Best brands for recreational divers?

[diver_from_the _north]

I plan to buy scuba gear for our family of four. We've got our certification a couple of years ago and have been renting since. We make 1-2 trips south a year and so far were making 3-4 dives a trip. My kid has tried 30 meter dive and I expect he is going to go that direction. My and my wife likely will stay at ~20 meter recreational level. My other kid - who knows, he is only 13 at the moment.

We do not plan to dive up here in Canada, however I expect we may go cave diving at some point meaning much colder water.

Since we do not live close to the ocean, we have to conciser weight of the gear - airlines are not making it easier these days to travel. Space and weight are very limited, as we all know.

I am going to buy gear in a package to save but I can't buy 4 sets at the same time due to high cost. I will have to do it 2 sets now + 2 sets before the next trip.

I am not looking for fins and masks as we've got those already.

My ask here is - can someone recommend a good set/brand? I was looking at Sherwood since I have it locally at a reasonable price. I was looking at Venture BC, Blizzard reg (on sale here) + Amphos computer. However, I would consider any other brand you could recommend. I also would like an option to buy online if warranty is going to cover me in Canada.

Are travel BCs ok or it is a waste of money by the way? Again, we are simply recreational divers that want to go with their own gear.

P.S. Do I need to get a computer right away if I am only doing recreational dives with an instructor? I won't exceed the number of dives for sure and I can rely on the instructor for the rest, can I? Just looking for ways to spread the spending across a period of time. It is 4 of us after all.

 

[Johanan]

You may pay attention to Whites Fusion dry suits produced in Canada. You can use tham both for warm and cold water dives. The Fusion One model is more affordable and a dry suit will last much longer. You do not NEED a computer, they just make diving simpler, but are not a must. You can use tables, depth gauge and bottom timer instead. It is not a good idea just to blindly follow the divemaster. You may get separeted from him/her or some other contingency may occur. You must be self sufficient under water. Zeagle Express Tech is a nice travel bcd and not overly expensive.

 

[FM1520]

any brand will work fine, you may want to consider the annual maintenance cost along with the acquisition cost. Some brands give you free parts. Additionally, consider what your local shops service and what brands are serviced where you do most of your vacationing. Personally, I would not go for so called travel BCs - get what you like packing a BC is not that big a deal.

That being said, a discussion on SB about dive gear without mentioning HOG would just be wrong. Get in touch with Jim LaPlata here on the board and he may be able to set you up for a good price.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I think you meant Lapenta.

And not only HOG but considering the OP's budget restrictions Edge is also a very viable option.

And I do ship to Canada. All of it. A lot. I know the logistics and who to use and who not to use as far as carriers go.

Just need to know what part of Canada.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I plan to buy scuba gear for our family of four. We've got our certification a couple of years ago and have been renting since. We make 1-2 trips south a year and so far were making 3-4 dives a trip. My kid has tried 30 meter dive and I expect he is going to go that direction. My and my wife likely will stay at ~20 meter recreational level. My other kid - who knows, he is only 13 at the moment.

We do not plan to dive up here in Canada, however I expect we may go cave diving at some point meaning much colder water.

I'm a little confused by this statement. What caves are you referring to? Also, please do not go cave diving without the proper training.

Since we do not live close to the ocean, we have to conciser weight of the gear - airlines are not making it easier these days to travel. Space and weight are very limited, as we all know.

I am going to buy gear in a package to save but I can't buy 4 sets at the same time due to high cost. I will have to do it 2 sets now + 2 sets before the next trip.

Packages are not necessarily less expensive than buying the various products individually. That being said, some of us will give you great deals of the gear you want. Pick and choose your regs, your BCDs, and anything else. Basically, build your own package deal.

I am not looking for fins and masks as we've got those already.

My ask here is - can someone recommend a good set/brand? I was looking at Sherwood since I have it locally at a reasonable price. I was looking at Venture BC, Blizzard reg (on sale here) + Amphos computer. However, I would consider any other brand you could recommend. I also would like an option to buy online if warranty is going to cover me in Canada.

I've been diving SEAC products for about a year now. SEAC is a great line. The company has been around for 42 years and proven itself in Europe and Asia. They just recently decided to expand into the North American market. The gear is high quality and durable. Warranty would be covered anywhere in the world.

Are travel BCs ok or it is a waste of money by the way? Again, we are simply recreational divers that want to go with their own gear.

