Buying My Scuba Gear For OW Class...need advice

[sambookamax]

Thanks for the web links jaybombs!

Thanks everyone for the advice, I am going to go check out a few LDS's after work, to at least try some masks on...and boots.

I will keep you posted...

 

[fast5frog]

The best advice has already been said. Go to LDS and try stuff on! Keep track of the equipment and sizes and look them up online for deals. Then look around for posts on specific items and you will get alot of replies. NEVER buy online before trying it first!

 

[nivla80]

If you think u're gonna stick with this for a long time to come, i gotta agree with ScarefaceDM and Pepaw. Do it once. I made the mistake of getting a relatively cheap BC, and paid the price. Just a couple of months down the road, bought a better one, so now i have 2 sitting at home.

For masks, fit is more important than anything else. So go try it. Gettin it online may not be your best bet. Same thing with boots and fins, especially since you dunno how well they're gonna fit, with the thousands of diff fins and diff boots out there.

So in all, for personal gear, there's not really much of a distinction b/w beginners or experts. But if you're talking about ur entire setup like BC and regs, then it's a diff story.

Pertaining to your mask, forget about the purge. Additional breakage point, and sometimes makes equalizing harder ( the nose pinching)
Neoprene mask straps are nice and comft, so consider that.

Snorkel, it depends on your dives. I dun normally dive with a snorkel, cos i dive mostly off boats. Jump in, descend, ascend, back to boat. But if you're gonna be shore diving more often, then do get one. The Ultradry snorkel is pretty interesting. When you go on depth, the valve at the top closes, so no water gets in (that is, if the snorkel is in your mouth).

The rest of the gear like gloves, bags, you're prolly fine with your choices. I mean, there's not much that can go wrong with them.

Just my 2 cents worth...Good luck on your choices!

And oh yeah.. SPRING STRAPS IS THE WAY TO GO!

 

[lmorin]

I'm a relative newby and sympathize with what you are going through. My wife and I arrived in Florida to do OW certification with no clue and were told we had to provide our own fins, snorkel and mask. Mild panic while we picked from the shop's selection which was not great. Turned out that the prices were fair, but my wife got new fins within 6 mo because she simply didn't like the way the first ones felt while swimming. I had no real choice of masks because only one model of the 20 or so in the shop actually fit my face properly. Nevertheless, it's fine. I will also change fins sooner or later because of their excess weight. So, the recommendation I have is to buy as little as possible at the outset. You will undoubtedly change your mind as to what you like, need or want. Also, as you look around, go to more than one shop to get the flavor of different brands.

 

[ams511]

I think it is too much. You can buy Scubapro Jet fins from Leisure Pro for $65. Get a nice cool black mask for $25-30, nylon weight belt for $10 and a cheap snorkle for $10.
The booties you are not going to save much on. Also if you are just using the gloves for lobster hunting or grabbing a line, cheap $2 Walmart gloves work fine. Also if you hate this gear, you can ebay it or sell it here for close to what you paid and not lose a a lot. Call or look at 123Scuba, Scubatoys, Divers Supply or Leisure Pro. By the way none of what I recommend is beginners gear. If you want used, PM me, I can supply you all the items for $100.00 except the boots and the straps. I have stuff I upgraded from as does most members of this board.

 

[ReefHound]

I think it is too much. You can buy Scubapro Jet fins from Leisure Pro for $65. Get a nice cool black mask for $25-30, nylon weight belt for $10 and a cheap snorkle for $10.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about. I know the guys saying get the best mean well, but statistics tell us a high number (90% ???) of divers drop out after OW certification. And no matter how much you study it or how much you spend, you won't start getting a feel for what equipment suits you until you have 25-50 dives under your belt. Spending $150 versus spending $375 is hedging your bet.

Even if you find yourself getting new stuff after a year, it's always nice to have the old stuff around as backups or loaners to friends. Or sell it on Ebay.

 

[Stu S.]

Reef Hound has the right idea. When you start out at a sport, you want good quality basic stuff. As you develop in that sport, you will develop preferences for equipment. That's why so many brands and models are offered. Quality basic stuff is like Mares Avanti fins, or Tusa Imprex fins. A lot of experienced divers use these. Save the money for when you have been diving a while and developed preferences.

 

[ams511]

Reef,

I am only suggesting what the DIR and tech people recommend, which is the stuff many people are trading up to. No one here every asked the OP what kind of diving he does or plans to do. My suggestions just show that if you do it right the first time he is set until the equipment wears out and that quality equipment can cost less than the gimmick gear.

The only thing I would recommend that is he does beach diving he does get a decent dry snorkle, if not a cheap one or a folding one is fine. Also there is nothing wrong with buying regs or even a bc online or on ebay. The trick is that it fits and can be serviced. people are still diving with 25 year old mark 5's and R-109s and claim they are only a half-step below top of the line gear today and a quantum leap above the low-medium quality gear that many divers purchase.

 

[ams511]

Reef Hound has the right idea. When you start out at a sport, you want good quality basic stuff. As you develop in that sport, you will develop preferences for equipment. That's why so many brands and models are offered. Quality basic stuff is like Mares Avanti fins, or Tusa Imprex fins. A lot of experienced divers use these. Save the money for when you have been diving a while and developed preferences.

Stu it depends on what the OP wants to do while diving and where he lives. That will influence his equipment choices. If he is a tech diver he may want a BP/W combo if he is into dive travel then a travel bc. If he dives in current he wants a larger stiffer fin for thrust, if not then a softer blade allows for easier kicking. The diving industry wants people to trade up, so much of the new equipment is redesigned for looks not function. Many of the old chrome Scubapro seconds use the same parts kits as the newer ones and work better. Second stages only started to freeze up in cold water and divers got dry mouth worse when they switched to plastic.

 

[Stu S.]

Reef hound is right. Remember Sanchez's Law: when the price of a piece of dive equipment is doubled, it's performance increases by 10%. That is why DIR, cave, tek, and other masters of diving pay four times as much for equipment. They can use and apply the 20% improvement in performance for what they are doing. For the rest of us, and certainly for a diver starting out, that extra expense for super-duper gear is not needed. Solid basic stuff has served me well for 30 years.