? about mask and fins

[tama]

Guys and Gals,
I'm completely new to diving. I haven't been thru a certification class yet. I am wondering which masks are good and why? Which features should i be looking at? As for the fins. Same question. which are good and what features should i look at? I got kinda large foot. A 13 4E to be exact with a high arch. Thanks in advance for any ifo you can provide.

TAMA
P.S.: where is a good place to buy the equipment?

 

[dlndavid]

Hi Tama and welcome to :sblogo:
A mask should fit your face and not leak. Not much in the way of features there.
For fins, it depends on what kind of diving you do, cold water, warm water, wet suit, dry suit...no suit.
If you plan to get certified at your local dive shop (LDS), you might want to get these basic items from them, it helps to get personal advice. But check out a few different shops before deciding where to get certified. Pick a good instructor, then use the help of that shop in selecting your gear.

Good luck getting certified and have fun diving!

 

[scuba&golf]

Find a mask that fits and pay whatever you have to for it. I got lucky and the least expensive mask at my LDS fit the best. For fins, decide if you're going to dive mainly warm, cold, or both waters. If you are only going to dive in the tropics, buy full foot fins--it will be less expensive because you don't have to buy booties, but if you're diving in colder water, boots and open heel fins are nicer because your feet are covered and won't get as cold.

 

[Tortuga68]

With masks, fit is the most important factor, as the previous posters mentioned

Other factors to consider are black vs clear skirt (clear allows more light entry, can be good or bad depending on type of diving), mask volume (low volume masks are easier to clear), comfort/softness of skirt, material of screen (tempered glass vs other cheaper materials), single lens or double, availability of corrective lenses (if you usually wear glasses), clip/strap design/ease of adjustment

I really like my atomic aquatics frameless mask, but bottom line is it fits my face (although they come in standard and narrow fittings too). They're not cheap though

For fins, comfort is critical, plus the ability to cope with whatever current you may find yourself diving in. I won't go into the split vs solid argument, except to say I love my SP Jet Fins

As with any equipment, the best solution is if you can borrow and try someone elses before buy

 

[NudeDiver]

I am wondering which masks are good and why? Which features should i be looking at?

Really only two features to a mask. Feature 1 is fit. Does it fit? If so, it is a good mask (for you). If not, it is a bad mask (for you). Feature 2 is purge valve. This lets you clear the mask of water a bit easier than not having one. Typically costs $10 more. I recommend. If you wear glasses, a third fit is prescription lenses. They can be part of the mask itself, or bonded in later.

On fins - more complicated. First you need to decide, booted, or bootless. In other words, do you want to wear a fin boot or not? I recommend getting ones that require a fin boot, for a variety of reasons. Second major choice is split or not. This is a subject of wide controversy. Since non-split is typically cheaper, I recommend going this route, and then "upgrade" if you decide you want to. Fins are something that you can get a lot cheaper used, and without any real loss of functionality or risk.

In related news - I have a pair of used fin and snorkel I can sell you pretty cheaply

 

[meesier42]

There are only 2 things that matter in the world of scuba equipment

1) It has to fit you
2) You have to be comfortable

everything else is details, opinions, and marketing

for your mask, again, find one that fits, a good LDS should have a large selection for you to choose from. I personally avoid purge mask, since the purge mask that I have used were bulkier and less comfortable (see rule #2),

for fins, I have found its rare to see a LDS with a wide selection, so shop around, figure out what you want out of a fin, something you probably won't know until well after you are certified, don't be afraid to upgrade later, a pair of fins off ebay will be just as good as brand new fins so long as they are in good shape and will let you save some money when you know what you want later.

 

[tama]

Guys,
Thanks for the info.
I live in So. Cal. so most diving will be cold water" i'm guessing". I was thinking of getting my cert. done at Sport Chalet. i think they do it for around 250 bucks. I'll recheck on the price.
Is there anyone in So. Cal. you suggest going to for a cert? TIA

TAMA

 

[NudeDiver]

$250 for an open water class? Complete?? Better check the details. They're probably not including certain things you need to have. Up here, a basic OW class is more like $650. I'm betting that the $250 course you mention does not include the cost of one or more of the following: rental gear, check out dives, book/study materials, c-card.

 

[tama]

Nudediver,
Yeah your right. The sport chalet price doesn't include rental, boat fees, pretty much nothing is included.
How is a new diver supposed to know what he needs? Seems kinda funny to me. To have a new diver going thru cert to supply everything.
TAMA