Travel BCs can be okay but they can also be lower quality. Don't purchase based on price. Purchase based on the qualities you want.

P.S. Do I need to get a computer right away if I am only doing recreational dives with an instructor? I won't exceed the number of dives for sure and I can rely on the instructor for the rest, can I? Just looking for ways to spread the spending across a period of time. It is 4 of us after all.

A dive computer is nice but not necessary. It doesn't matter whether you're diving with an instructor or not. You should not be relying on the instructor for the rest. You should be planning your own dives using tables and diving your plans. All you need is a depth gauge, bottom timer, and gauge and you can plan and dive safely.

If you're interested in learning more about SEAC let me know.

 

[diversteve]

Since you're potentially buying 4 of each - i think you're overbuying the Amphos since it has features that diving recreationally to 20M you'll likely never use. Here in the U.S. it's about $400. There are a lot of good computers from Aeris, Oceanic, Suunto, even the ScubaPro Aladin 2G that are well under that price and offer similar features. Maybe an Aeris A100 - they're $289. LeisurePro.com lists a lot of them - IDK what the warranty differences are for Canada but they're authorized dealers for everything listed except ScubaPro/Subgear or Suunto afaik. I believe (but am not certain) that warranty service is the same in the U.S and Canada for some brands - including Aeris/Oceanic, Sherwood, Aqualung/Suunto and possibly ScubaPro.

Whatever you decide on, buy the same thing for your wife. That way you'll have consistent dive profiles. Suunto's are known to use a more conservative algorithm than some of the others but many are adjustable also. One other consideration with the Amphos is that it logs 24 dives. Many of the others log 50-99 dives or more. Probably not an issue for a week of diving but should you forget to download/copy the log, it will overwrite the information when full.

If you consider Hog/Edge - or Seac - consider where you'll get them serviced annually also. It sounds like Sherwood is a good local option for you. Twice I've been glad to have a local shop able to service gear on the last days before leaving on a trip - not possible with mail-order purchases unless you have local dealer support also.

If you do later get into specialized cave diving, it's likely that very little of the gear you buy for recreational use will be optimal so likely you'll be supplementing or replacing it anyway. If you're going to do some cavern diving, all of what you're considering is functional.

If you're going to dive in cold water, meaning a lot of neoprene - and weight to compensate for it, you may find the Ventura doesn't have enough lift. It's difficult to tell since no one - including the Sherwood website - specifies exactly how much it has. Cressi and Aeris also make similarly sized travel BC's for about the same or less money. For $30 more there's the Zeagle Covert also. It's definitely made of heavier material than the Ventura but weighs only 5 oz. more. It's their travel BC.

The Ventura appears to be a jacket BC also. Many people prefer something with back inflation after they've been diving for a while - it's less cumbersome to have the lift all in back. I'm not a fan of plastic d-rings either. Not only can they break but I find clipping metal bolt snaps to them is a little less of a an intuitive process (i.e. you have to look) since they don't have the same "feel" as a metal to metal clip operation.

I live in Arizona. So my buddies and myself fly to dive - frequently to the Caribbean or Pacific. Been diving about 33 years. In the last few I've considered buying a travel BC but mine packs fine in checked luggage along with fins and other dive gear. And all my clothes etc. It seems improbable to size gear small enough to travel and yet be able to bring enough clothes etc. for a weeks vacation without checking a bag. For one thing, my XL fins are too long. I travel with a single soft-sided duffle with wheels (ex-tennis bag) plus a standard carry-on (regs, mask, dive computer, laptop, video gear etc.) It's all I've ever needed and just under 50lbs. fully loaded.

hth,

 

[Hawkwood]

Where in "Canada" are you located?

Where I am from, the four shops will do their utmost to be very competative with anything you can bring in on-line.

Buying four four? I know my shop would make it worthwhile.

 

[ams511]

I plan to buy scuba gear for our family of four. We've got our certification a couple of years ago and have been renting since. We make 1-2 trips south a year and so far were making 3-4 dives a trip. My kid has tried 30 meter dive and I expect he is going to go that direction. My and my wife likely will stay at ~20 meter recreational level. My other kid - who knows, he is only 13 at the moment.

We do not plan to dive up here in Canada, however I expect we may go cave diving at some point meaning much colder water.

