Any recommendations for a newbie

[joey_dz]

Hi,

I am considering to take PADI OW certification soon after delaying for so long. I am very interested in scuba diving but was delayed for so long due to the normal family matters (just got my first daughter). Now I am quite free and settled down a bit and looking forward for my first class. Just found this forum from a friend and was hoping for some advice.

After reading thru the threads, I basically now what to get like fins, snorkel etc. In fact some of it I already have as I sometimes go for snorkelling.

What I would like to know is any recommendation on the basic items like any brand in particular that is recommended?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

 

[RICHinNC]

Lets look at the big picture.

What options do you have in the way of shops in your location to take your classes?? What are THEIR requirements on gear you must have up front?? Any shop that makes you buy it ALL up front is a shop to walk away from in my book.

I would recommend trying to find a shop that has its own pool and that is mainly for your convenience. It is a real pain when you show up to class and find out its cancelled because something has come up at the pool they use....but dont control.

I would stay away from a shop that made me buy more than a mask...fins....and snorkel.....and would prefer a shop that loans me these things so I can try diff styles of masks and fins. As far as a snorkel goes....get one with a purge valve....the expensive folding kind just arent worth the money to ME.

Try to plan your classes so that when you are done....you go right to your qualification dives. Dont do it where it is so cold your shop says.....wait a couple of months....then we will do the qual dives when its warmer.

Brands.....whatever you like....or more important...whatever fits best. Hopefully you shop will teach you how to buy a mask. And, if you arent testing the mask with a reg in your mouth....they taught you wrong. Just pulling a mask of the display wall and placing on face then sucking air to check for leaks does not cut it. Look at your face in a mirror. Put a reg in your mouth and then look again. Different facial structure right?? So test your potential masks with a reg in your mouth. No surprises that way.

Good luck and have fun. I wont tell you to go get a bp and wing. You will hear that enough. Try as many diff kinds of fins and bcds as you can. (Then go get your bp and wing!)

let us know how it turns out
rich

 

[boulderjohn]

Hi,
After reading thru the threads, I basically now what to get like fins, snorkel etc. In fact some of it I already have as I sometimes go for snorkelling.

You already got some good advice, but I will add a couple of points which you may already know. These are related to your statement taht you already have some equipment for snorkeling and you are wondering about brands.

If you are going into any decent dive shop, you will have access to several brands that will be plenty good enough for you. However, if you have not gone into a real dive shop yet, and you purchased your snorkel equipment at a typical sporting goods shop or department store, you may have a truly inferior product. When you buy a snorkel kit at most such stores, you are usually getting major junk. The mask will always leak, and the fins will work badly until they break, which fortunately will not take long. The snorkel is usually just a tube without any of the various options for keeping water out while on the surface or purging it when it is full.

If you did buy your snorkel equipment at a good store and got good advice on it, then it will probably work well for you in scuba, with one possible exception. Typical snorkel fins are usually smaller and lighter that scuba fins. They will work for scuba, but not nearly as well as true scuba fins.

 

[joey_dz]

Thanks for the advice really appreciate it. The place that i'm going to do have its own pool but i guess i do need to plan on the schedule but as for weather i dont think its an issue coz here in Malaysia its summer all year. But as adviced planning is important.

I didnt know that snorkel fins differ from scuba fins. As for the my other equpments, I did bought it at a dive shop so I guess they will be fine. Its just that my friend who just had his certification, suggested to get a dive suit. Any advice on this?

Cheers

 

[boulderjohn]

I didnt know that snorkel fins differ from scuba fins. As for the my other equpments, I did bought it at a dive shop so I guess they will be fine. Its just that my friend who just had his certification, suggested to get a dive suit. Any advice on this?

Your snorkel fins will work for scuba, but most scuba fins have a lot more power.

I always wear a wet suit, and if you are sure you are going to go into diving, then it is good to have your own. If you are going to be diving in Malaysia, then you will probably have pretty consistent water termperatures, so you will be able to choose a suit that will work for you on almost all of your dives. Under those circumstances, getting a wet suit is not a bad idea.

Here's a secret.

When you dive, your body reacts to changing temperatures in way that (to make a long story short) results in the release of water from your system. This leads to an old cliché: there are two kinds of divers--those who pee in their wets suits, and liars.

That's a good reason to own your own instead of renting.

 

[jcm996]

The other thing to think about when buying equiptment. Is does a local shop service it. Most stuff is no problem, but if you get something say off the internet and it breaks, will you have to mail it somewhere to get fixed or can you take it down to the local shop and have them service it.

Also the pool on site thing is only appicable to areas that get major trafic. There are 5-6 shops withing a 60 mile radius of me and not one of them has its own pool. Just can't justify that when there are only 2-6 students a month, or less. Basically most people don't come here for the diving. Some due but not many, but Great Lakes diving is a bit different than warm water diving.

 

[Stirling]

I didnt know that snorkel fins differ from scuba fins. As for the my other equpments, I did bought it at a dive shop so I guess they will be fine. Its just that my friend who just had his certification, suggested to get a dive suit. Any advice on this?
Cheers

The fins you already have may be perfectly appropriate for SCUBA diving.

There are fins made for snorkeling that are lighter or smaller than the fins typically used for SCUBA, and a lot of people don't think the full-foot fins (the kind that your foot fits inside like a shoe - as opposed to the kind with an open heel and a strap) are appropriate for SCUBA diving.

But a lot of people buy fins for snorkeling that are perfectly suited for SCUBA (I spent a lot of time diving without SCUBA and using Jet Fins, which are perfect for snorkeling and for SCUBA) - so don't just assume that what you have won't do just fine for SCUBA.

The best way to get good advice about an exposure suit - wet or dry - is to figure out where you will be doing most of your diving, and find out what other divers in those same waters are using. In warmer water, you may want only a very thin "skin" to protect against jelly fish and the like, or a lightweight wet suit (3 mm thick neoprene). But a lot of that also depends on your personal tolerance for cold.

 

[joey_dz]

I keep hearing about wet and dry suit.....whats the difference?

As for me, hopefully I will be diving mostly here, locally where the water is mostly constant and warm....so which should I get?

Cheers

 

[markfm]

Wet -- dry suits are about keeping dry and warm in colder water. From the neck down they're sealed, and you wear insulating clothes to slow heat loss.
Warm water = wet suits.

 

[H2Andy]

joey, the single most important thing you can do for your diving is...

... finding a great instructor

i would concentrate all my energy on talking to people, getting local opinions, and
trying to find the best instructor you can find

then, talk to that instructor about your needs and your equipment. you'll be set.