Brand new to diving- just doing my online PADI stuff. Losing weight- can I only rent equipment?

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

My wife and I won't get our open water certification until May when we are in Cancun. I have a ton of experience freediving when I lived in Kona, but have never done scuba. I'm trying to get in touch with local dive shops but it's hard to get anyone to answer emails so I will just go into these places and talk to them I guess. Is that common for dive shops? Maybe if it's just an email they think you aren't a serious customer?

I was almost 400 lbs at one point but am down to 265 right now and could well get to my "finished" weight of 180 or 190 at some point. It seems like I won't even be able to buy my own wetsuit at this point because it won't last very long before I am totally too skinny for it, and then what- sell it for 1/4 the price on Facebook? LOL!!!! Don't get me wrong- I'm really grateful for the weight loss and change in lifestyle, but also don't want to burn cash faster than a boat owner with this new hobby. I've never owned a boat but have heard stories.

Rent for now? Do any dive shops have a kind of trade-in, trade-up policy for gear like wetsuits or BCDs? Or is a BCD totally safe to buy- again I'm super new to scuba!!!!! I know I can buy a regulator at this point.

EDIT: might as well add- if you know of any shops in nw ohio/ne indiana/se michigan, tell me who they are!!! i'm going to need a good shop for further dive training as well as goodies

 

[Badger7]

IMO - I wouldn't buy anything other than a well-fitting mask and maybe a dive computer until after you've taken some classes and decide when and where you're going to continue your diving hobby. If its going to be mostly travel destinations versus local diving will weigh heavily in your equipment strategy for comfort, safety, and enjoyment from the sport.

If I could do it all over again, I'd start diving a backplate and wing instead of going through a few BCDs that I essentially gave away once I outgrew (skill-wise and size-wise). The only size that matters when picking a backplate is your height, and that doesn't change, while the harness lenght makes up the difference between winter weight vs fit & trim. HOWEVER, if I was going to go get my OW and AOW at a tropical dive resort, I'd just show up with a mask that I'm sure fits perfectly and a dive computer that I read through the manual twice and use all the rest of their rental gear until I'm back home with a couple c-cards after a couple dive trips, then decide next steps. Selling a quality dive computer is relatively easy if things change as everyone needs one, and having a well-fitting low volume dive mask is something every jet-setting adult should own, even if just used on the occasional snorkel boat.

That goes double for my wife. She doesn't love diving like I do and thats okay. I'm glad I didn't buy her a bunch of kitchsy pink gear that she'll seldom use. No way of knowing till you take some classes together and find out if you both love the sport.

 

[inquis]

I would try to get an inexpensive mask asap because fit is the most important thing. If it doesn't work for your new shape, address it then. Fins also early on, but they hold their value should you need to resize. (The larger size may also be useful if you get into drysuit diving.) A computer is high on the priority list and will fit all sizes. A backplate and wing setup is trivial to resize, especially in the direction you're going. A regulator hose is $30, if it comes to that.

Lots of folks rent wetsuits. At some point, you may regard the few hundred dollars worth it, just so you're working with a known quantity for fit and availability. Depends on how often you dive, I guess.

 

[pdwh]

Speaking as someone who has lost a lot of weight since I started, here are my thoughts. The only components that will be impacted by your weight loss are the exposure gear and BC. Rent those. You will need to do frequent buoyancy checks. I've dropped around 12 pounds of lead in my 5mm gear because of weight loss and improved skills. with no wetsuit, I went from 18 pounds to just the weight of my backplate (admittedly, it's a 12 pound backplate).

What you do as far as buy vs rent depends on how often you dive. I got hooked, live around some lakes, so I go almost every weekend.

On the BC - if you dive with a backplate/wing setup, the weight loss won't matter as you just need to readjust the straps. That's where I am now. I did rent quite a bit at first until I decided I wanted the backplate and wing. It cost me some $$$ - the money I spent on rental would have bought a low end BC, but I got into it and dive a lot. The BC will retain value a bit more than a wetsuit, so if you dive enough, it may still be worth it.

