victorzamora
Contributor
Hey guys, I'm new here but not new to forums nor am I new to scuba diving. I'm at somewhere in the 200-250 dives range. I took a break for a few years, dove with my fiancee for her cert dives, then got my advanced in Roatan (favorite dive spot). So I got my Jr Open Water in 2004 and my advanced in 2012. I'm 21, in college (Virginia Tech) and my fiancee is 20 and at VT as well. We plan to start doing more diving around here and hope to get into it for good, and hopefully do a NC OBX trip this summer for wrecks and spearing.
Okay, to the point: I've never owned gear before, and never really had a need for my own gear. However, my fiancee and I hope to start diving more often and I hope to make that hold true. In Roatan, full gear rental is $5 per dive (not worth buying gear) but here it's MUCH more expensive....to the point of making it worth buying my own gear. I guess my questions are how often do I have to dive to make owning my own gear worth it, what kind of maintenance is required on gear, what concerns should I have for aging gear, how long does it last if treated properly? Another problem is I have too many hobbies. Guns last forever if well-treated, so investing in a gun will always last. What if I don't do any diving for 4 years....will my gear be crap?
If I decide to get gear, I'll hopefully have as much as $1000 for a whole setup. I might have to settle with $700. I'm looking around, and I like BP/W for its size and weight and simplicity. My two requirements are: (1)good warranty, good quality, but basic. (2)Light, compact, reliable.
The BC I was looking at was the Zeagle Express Tech. I was also considering the Hollis Ride, but can't justify the cost over the Zeagle. Any opinions? As to my reg, I have no idea what to do. I was also looking at a combo from ScubaToys (Extreme Reg and BPW combo and upgrading the harness to elite and BP to SS) but that is the VERY limit of my budget. Any opinions?
Okay, to the point: I've never owned gear before, and never really had a need for my own gear. However, my fiancee and I hope to start diving more often and I hope to make that hold true. In Roatan, full gear rental is $5 per dive (not worth buying gear) but here it's MUCH more expensive....to the point of making it worth buying my own gear. I guess my questions are how often do I have to dive to make owning my own gear worth it, what kind of maintenance is required on gear, what concerns should I have for aging gear, how long does it last if treated properly? Another problem is I have too many hobbies. Guns last forever if well-treated, so investing in a gun will always last. What if I don't do any diving for 4 years....will my gear be crap?
If I decide to get gear, I'll hopefully have as much as $1000 for a whole setup. I might have to settle with $700. I'm looking around, and I like BP/W for its size and weight and simplicity. My two requirements are: (1)good warranty, good quality, but basic. (2)Light, compact, reliable.
The BC I was looking at was the Zeagle Express Tech. I was also considering the Hollis Ride, but can't justify the cost over the Zeagle. Any opinions? As to my reg, I have no idea what to do. I was also looking at a combo from ScubaToys (Extreme Reg and BPW combo and upgrading the harness to elite and BP to SS) but that is the VERY limit of my budget. Any opinions?