Another Newbie 'What About This Gear?' Post

[jtchurch]

Hi Folks,

Sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong area, it looked like others were placing similar posts here.

I am new to SCUBA. Have done some snorkeling and LOVE it, but frustrated I couldn't get closer and stay underneath a while
I have taken the SSI online training course and am now trying to decide on a LDS (Midland, MI) for the contained water training this Winter. I may try and get a referral so I can get my actual certification down in Tampa so I don't freeze to death on my first open water dive.

I have spent several hours researching the gear -which might seem a little silly, never having dived before. But I figure, I can read articles, reviews and Mfg white papers to learn enough for most purchases. I will probably try and buy most of it in the LDS. One of them I'm considering offers a pretty nice deal where if you spend $700 on gear with them, all your training including OW certification is free. They said for any training I don't use (for example if I get my OW cert down in FL), I can take a free specialization class instead.

Let me know what you think of the list I've come up with!
Thanks, Joshua.

The Regulator:
Edge EPIC 2012 ($249)

---

The BC:
Cressi Travelight ($359)
or
Cressi Aquaride Elite ($325)

---

The Mask:
ScubaPro Synergy Trufit Twin ($129)
or
ScubaPro Spectra Trufit ($99)

---

The Fins:
ScubaPro Seawing Nova ($199)

---

The Boots: Cressi Isla ($30)

The Snorkel: Cressi Supernova Dry ($18)

The Dive Computer: Unknown -Still Researching

The WetSuit: Unknown -Still Researching

 

[wolflegresley]

Welcome to SB and an incredible sport.

You will get a lot of posts about people talking about what "THEY" bought and how they love it. All the pieces of equipment you have selected are quality items and I don't own a single piece you have listed. Honestly the BEST piece of advise you can hope for is someone telling you to TRY the item before you buy it. These purchases are expensive and you must ensure your are comfortable in what you own.

When I first bought all my gear I went with the atomic aquatics split fin, and although it is an INCREDIBLE fin, I now have to purchase another set of fins for any wreck/cave work I do because it is very difficult to do back up/helicopter turns with split fins (if not impossible). Things you want to look at are warranties on parts, I.E. Apek regulators have a liftime warranty on parts as long as you have them serviced annually by a certified tech. I love my apex, but my wife prefers her zeagle for breathing at depth. To each their own, you CANT go wrong when selecting from the major brand names...but I would ensure you try what you want to buy first and keep in mind where you may do your diving, if your diving in cold weather please ensure you buy a cold weather reg otherwise you may find yourself buying a second reg set sooner than you thought.

Most shops will offer a try before you buy program...I highly recommend you take them up on the offer.

Best of luck!

 

[C Dub]

Keep reading and researching. Read everything you can on this forum as a start. But don't buy for quite a awhile. Do all of your training in rented gear. If possible, try both traditional jacket BC's, and a Back Plate with Wing set up.

Then keep renting and dive some more. If you follow this simple plan, you may only have to rebuy 25% of your gear later, rather than 75% to 100% of it if you buy gear early.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Send me your email. I have an article on gear that many people have found helpful.
There's also a chapter in my book that will go into some things a number of shops would rather you not know.
Like pricing structures and the fact that a lot of gear comes out of the same place. Just a different name and maybe 100 -300% more markup on it.

 

[freewillie]

There are two schools of thought on students buying their gear before they certify. The first thought is that since they have their gear not only will they be more likely to continue diving after certification but they will actually train in their own gear. The second school of thought is that once you have a certain number of dives under your belt and experience your preferences for gear will then change and you might find yourself stuck with something wishing you had purchased something else. If your LDS has a try before you buy then by all means take it for a dive and see how you like the gear.

I personally divide the gear into two separate categories 1.) personal fit items like mask, fins, wetsuit, BC and 2.) any size fits all like regulators and computers. Since the fit is critical for personal fit items and most of us have various shaped bodies then you should focus first on the personal fit items. Unless you are comfortable in the standard small, medium, large sizes that are available as rentals. So get your mask and fins first, then wetsuit, and then BC. If the regulator and computer are part of the package then get all at once if you can afford to buy the whole package.

You will also find that Scuba Diver magazine and Sport Diver (which is for gear essentially a PADI preferred equipment catalog) cater to recreational occasional vacation divers. Most divers prefer back inflate BC's to jacket style BC's. I would recommend you focus on a back inflate BC as opposed to a jacket style BC. Most divers on Scubaboard recommend back plate with wings set up but a back inflate BC also gives you the same advantages in comfort and trim but are less customizable and can be more expensive than the BP/W set up.

Other than that scuba gear is a lot like food preferences. We all have certain foods that we like and certain foods we don't. Just because someone else tells you about a particular delicacy doesn't mean you will like it too, and just like food you have to try before you decide if you like it or not. And there is no right or wrong answers. We simply like what we like.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

Here's what I would get for the items you listed:

Regulator: Hog D1 Regulator Set - Dive Right in Scuba ($200 for cold water version)

BC: Hog Singles Package - Dive Right in Scuba ($390)

Mask: Explorer II Frameless Mask "Black Frame w/Black Skirt" ($22)

Fins: HOG Tech 2 Fin - Dive Right in Scuba ($130)

Total: $742.

I would call DRIS and see what kind of package deal they will make you if you buy everything from them. Of course, Jim may be able to offer you a great deal as well. These items will suit any kind of diving you do, so you won't have to replace things if you get more serious about it.

Enjoy diving!

Mike

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Until midnight tonight I can indeed. He just needs to click the link below.

 

[Pinecube]

Before buying anything, it would be a good idea to go see (or call) nearby dive shops and see what equipment/brands they'll service and what they wont.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

That may be true for some. But it's not a necessity. I am in SW Pa. I have service customers who send me their regs from Florida (and I think there are a few shops there that also service the brands I do), Hawaii, Virginia, South Carolina, Maryland, and one who sends me a reg or two every year (he rotates them since it's a two year service interval on HOG's if they are properly cared for) from Okinawa. I've also trained a number of divers to service their own so they are not relying on someone else's schedule.

 

[M_Bipartitus]

As a former Michigan diver (and still in cold-water diving) I would split my comments into two directions. First I think I would ask if you intend to dive in Michigan after your class, or if you intend to dive mostly on warm water trips? If you stick to warm water trips, I think everything you list is fine (though I would not spend so much on fins & snorkel unless you have tried them and like them. )

If you intend to dive in Michigan, you should get a cold water regulator (the HOG cold regs are closet to the regulator you list). I consider cold water regulators a requirement for regular diving in sub-50deg F freshwater. Also, I would not get the Travelight BC for cold water diving as it is not built to handle the amount of weight typically needed for thick wetsuits (or drysuits). The Aquaride may be enough, but possibly not in the smaller sizes. Personally, I would agree with some other posters and go for a backplate & wing, but these are often a little less comfortable for new divers.