$400 for personal equipment?

[cvrle1]

I ended up paying $320 for fins mask and snorkel. Prices in my LDS are higher then on the net but shipping to Canada would kill any deals I found. And I wasn't sure of the sizes and such so I had to try stuff out.

Bought Volos power fins, Aeris Coral frameless mask and aqualung sport snorkel.

 

[Stu S.]

Best off going to a real big dive shop and trying on about 20 different ones. The mask chooses the diver. The mask that recently chose me was $49. Gas is down in price, so a road trip may be helpful. When I use a snorkel, the Wal Mart "US Divers" $9 is type is fine.

I use these:

Tusa Imprex Open Heel Fins (SF-8800/SF-7700/SF-9900) from LeisurePro.com

I've been diving since '77 and these are as good as any I've used.

My daughter uses these:

Mares Avanti X3 Open Heel Fins from LeisurePro.com

A lot of us buy these 5mm boots here in Florida for $39. The following store has them for less. They are heavy-duty and you can walk with them easily.

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/Cate...ock/DescSort_0/Filter_1=292/TBTB31.html?Hit=1

Have fun with it.

 

[TN Traveler]

Where are you in TN?

If you are near Knoxville, you can come over to my house and try on a wide variety of gear - then decide if you want to get similar gear online.

You might even want some of the stuff I'm no longer using and will sell CHEAP. Use it for class and buy better gear once you find out what you really want.

 

[rstofer]

I read above where other respondents say you will never use your snorkel. Maybe so, maybe not...

I use my snorkel on every dive and every minute I am on the surface without a regulator in my mouth.

If I could find a snorkel that had a purge and a simple open tube, I would buy it in an instant. Why does every snorkel have 'stuff' on the top that overweights the top (working against that jaw) and provides no benefit whatsoever? Dry snorkels are out of the question! Why would I want some kind of valve in the air path? Semi-dry snorkels are a waste of money (and weight) but they are about the only thing available that isn't 'dry'.

I have been using my Tekna snorkel since I bought it in '88 and I like it a lot. It is truly the perfect snorkel. A simple bent tube with a purge valve. Nothing else.

Get a good one!

Richard

 

[kouhoutek]

No price is shady, if it is disclosed before payment is about to be presented.

If I offer to sell you a box of plain fifty #10 envelopes for $500 - there is nothing "shady" about that price. High? Yes? Should you buy? Probably not. Is it up to you to determine if the price offered is worth it? Yes. Is it a shady price?

No price is shady *if* the buyer is making an informed decision.

Gearing your business toward people you know are likely not to be able to make an informed decision is unethical.

To extend your analogy, nothing is wrong with selling envelops for $500...but selling them through your adult literacy school as part of your letter writing lesson, that is wrong.

 

[leeblackman]

When I use a snorkel, the Wal Mart "US Divers" $9 is type is fine.

I agree, don't waste money on a dry snorkel. I snorkel all the time, just getting into scuba, I've had a US divers snorkel I've used since the late 90's. I spent $30 on a scubamax dry snorkel when I started doing scuba, I only used it once to show snorkeling skills. I then realized that it spends the majority of its life strapped to the side of my mask, getting in the way. I was told that I may one day use it or need it to swim on the surface to a sight or whatever and thats all fine, but seriously a $9 walmart snorkel would be just fine. Or even better a free one from a friends garage.

 

[mike_s]

you could spend $75 on this snorkel http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/hot-deals/262147-kapitol-reef-snorkel-really-cool.html

 

[Mitchell]

Did anyone mention hood and gloves as personal equipment?

 

[scubadobadoo]

The advice above is good advice. That said, here's another take on it. The cheaper take.

If you are only going to be a warm water diver and only on vacation...then...here is some pretty decent gear (some of it actually rated pretty high by scuba diving magazine in the past) for a fraction of the cost...$100 TOTAL

fins...$50 Aeris Velocity Fins from LeisurePro.com

mask...$25 Aeris Orca Mask from LeisurePro.com

booties...$15 Blue Reef 3MM Neoprene Dive Slipper from LeisurePro.com

snorkel...$10 Akona Caicos Snorkel from LeisurePro.com

Buy scuba gear, scuba diving and snorkeling equipment, and everything underwater from LeisurePro.com


Honestly, if you are doing vacation diving only, the gear prices I just listed are for pretty decent gear at a better priced shop, however you will have to do it online so that may or may not work out with your LDS. It will also require more work on your part. You will have to do some research and know your sizes. Leisurepro and other web shops do however have a good return policy.

I have even seen people safely using this type of gear in local diving with a 7mm on as well. I did when I first started. This sport doesn't have to cost a million bucks. I actually could have decreased your price by about 30 bucks without much difference in gear quality. The gear listed is as good and better than most rental gear I have seen in warm water destinations like Bonaire, The Keys, and Cozumel.

 

[b1gcountry]

I wouldn't skimp on the booties. Especially if shore diving is in your future. It's annoying to get a pair of booties with nicer soles only to find your old fins no longer fit.

Tom