Since we do not live close to the ocean, we have to conciser weight of the gear - airlines are not making it easier these days to travel. Space and weight are very limited, as we all know.

I am going to buy gear in a package to save but I can't buy 4 sets at the same time due to high cost. I will have to do it 2 sets now + 2 sets before the next trip.

I am not looking for fins and masks as we've got those already.

My ask here is - can someone recommend a good set/brand? I was looking at Sherwood since I have it locally at a reasonable price. I was looking at Venture BC, Blizzard reg (on sale here) + Amphos computer. However, I would consider any other brand you could recommend. I also would like an option to buy online if warranty is going to cover me in Canada.

Are travel BCs ok or it is a waste of money by the way? Again, we are simply recreational divers that want to go with their own gear.

P.S. Do I need to get a computer right away if I am only doing recreational dives with an instructor? I won't exceed the number of dives for sure and I can rely on the instructor for the rest, can I? Just looking for ways to spread the spending across a period of time. It is 4 of us after all.

When you said you dive south, do you mean the US? If so it may pay to purchase here. I have met plenty of Europeans and Canadians that buy in the US to avoid the VAT. It may be even cheaper now that the US dollar is so weak.

 

[diver_from_the _north]

I'm a little confused by this statement. What caves are you referring to? Also, please do not go cave diving without the proper training.


Packages are not necessarily less expensive than buying the various products individually. That being said, some of us will give you great deals of the gear you want. Pick and choose your regs, your BCDs, and anything else. Basically, build your own package deal.



I've been diving SEAC products for about a year now. SEAC is a great line. The company has been around for 42 years and proven itself in Europe and Asia. They just recently decided to expand into the North American market. The gear is high quality and durable. Warranty would be covered anywhere in the world.



Travel BCs can be okay but they can also be lower quality. Don't purchase based on price. Purchase based on the qualities you want.

That is what I am trying to figure out - I can build my own package but I need to know what I am after. I am not that familiar with the features options and for a recreational diver I do not need most of the advertised features. I am looking for help on reg/BC I need.

A dive computer is nice but not necessary. It doesn't matter whether you're diving with an instructor or not. You should not be relying on the instructor for the rest. You should be planning your own dives using tables and diving your plans. All you need is a depth gauge, bottom timer, and gauge and you can plan and dive safely.

If you're interested in learning more about SEAC let me know.

In Mexico, there are some place they can take you for cave diving. May be the proper name is cavern, I am not sure. This is not the main goal anyway.

That is what I am trying to figure out - I can build my own package but I need to know what I am after. I am not that familiar with the features options and for a recreational diver I do not need most of the advertised features. I am looking for help on reg/BC I need.

Yes, would look into SEAC for sure. Can you recommend reg/BC?

---------- Post added November 13th, 2013 at 09:07 PM ----------

Where in "Canada" are you located?

Where I am from, the four shops will do their utmost to be very competative with anything you can bring in on-line.

Buying four four? I know my shop would make it worthwhile.

We are in Toronto. I used the Serwood package as a "baseline" and my local store with all the discounts is over 30% more expensive than LP after they have quoted me on Build your own package. Actually, I was impressed that LP dropped over $500 from the $1500 list price.

 

[Dive-aholic]

In Mexico, there are some place they can take you for cave diving. May be the proper name is cavern, I am not sure. This is not the main goal anyway.

Okay, so you are referring to the guided dives done in the cenotes. While those are conducted regularly in Mexico training should still be completed. It's still an overhead. You would be better off to devote 2 days to the cavern class than 2 days to guided cenote dives. You'll get more out of the class and see the same things. Then you can go back without guides and dive them some more. Also, the water temperature in the Mexican cenotes is not too cold.

That is what I am trying to figure out - I can build my own package but I need to know what I am after. I am not that familiar with the features options and for a recreational diver I do not need most of the advertised features. I am looking for help on reg/BC I need.

Yes, would look into SEAC for sure. Can you recommend reg/BC?

The X-10 Pro is a great regulator. It breathes nicely and is easy to maintain. SEAC is updating the reg with the new DX200 but they will continue to sell service kits and offer service on them. With the X-10 discontinued I can give you a pretty good deal on it. The Ego is the most affordable and lightest BC of the SEAC lineup. It's a well made, streamlined rig that would work well for travel. And the price is great when you're buying more than one. If you're interested in learning more about SEAC and the deal I can give you email me at chipoladivers@gmail.com