Choosing dive gear as a new diver

[Littlerayray]

For just recreational diving there's nothing wrong with the Puck it's a pretty good value at $170. But whatever you pick I'd go with something that can be put on your wrist.
I'm also in the camp of placing everything on my wrists. I've had several consoles on and off. Like so many, I started/was trained with one, then went to wrist instruments later, then got a box free gear which included several consoles so I tried one again, but then didn't like it and went back, and so forth.
I finally decided that for me it's most convenient to have all my info on my wrists and a basic SPG on my left hip D-ring on my bc waist strap. To check tank pressure I just tilt up the gauge and take a glance down to see it, or some people unclip it, but I have mine set so I can see it without having to do that.
My compass goes on my left wrist and computer on right wrist. This is about the most basic and clean/streamlined solution I've been able to come up with so far.
Part of the problem I found with consoles was it was hard to stowe them without them hanging down a little and catching on things, and it was a pain to have to constantly unclip them to use the compass. I've tried to use them without any clips and just stuff them under the front part of my waist strap on my BC but they're bulky and hard to slide under or pull out. Some people put them on a retractor, but I saw you mentioned you didn't want to over gear yourself, and when you start adding gizmo's like retractors they don't always work well. They can unwind without you knowing it when cruising along and can get caught and tangled on stuff. Simpler is better in scuba.
Have your stuff clipped and stowed tight to your body and you'll never scratch up/damage your equipment or the reef.

Imho computers should be worn on your left wrist the reason for this is when doing a rescue you come up behind the person you are rescuing and use their bcd to ascend while doing this the inflator hose will be in your left hand and you can monitor your ascent rate on your computer while your right hand is holding onto the person you are rescuing this is how I've been taught and makes a whole lot of sense to me

Now bring on the hate responses

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I wear my computer on the right. That's where it makes the most sense for me. On my left is a bottom timer and compass. It also may not be a good idea to use the victims BC. It's a bad idea to expect to be able to do that. Divers should be trained to use either the victims or their own and swim the victim up with the BC just helping. Relying on being able to use the victim's BC is going to give you problems if they have no air to put in the BC or if the inflator fails.
You may also find out that they are grossly over weighted and, since you never dump weights at depth, their BC is not sufficient for both of you.
Should you rely on the victim's BC and the inflator sticks, both of you can be put in very dangerous rapid ascent situation.
Final note: Real rescues are rarely like the book. Not even close.

 

[Littlerayray]

I know their not I was just doing what I was taught

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Imho computers should be worn on your left wrist the reason for this is when doing a rescue you come up behind the person you are rescuing and use their bcd to ascend while doing this the inflator hose will be in your left hand and you can monitor your ascent rate on your computer while your right hand is holding onto the person you are rescuing this is how I've been taught and makes a whole lot of sense to me

Now bring on the hate responses

 

[DevonDiver]

Research what you NEED.... and understand that what you WANT is easily influenced by the manufacturers' marketing....

The scuba manufacturing industry, by-and-large, excels in promoting novice divers to want useless functions, inane gadgets and silly gimmicks that fail utterly to address the task that divers' are seeking to fulfill.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

Sooo...any specific things you can recommend? We are pretty limited to dive shops in our area that tend to push the very limited amount of gear they happen to have in stock... Basically we are newbies that have done discover scuba course and plan on getting OW very soon. The plan is only warm water diving, i.e. mexico, south florida, ect. and for 1-2 weeks a year with probably max 10 dives a year and no plan for advanced or cave diving, ect. Already have mask and snorkel, so looking for fins, bcd, regulator, and computer-if that is needed? Not looking for top of the line but want good reliable equipment. Thanks for any advice

Your plan is similar to my plan when I first started. That plan went out the window when I became hooked on my first trip.

The first mistake I see people do with gear purchases BEFORE they certify is to go out and buy the cheapest thing they can find in a department store before class. I have literally seen fins fall apart while the diver is putting them on. I still use a mask I purchased in 1999, and if my feet had not grown in my old age, I would still be using my first fins. Make good, solid, intelligent choices in those basic areas and they may be the last ones you buy.

When it comes to BCDs, regulators, and computers, things are a bit more complicated. Do not just buy the first thing someone recommends. Once again, these things can last you a very long time, so you don't want to be in a situation of having something you don't want that is in excellent condition but only worth a fraction of its cost on the resale market. The computer I purchased in 1999 is still being used--just not by me. My needs in terms of computers evolved over time, so it no longer served my needs. It is very easy when buying these items to realize in as little as a few months that you should have bought something else. Take your time and do enough research to be able to buy with confidence. ScubaBoard is a good way to get advice to get the equipment YOU want for the kind of diving YOU will be doing.

 

[Neilwood]

Your plan is similar to my plan when I first started. That plan went out the window when I became hooked on my first trip.

The first mistake I see people do with gear purchases BEFORE they certify is to go out and buy the cheapest thing they can find in a department store before class. I have literally seen fins fall apart while the diver is putting them on. I still use a mask I purchased in 1999, and if my feet had not grown in my old age, I would still be using my first fins. Make good, solid, intelligent choices in those basic areas and they may be the last ones you buy.

When it comes to BCDs, regulators, and computers, things are a bit more complicated. Do not just buy the first thing someone recommends. Once again, these things can last you a very long time, so you don't want to be in a situation of having something you don't want that is in excellent condition but only worth a fraction of its cost on the resale market. The computer I purchased in 1999 is still being used--just not by me. My needs in terms of computers evolved over time, so it no longer served my needs. It is very easy when buying these items to realize in as little as a few months that you should have bought something else. Take your time and do enough research to be able to buy with confidence. ScubaBoard is a good way to get advice to get the equipment YOU want for the kind of diving YOU will be doing.

I have said similar in another topic - buy the equipment you want for the way you dive. No-one else knows if you will be happy in a BP&W or prefer a jacket type, whether you want the most basic of computers or something fancier etc.

Scubaboard is a great source of information but you need to be able to sift through the multitude posts to decide on your way of doing things.

 

[KevinNM]

Borrowing or renting various types of gear before you buy is one way to avoid getting stuck with gear you don't like. It's not perfect, as you might later change how you do stuff, but it's better than buying up front.

 

[KevinNM]

Borrowing or renting various types of gear before you buy is one way to avoid getting stuck with gear you don't like. It's not perfect, as you might later change how you do stuff, but it's better than buying up front.

 

[admikar]

It's my experience that trying to clip off a console and have it tucked very close to the body is not easy to do with the off-the-rack attachment systems that dive shops carry. A retractor has two clips on either end and also the size/length of the retracting reel itself, so with that clipped off to a D-ring on the frontside of a diver somewhere, there will still be 4" to 6" of clip or maybe more, then there's the thickness of the console unit/cluster which might be another 2" to 3". This to me hangs down more than I would prefer, even clipped off the best possible way. With wrist mounted instruments there is nothing clipped off on the front of me that can hang down. The SPG is over on my side which is completely out of the way and rides close to my body. I also dive in dark murky waters and sometimes at night so it's easier to me to have my info on my wrists so I can just raise my arm and see it. Many times I am hunting and carrying a spear gun, so having to handle another thing becomes a hassle.

Now if I was a tropical diver only doing reef dives in great visibility and stayed off the bottom, wasn't on a mission, etc, then maybe a console would work fine for me, but for what I do they're clunky and in the way. So maybe it's a regional thing, and the reasons people choose either has to do more with location and goals?
Then there's the training part too, if someone was trained using a console they may not realize there are alternatives. My hope is that people will read this and realize there is another way, then they can make an informed decision as to which system will work best for them.