager and ready to dive.
"Yeah, that's OK gear, but you really should have a steel tank for extra gas. You know... Safety first."
So you buy a steel tank and head back out...
"Better,... but you really should have a redundant Pony as well... You know... Just in case."
So you buy a Pony and a second reg...
"What, you are still diving tables?"
Computer purchase through the LDS...
"Looking good, but don't you think a dry suit would be more appropriate for these conditions."
You pick up a dry suit...
"Man you are looking great, but not with that BC... You really need a wing and backplate system."
More money for those items...
"Cool, but if you are diving with a Pony, you would be much better off with doubles..."
You pick up doubles and a manifold...
"Doubles, with those regs...!?"
One high-efficiency "name" reg purchase later...
"That isn't how you rig that... You are going to have to change your whole configuration if you want to look like a pro."
Several clips, bands, hoses, lights and harnesses later...
"Dude, why have the doubles if you don't put NITROX in them?"
A bit later...
"Hey... Slick looking rig. You are in on the basic DECO course next weekend, right? You only need to pick up 4 stage bottles and a multi-gas computer..."
Cha-ching...
"NITROX? We use Trimix for all the really cool wrecks..."
(Let's fast forward a few more thousand dollars...)
"OK, now before we do our second CCR dive on the Doria..."
"Yeah, that's OK gear, but you really should have a steel tank for extra gas. You know... Safety first."
So you buy a steel tank and head back out...
"Better,... but you really should have a redundant Pony as well... You know... Just in case."
So you buy a Pony and a second reg...
"What, you are still diving tables?"
Computer purchase through the LDS...
"Looking good, but don't you think a dry suit would be more appropriate for these conditions."
You pick up a dry suit...
"Man you are looking great, but not with that BC... You really need a wing and backplate system."
More money for those items...
"Cool, but if you are diving with a Pony, you would be much better off with doubles..."
You pick up doubles and a manifold...
"Doubles, with those regs...!?"
One high-efficiency "name" reg purchase later...
"That isn't how you rig that... You are going to have to change your whole configuration if you want to look like a pro."
Several clips, bands, hoses, lights and harnesses later...
"Dude, why have the doubles if you don't put NITROX in them?"
A bit later...
"Hey... Slick looking rig. You are in on the basic DECO course next weekend, right? You only need to pick up 4 stage bottles and a multi-gas computer..."
Cha-ching...
"NITROX? We use Trimix for all the really cool wrecks..."
(Let's fast forward a few more thousand dollars...)
"OK, now before we do our second CCR dive on the Doria..."