On the wetsuits - if you can find used in your size, buying might be ok and if you don't mind a little loss for the use, even new might be ok because the larger sizes are hard to find used so you can get a decent amount on them resale. Keep in mind the cost of renting a wetsuit vs how often you dive.

At $17 a day for rental (the cost around me), it adds up quickly.

I bought a 7mm suit for new in a package, used it for 3 months, diving 14 days. The package came with boots, glove, hood, which I will still have after I sell the wetsuit. I'll probably have saved at least $150 over renting.

I got a used 3mm for $20. Used it on about 15 dives. Going to cut it up for some other purposes as it's at the end of usable life.

Got a used 5mm for $100. Used it on 20 dives so far and it's at a size that it'll fit for another 30-40 pounds of loss.

You'll get a better price selling used wetsuits on Ebay than on Facebook Marketplace.

For reference, I was at 372 pounds when I started diving. I'm at 320 today and dropping. 56 dives in the last 8 months.

 

[FreqFlier]

May in Cancun - most likely no need for a wetsuit at all. Rent it (full or shortie) if you feel you need it.
One piece of equipment you should buy - a good properly fitting mask. Not a huge investment worst case scenario, $100 or so for a decent one. Should get computer and fins if at least a bit serious about scuba in the future. Should be renting the rest until you KNOW what you need. There will be a ton of all kinds of advice on this board, but IMHO you should have at least 40-60 dives in before any major investment. Aside from a good mask...

 

[Badger7]

Looks like a mask is getting a lot of votes. Try-on is really important. Personally I like low-volume masks with soft wide skirts and tall lenses, but anything that doesn't leak is serviceable. If you can place it against your face and it stays on when lightly inhaling through your nose without the strap in place, you're off to a really good start. Masks fit slightly differently under your nose when you have a scuba reg in your mouth. If you have a snorkel, might consider bringing it with when you try on masks. Just pop it in your mouth and let it rest on your shoulder so it pushes up your upper lip like a regulator would to see how a mask fits when your jaw is open slightly and you've got some rubber jammed in your piehole.

 

[TMHeimer]

I've always been one to say buy everything when taking the OW course (I bought most of my stuff used and still have some of it 20 years later). But in your case I'd recommend waiting on everything other than the mask, fins and reg, because you aim to lose a whole lot more weight. BCDs come in various sizes so I'd wait on that as well. I don't know about trade-ins, but our shop sells stuff each May that was used for the previous year's OW courses. I have found that useful.

 

[Tracy]

My wife and I won't get our open water certification until May when we are in Cancun. I have a ton of experience freediving when I lived in Kona, but have never done scuba. I'm trying to get in touch with local dive shops but it's hard to get anyone to answer emails so I will just go into these places and talk to them I guess. Is that common for dive shops? Maybe if it's just an email they think you aren't a serious customer?

I was almost 400 lbs at one point but am down to 265 right now and could well get to my "finished" weight of 180 or 190 at some point. It seems like I won't even be able to buy my own wetsuit at this point because it won't last very long before I am totally too skinny for it, and then what- sell it for 1/4 the price on Facebook? LOL!!!! Don't get me wrong- I'm really grateful for the weight loss and change in lifestyle, but also don't want to burn cash faster than a boat owner with this new hobby. I've never owned a boat but have heard stories.

Rent for now? Do any dive shops have a kind of trade-in, trade-up policy for gear like wetsuits or BCDs? Or is a BCD totally safe to buy- again I'm super new to scuba!!!!! I know I can buy a regulator at this point.

EDIT: might as well add- if you know of any shops in nw ohio/ne indiana/se michigan, tell me who they are!!! i'm going to need a good shop for further dive training as well as goodies

I am up in Livonia MI. I can fit you in a plate and wing that will last forever and fit you regardless of weight loss and gain. If I have a used wetsuit that fits you, you are welcome to have it. I wind up with used wetsuits a lot and they are just packing material for me. Nobody wants to buy a used wetsuit.

 

[grantmac]

Rent for now, then get a backplate, wing and continuos harness.

 

[Zef]

Congrats on getting started with diving. The folks above all have good advice but one thing you should know above all else....don't dive with Bob, he is super dangerous!

-Z