Supporting my local dive shop(s) is frustrating

[CuzzA]

It's one of the few industries that never developed centralized product distribution to not only protect brick and mortar retailers, but also allow them to service their customers sufficiently and level the playing field vs. online shops by instituting MAP pricing controls.

That said, I agree with the sentiment that you're nuts for buying gear before you're certified. How do you think so many of us get really sweet deals on barely used gear? You guessed it. People that ran out and bought gear only to find diving wasn't for them.

It is wise to buy from your local dive shop if you value getting your tanks filled because once they are gone, your SOL. Waiting two weeks is not a big deal for primary gear such as a regulator setup, BCD or computer.

Get your mask, a folding snorkel and rent everything else. Then spend a few months on here asking about different setups for the type of diving you want to do. You'll get various opinions, but at least you can then do a pros and cons exercise to make your decision.

 

[Marie13]

There are huge shipping delays from Asia due to lack of ocean containers, massive port congestion on the west coast, and materials delays/covid shut downs for many consumer goods. I would not be surprised if scuba gear is affected.

 

[TMHeimer]

And I waited for LDS gift certs. to spend $340 CAD (15% tax included) on a used rental BC.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

to the OP,

If you are willing to travel, I'd suggest going to Ft. Lauderdale and training with Ryan @custureri of Aqui watersports I guarantee you he doesn't have a pile of rental gear, but quality gear. He's really a top notch recreational instructor, very good at getting your body mechanics right and getting comfortable in the water.

You'll make much more informed equipment purchasing decisions being trained by him than most instructors.

 

[MichaelMc]

Rent for the class (beyond the basics of mask, fins, snorkel). Especially if you are not happy with your local options.

You may not leave the class the most optimized in your own gear, but you will have a sence of scuba and what you do and do not like in the gear you've seen.

I'm all for getting your own core gear early once you have an idea (BC or BP/W, regs, wetsuit), but jumping blindly into it before class is a stretch. Unless you've gotten lots of good advice, know what you need, and the cost is not that big a deal.

And a little travel to a great instructor with a good rental set is a great idea as well.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I want to train with the gear that I will use going forward, as opposed to whatever gear the shop has in their rental pile.

In an ideal world, sure. I rented gear for a while after I was certified. There are pros and cons to both renting and owning. There is something to be said for familiarity with one's own gear. Then again, there is a saying: "You dive the gear; the gear doesn't dive you." We all may prefer otherwise, but we should have the confidence and ability to dive a variety of gear. If some item of my gear were to fail during a dive trip, I'm confident I could still have a good time with whatever rental option the dive op had on hand.

 

[ssssnake529]

It looks like this thread has morphed from being about the retail environment to a "why would a newbie buy gear for a sport he knows nothing about."

Unless you've gotten lots of good advice, know what you need, and the cost is not that big a deal.

I'm in this situation. I'd rather use my own gear while I am training. It makes no sense to me to train on gear I don't intend to use after I'm trained.

For example, the gear I purchased has a secondary air source in the inflator. I'd like to learn using this secondary air source rather than a traditional octopus.

It's possible I've bought all the wrong stuff, but I doubt it. If I have, you can look forward to some killer deals in the classified section.

 

[homerdoc]

I was just thrown off by the 10k number - for colder freshwater certification (5mm wetsuit), jacket bcd, reg set (sherwood), mask, fins, snorkel (used only during training), boots, and a dive computer (it came with the reg set). I paid about 1600 bucks for my daughter at an LDS. It was a package deal. In my case, had lots of friends I could dump it to if she bailed on certification.

Luckily she didnt and we have been diving for 6 years now.

I agree with you I wanted her to use long term gear on her certification, but 10k seems really stiff to me.

 

[formernuke]

I'm really going to recommend getting certified first.

Look around and you will see that most of us hate the inflator with reg.

We are not being mean many of us made mistakes not knowing what we didn't know. Once that gear hits the water it's used and expect it to be worth about half what you paid for it. I got a 1k halycon for 500 because it had 2 dives on it.

As for local shop realize with COVID manufacturers are slow to produce and shipments are further delayed in shipping due to huge volumes. I had to replace my dishwasher, one place said no clue when we will be able to get it, another end of the month. Looked at getting a bicycle recently? Good luck, I was lucky to get one for my son.

As i said we are not being mean but I see 10k worth of gear being sold for 5k when you and wife realize it wasn't right for you.

 

[MichaelMc]

I'm in this situation. I'd rather use my own gear while I am training. It makes no sense to me to train on gear I don't intend to use after I'm trained.

For example, the gear I purchased has a secondary air source in the inflator. I'd like to learn using this secondary air source rather than a traditional octopus.

It's possible I've bought all the wrong stuff, but I doubt it.

Having provided the condition it makes sense in, I'll try for a response.

Yeah... many here would argue the inflator octo is a BAD choice. A small few argue it is fine and has merits they like. Most argue it is a very misguided idea. We could collectively be wrong.... But there is many decades of experience in the board, and no economic interest in what you do or do not purchace (for most posters).

Many would argue a better option with some of the same features would be a necklaced backup regulator of the same quality as your primary regulator. See the many threads on necklaced backup vs Air2. See as an example:
DGX Custom - DGX Gears XTRA Streamlined OW Reg Package
Illusion Streamlined OW Regulator Package
Though this is all for a post covid use, not a class use with lots of air share drills.

Turning to the advice we, collectively, would typically give, (as this has happened many times):
- You might look at a BP/W, they are really very easy and make getting trimmed out a bit easier. See for example DGX Custom - DGX Gears Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package. They are very durable and customizable to your diving needs, should they change. Parts are available from many manufacturers, not just they one you bought from initially.

A nice basic computer is: Deep 6 Excursion Dive Computer
Beyond that: Peregrine - Best Scuba Dive Computer for everyday divers - Shearwater
(though it doesn't have air integration, and other options do.)
The top end gold standard is: Perdix AI - Shearwater Research

But really, you should try the class gear, and use an instructor with good gear.

ETA: I'm not an instructor, but yes, I'm sure coming to class with 'not the class normal gear' upsets the mix a bit. If they are more refined choices and you are well drilled on them, possibly no issue. If they are misguided choices, in the eyes of the instructor, and you are not well drilled on them and they have issues, not so helpful.