Another newbie with equipment questions...

[RyDad]

I live in Philadelphia, so Id be doing some diving up here in the NE, but I'd also like to do a bunch of tropical dives as well.

Im looking to buy my own equipment, so Im wondering if I should buy a set for tropical diving and a set for colder water, or if I am good with getting stuff that'll be ok for both types of conditions/temps...

$$$ isnt really an issue, and Id like to get the best stuff possible. I've been checking out the Mares and Cressi website for regulators, etc...

Any suggestions on reg's, etc that'd work for both conditions would be appreciated. Or, whatever you think is my best bet!

Thanks!

 

[DevonDiver]

The main consideration is exposure protection. You will need to buy an appropriate suit for both tropical and temperate waters.

Get the best regulator you can afford - and it will cover your options perfectly for cold and warm water diving. From personal experience, I recommend the Scubapro MK25 / S600 - but comparitive models from other manufacturers like Apeks and Mares will perform to roughly the same effect.

There is no difference in BCDs when it comes to cold or warm water diving. Decide what you like/need and go with that. Many experienced divers are now advocating the use of BP/W systems (do a forum search to investigate those). If you are travelling a lot, then a BP/W (with ali backplate) is a great weight saver for airline excess baggage.

Fins are a personal choice, but essentially you have 4 options:

1. Decent conventional fins. i.e. Mares Quattro
2. Rugged and powerful fins. i.e. Scubapro Jetfins
3. Hi-Speed Fins. i.e Scubapro Splitfins
4. Effort saving, unorthodox fins. i.e. Force Fins.

The pros and cons of these options have been debated ad-infinitum on the board.