Considering Scuba...safest budget gear?

[JimBanville]

Always considered learning to scuba dive. Went snorkeling in the Bahamas recently and it reignited the desire. I've spoken to an instructor. His class price varies based on if you purchase some gear. This sounds like a great way to save some $$$...IF I decide I enjoy the sport and actually use the gear. Otherwise it may be some expensive paperweights. or it will wind up on craigslist at a significant discount, lol. At this point I'm not 100% that it is something I would love as much as you guys, but I really want to learn and give it a shot. Anyway, I was a little put off by the high cost of this LIFE SAVING equipment. I already bought a good mask/snorkel/fins from my LDS for the snorkel trip. I see basic/starter BCD's from brands like Cressi that are $200. If you were in my shoes, would you consider that it? I'm also looking at the Cressi Leonardo wrist dive computer for $200. I think you may see where I'm going here. I'm looking for the most inexpensive gear that WORKS and is generally reliable, but won't empty my bank account! All suggestions are appreciated

 

[George Monnat Jr]

My recommendation is to stick with snorkel gear until after the class. After you're certified and have decided you want and can dive more than once or twice a year, then I recommend getting your own gear. I'd compare the cost of rental gear to how often you want to dive to see how many dives would be equivalent to 'paying for your equipment'.

Another option is something like the PADI Discover Scuba. You can pay very little money to blow bubbles and see how you like it before paying for a class or buying gear.

 

[flyboy08]

You can certainly find good equipment new and or used for the right price! You can buy great used gear right here in the classified and on CL if you know what your buying!

First off one needs to decide what type of diving one will do...if it's strictly recreational, equipment will be modestly priced. You can offset the cost of the DS class costs with second hand gear!

Black Friday is a great time to be looking. Watch for DRIS and Leisure Pro ads!

At worst, rent the equipment until such time you feel the commitment is there for the long haul....gather stuff as time goes on....

Cressi makes good stuff. I have the Leonardo and its perfect for rec diving. My BC from Amazon for $299.00 and I couldn't be happier...IST J1000....fins from here...Regs,...from here...buy smart...take your time!

Amazon.com : IST Alpha J-1000 Weight Intergrated Jacket BCD : Diving Buoyancy Compensators : Sports & Outdoors

 

[northernone]

Echoing the ideas above, shop around for an instructor and once you have experience and find out how much you love diving start buying equipment based on your preferences and particular value system. A BCD I love might be 5x the price you want to pay or it might be horribly uncomfortable and entirely unstable for your risk tolerance factors.

Mainstream gear is hard to go wrong with and the used market is a great way to save significantly on quality gear that has already proven itself to be not defective or with a poor product service life.

Enjoy the process,
Cameron

 

[JackD342]

I agree, buying a full set of gear along with instruction is very rare.
Now, a bit of specifics: If there is just one specific set of gear he is offering, and you know more specifics, we can chime in on those. I just checked the Cressi US catalog, and the two lowest price BCDs do not have integrated weights. That is a non-starter for me. Then the two lowest price integrated models use a system I strongly dislike.

They make good quality gear, I just don't like those models.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

Like they said above...only do the basic mask, boots (if applicable), fins, and snorkel initially.

Wait to buy anything else (ex. BC) until you finish your OW course and see if you get bit by the bug and if you like a particular piece of equipment. ex. I almost ran out and bought a jacket style BC after my discover scuba class, because I liked the one I used. Fast-forward to my OW class...I liked the BP/W style BC that we used for that course even more, so I opted to buy one of those instead.

That and consider buying in the classified section here. ex. I bought a ~$50 mesh diving gear bag for $20, a $225+ wet suit new with tags for $125, $350+ computer new in box for $300, etc. The savings add up to be "real money" that you can put towards something else.

There's a saying where expensive hobbies are concerned..."buy once, cry once." Don't run out and buy cheap "good enough" equipment in a rush to get kitted out now, when you don't know what you'll like. I'm not saying that anything you're looking at isn't good, just that at this point...you don't know what you like, so there's no point in rushing to buy stuff, unless you just want to spend money (I've been there, so I'm not judging if that's the case). Good luck getting started.

Oh, and as @George Monnat Jr said...there's nothing wrong with starting out with a Discover Scuba Diving course. That's what I did. While I was in a position that I could afford to spend the money on the OW course and personal gear, I wasn't sold on spending $700+ (gear + class) for something that I wasn't sure I would like. After I took my first breaths underwater though, I was ready to take the plunge.

 

[diversteve]

Snorkeling fins are often smaller than dive fins but you should be able to use your mask/snorkel for class. Your fins may work also - list the brand/model# and we can tell you. You may need/want more thrust once on scuba. Good paddle dive fins start around $40 so it's not a huge investment.

Don't assume he's offering you a better deal - some shops make money offering good gear at regular prices to new divers.Or have marketing deals with certain brands.

validate the price of anything with one of the big online retailers - leisurepro.com, scubatoys.com, diverightinscuba.com, diversupply.com. etc.

 

[MrVegas]

If you don't like weight belts, make sure you get integrated weights. I actually bought the Divers Supply Sea Elite budget package (with the Covert regulator upgrade) and used it last summer and this summer with no problems. As diversteve said, do some searching online. Having your own wetsuit and computer is worth it. BC, regs, tanks, and weights are pretty easy to rent -- just inconvenient if you are going to dive locally and want to throw stuff in the car and go. Personally, I think the Mares Puck Pro is actually a little better and cheaper than the Cressi entry computers, but that's a matter of opinion, of course.

 

[MargaritaMike]

Take your time. Take the Discover Scuba path. AFTER you decide you like it and want to commit to learning how to and then want to continue diving, start buying some personal gear. In my opinion a good regulator is one of the first things to buy. There are many different options on regulators - ScubaPro, Deep 6, Apeks, etc. There are many discussions about regs here on SB. I have been fortunate in that I am still using the regs I bought when I got certified in 1986. I reiterate - take your time.
There are different techniques being taught. Not all gear is ideal for all types of diving. Decide HOW and WHERE you are going to dive and then gradually get gear to facilitate that diving style but take your time.
I don't know where you will be diving. Some on here think a wetsuit should be one of your first purchases. IF you are going to dive in cold water, I would agree, HOWEVER, IF you are diving only in warm water, spend your money on something else.
The bottom line from me is don't rush into buying your gear. The classified sections on here have some good gear and some good prices. There is nothing wrong with buying used gear if it is quality stuff.
I'm sure you have figured out my main opinion is TAKE YOUR TIME to get what you NEED.

Just my $.02.

Cheers -

 

[happy-diver]

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