Best First Piece of Gear

[Tekkie]

I completed my O/W Certification about a month ago and I am starting my Nitrox certification. I was wondering what is the best first piece of gear to get becides a mask, fins, snorkel, weight belt and weights. Some of my instructors say a regulator, some say a BC and some say a computer. I was just wondering what your opinion is to this. What did you get first? Did you like it? Thx

 

[JamesK]

Personally, I would buy the regulator first. If you have your own, you know how it is maintained, you know it's service record, you know everything about it. The BC is nice to have, but I would trust a rental BC before a rental reg. As far as the computer goes, simply dive tables.

 

[WreckWriter]

I'd go with the regulator(s).

Tom

 

[Goldminer]

I went with a wetsuit first because I am so large that very few people stocked my size (XXXL) in rentals. However, I agree that for most people the regs are a good start. It is a piece of life support gear and you need to have confidence in their maintenance and quality.

I wouldn't get a computer till much later if budget is a question. You can dive a long time with tables and an spg (the DIR guys only do this) and you will be certain that you understand them.

 

[MSilvia]

If you're going to be diving in New England, first priority should be getting yourself some good exposure protection. I did, and never regretted the decision... especially when I was toasty warm in 43 degree water and rental gear.

Of course, I've got a long (and wide) torso, and short legs, so none of the off-the-shelf, peed-in wetsuits ever fit right. A custom suit made my diving a lot more enjoyable.

 

[WreckWriter]

I didn't even think of that! Duh! I change my vote.

Tom

 

[large_diver]

My order:

(1) Wetsuit -- I wear a XXXL like Goldminer.....sometimes hard to rent these. Also important due to colder water.

(2) BCD/weights/weightbelt -- as a newbie, I was most concerned about buoyancy control. I wanted to "fix" the main variables affecting my buoyancy as soon as possible.

(3) Tank 1 -- wanted large LP steel tank....sometimes hard to rent these.....also -- another factor on buoyancy

(4) Regulator -- wanted enough time to research.

(5) Computer -- nice to have, but not 100% essential for a newbie diving shallow

(6) Tank 2 -- sick of going to LDS to return rental tanks. Another LP steel.

(7) Camera (will buy this summer)

(8) Drysuit (???)

My $0.02

 

[Ontario Diver]

The first thing I got was

1) Mask, Fins. Snorkel, Booties, Gloves

2) Wetsuit

3) BCD & weights & knife

4) Lights, reel

5) Regs

6) Computer

7) Tanks

8) Backplate & wings

My theory was to get the stuff that was close in and personal. And cheap.....

Got the regs and 'puter once I was more certain of what kind of diving I was getting into.

 

[O-ring]

..everybody else...they are all right. Exposure suit is pretty important and can be a beast to find a rental that fits if you aren't a standard "off the rack" size.

 

[scubasco]

... on what kind of diving you will be doing (as usual).

I'm a standard "off the peg" wetsuit size, and I usually dive on holidays, so far only in the warm blue waters of the northern Red Sea.

Since completing my OW+AOW certification courses, I bought a mask, snorkel and a shiny Suunto Stinger dive computer

For the kind of diving I do, Tables are impractical, as ALL dives are multilevel. I've just returned from a liveaboard in the Red Sea, and I would have been breaking the PADI tables on the first of my 22 dives that week!! On the other hand, I feel better having my own computer, instead of just trusting the divemaster's, who wasn't always at the same depth, for the same duration, etc.

I think my next buy will be a BCD, since the bad fit of the rental ones and the consequent ill u/w posture are really starting to annoy me.

If you have trouble renting a good [fitting] wetsuit, you don't trust the renters to maintain the equipment properly, etc, then of course your priorities would be different.

Just my EUR 0.02 ;-)


Dive safely