Brand new from Michigan

[maydaybaby]

Hi Everyone,

I'm Danna. My husband, Dan & I tried a snuba excursion on a recent cruise and became convinced that we want to be certified (that, and some persistant coaxing from his brother and wife who have been diving for 20 years.) We are scheduled to begin classes Feb. 12 and are planning to do our OW cert. on an April cruise. We are very excited; also just a tad nervous... We are also a bit overwhelmed with the purchasing decisions we are facing now and in the coming months. We have good masks purchased from the local dive shop, but will need snorkels, boots and fins before we even take the class. We are shopping for wetsuits as well. Wow -- the variety of choices and price ranges all over the web have left me a little mind boggled! Where to even begin??! We are shopping at the dive shop and expect some good guidance on fit, etc., but we also realize they will want us to make our purchases from them. It is a small dive shop in Mid-Michigan, so the selection is limited. We will have to make our decisions without the benefit of any actual diving experience to develop personal preference. Any advice on making these early purchases?

Meanwhile, have been reading many threads and getting great advice from all the seasoned divers; so glad I found this forum!

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Hi Danna,
Welcome to the board. I grew up in Detroit and Garden City, but now live in Greenville, SC.

You will find quickly that we are an opinionated bunch around here, but we are well meaning too!

Before you buy anything, ask lots of questions and try as many things as you can. You should also spend some time reading here and also looking at what is available through the online shops. You will pay more locally, but it will give you an idea of the fair market price of the things you want to purchase.

I would start with these online shops.
Scuba Equipment, Scuba Gear Scuba Diving Equipment Discount dive gear Snorkeling Equipment and Wetsuits Cheap online mention you are a member of scubaboard and Scuba Toys will give you 10% off the listed price
Buy scuba gear, scuba diving and snorkeling equipment, and everything underwater from LeisurePro.com
Golem Gear, Inc.
www.deepseasupply.com
Piranha Dive Manufacturing
Dive Right In Scuba | Plainfield scuba diving lessons and scuba equipment. We also provide scuba certification for the Chicago area.
Cave Adventurers!, We will NOT be undersold!!!

All of the shops I mentioned have been talked about a great deal on the board. Search for their names and you will find the pros and cons of each one. I think you will find more pros than cons as each one gives excellent customer service.

You will get lots of folks including me tell you to get a backplate and wing. I was looking to purchase a jacket style bc and the good folks of scubaboard converted me to the bp/w crowd. You can never outgrow a bp/w or out shrink it. The straps can be adjusted to fit a person of any size. It is very comfortable. You dive skills cannot exceed the use of a bp/w. They are easier to float on the surface. Do not squeeze you when fully inflated. Easier to swim on the surface if you find the need to do so. They are more stable on your body and do not shift as much as jacket.

Jacket style bc's work just fine too and certainly thousands of divers use and enjoy their jackets too. You have to find what works best for you. Lots of divers in Michigan and I am sure many of them would let you take a dip in their bc to let you see how it feels.


What is a backplate and how do you set it up?
YouTube - Threading a Backplate System

If you ask a question there are lots of clips people can direct you to help you understand your question.


This site has a lot of good educational info
http://www.divegearexpress.com/library/

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Oh and at some point and time you are going to hear about spring straps which are pretty cool for your fins. Bungee cord from the local hardware store works just as well and is very cheap. Plus you can make them in your favorite color! I have both steel springs and bungee straps. I really like the bungee straps better. Even if you decide to go steel, this is a cheap way to try out springs for under $5

Aloha Shore Divers

Aloha Shore Divers has some other great info on their site too
Aloha Shore Divers

 

[cardzard]

Welcome to :sblogo: the place for everything scuba. Enjoy

 

[maydaybaby]

Thanks for the welcome and the good advice! Hubby & I have gone all OCD over this gear shopping, lol! I think we have visited just about every dive shop on the web... I'm a lil wimp about the cold, so I'm trying to find a 5mm jumpsuit, which is proving to be more challenging than the 3mm suit he is looking for. I wish there were more universal terms to describe the features... but we are having fun looking. It's suppose to be fun, right?

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Glad you are having fun! Be careful about which online stores your purchase from. I think you would be happy with any of the ones I posted. Do a search here on SB before you purchase from an online source if you go that direction. People around here are pretty straight up and you can get a sense as to whether or not you should do business there. The local dive shop probably will not be too happy if you are an informed customer so be prepared for that. It seems there is a lot of emotion in the dive business.

I have a Henderson Hyperstretch 7/5 mil full suit. When it gets too toasty for it, I dive with the back unzipped. When it gets cooler, I zip it. Colder still, I add a hood. Colder than that, I post on scubaboard in my jammies. The suit compresses a bit more than others, but it is very easy to get in and out of. We all have our favorites for good reasons. You will just need to figure out what is important to you and find a suit that works. Some folks like to add a hooded vest to a regular suit. Lots of options and lots of fun awaits you.