- Messages
- 98,086
- Reaction score
- 99,682
- Location
- On the Fun Side of Trump's Wall
- # of dives
- 2500 - 4999
Might as well toss my hat in this ring ...
First off, buying used gear is risky unless you already know what you want, how to make sure it fits right (gear that doesn't fit right is useless at any price), and how to look out for "gotchya's" like a drysuit that's delaminating, has leaking seams, or is in imminent need of a new zipper.
I'd stay away from used gear ... from Discount Divers or Craigslist or anywhere else ... for just that reason. Too easy to get burned and waste money.
With instruction, it's pretty much always the case that you get what you pay for. $89 Open Water classes are almost always going to give you bare-bones minimal instruction ... they just can't afford anything else. They're already losing money on the class (it's what they call a "loss leader" designed to get you in the store to buy scuba gear) ... and what you're going to end up with is a class that'll basically run you through the "checklist", pat you on the back and tell you that you're a "natural", and convince you to sign up for the next class. Also, what they don't tell you is that the cost of the class doesn't include either the student class materials or what they refer to as your "personal gear" ... by the time you buy those things you're looking at a class that will actually cost you more like between $400 and $500.
Snorkel ... most people who end up diving Puget Sound regularly will eventually put theirs on a shelf and save it for warm-water trips. Simply put, nobody snorkels in Puget Sound ... the only use you'll have for it will be for surface swimming, and even then most people quickly learn that the easiest way to do that is on your back ... it's just easier to kick long distances that way ... in which case, the snorkel really isn't all that useful. What are marketed as "dry snorkels" are ridiculously expensive ... and based on the number of them I've got sitting in my garage right now they're pretty easy to lose. You'll have to get a snorkel for class ... I'm firmly in the "get the cheapest one you can find" camp ... because chances are that if you decide to dive often enough to get good at it, the snorkel's going to end up permanently in the bottom of your gear bag anyway.
Fins ... some people love split fins, some people hate 'em. I'm not one who believes that split fins are inherently silty ... it all depends on how you use 'em. The advantage to split fins is that they're really easy to kick. Because they're so easy to kick, a lot of people overkick 'em ... which is what causes all the silt issues. If you keep your fins inside the slipstream, they won't silt. If you learn how to do proper kicks with 'em, they won't silt. I just did two dives today with a fellow in split fins, and I didn't seem him silt up anything ... not even by accident.
The drawback to split fins is that they're bloody expen$ive! I can buy two pairs of the Turtles I dive in for what you'd pay for one pair of ScubaPro Twin Jets or Apollo Biofins. It's your money ... if you want a fin that's easier to kick, and you're willing to pay for that kind of convenience ... go for it ... just do everybody else in the water a favor and learn how to use them in a way that doesn't leave a mess behind you for the next diver to have to deal with (and remember that you might want to come back that way). That issue gets back to good instruction ... which you WON'T get from those $89 classes.
And don't let 'em sell you on split fins because "they're the fastest fin out there" ... that kind of marketing works because it sounds sexy to people who don't (yet) understand that the whole point of diving is to go slow and look at what's around you. Going fast causes you to blow right past a whole lot of really cool things without ever seeing them. Whatever fin you choose, don't buy it for that reason.
Wetsuit vs drysuit ... I started out in a wetsuit, and it was fine. But I started diving in March. When the winds of November get here, you'll either want a drysuit or you'll most likely hang it up till March or April ... when the sun comes out again. Diving in a wetsuit in winter will be OK until you get out of the water. Then, you'll freeze your butt off in a hurry. It's not the cold water that'll get you ... it's the cold air and evaporation that happens when you get out. It'll definitely limit your desire for diving for about six months out of the year. If you only intend to dive casually, that's fine. If you're looking to dive year-round, you'll want a drysuit.
FWIW - I think Apollo makes one of the better low-end drysuits out there. If you're planning to go to the Diver's Fair, perhaps they'll be running a special on 'em. For someone just getting into diving that wants a drysuit and doesn't have the money for a premium product, that suit is worth considering.
Mask ... like someone else said ... the best mask is the one that doesn't leak. Make sure it fits your face properly. And, FWIW, I absolutely despise masks with purge valves. Haven't met one yet that doesn't leak eventually. They'll teach you how to clear a mask in your OW class ... so you don't need a gadget to do it for you. Purge valves in masks are not one of dive equipment manufacturer's better ideas ... that's one "convenience" feature that's more bother than it's worth.
That's my 500 psi ... I'm outta air ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
First off, buying used gear is risky unless you already know what you want, how to make sure it fits right (gear that doesn't fit right is useless at any price), and how to look out for "gotchya's" like a drysuit that's delaminating, has leaking seams, or is in imminent need of a new zipper.
I'd stay away from used gear ... from Discount Divers or Craigslist or anywhere else ... for just that reason. Too easy to get burned and waste money.
With instruction, it's pretty much always the case that you get what you pay for. $89 Open Water classes are almost always going to give you bare-bones minimal instruction ... they just can't afford anything else. They're already losing money on the class (it's what they call a "loss leader" designed to get you in the store to buy scuba gear) ... and what you're going to end up with is a class that'll basically run you through the "checklist", pat you on the back and tell you that you're a "natural", and convince you to sign up for the next class. Also, what they don't tell you is that the cost of the class doesn't include either the student class materials or what they refer to as your "personal gear" ... by the time you buy those things you're looking at a class that will actually cost you more like between $400 and $500.
Snorkel ... most people who end up diving Puget Sound regularly will eventually put theirs on a shelf and save it for warm-water trips. Simply put, nobody snorkels in Puget Sound ... the only use you'll have for it will be for surface swimming, and even then most people quickly learn that the easiest way to do that is on your back ... it's just easier to kick long distances that way ... in which case, the snorkel really isn't all that useful. What are marketed as "dry snorkels" are ridiculously expensive ... and based on the number of them I've got sitting in my garage right now they're pretty easy to lose. You'll have to get a snorkel for class ... I'm firmly in the "get the cheapest one you can find" camp ... because chances are that if you decide to dive often enough to get good at it, the snorkel's going to end up permanently in the bottom of your gear bag anyway.
Fins ... some people love split fins, some people hate 'em. I'm not one who believes that split fins are inherently silty ... it all depends on how you use 'em. The advantage to split fins is that they're really easy to kick. Because they're so easy to kick, a lot of people overkick 'em ... which is what causes all the silt issues. If you keep your fins inside the slipstream, they won't silt. If you learn how to do proper kicks with 'em, they won't silt. I just did two dives today with a fellow in split fins, and I didn't seem him silt up anything ... not even by accident.
The drawback to split fins is that they're bloody expen$ive! I can buy two pairs of the Turtles I dive in for what you'd pay for one pair of ScubaPro Twin Jets or Apollo Biofins. It's your money ... if you want a fin that's easier to kick, and you're willing to pay for that kind of convenience ... go for it ... just do everybody else in the water a favor and learn how to use them in a way that doesn't leave a mess behind you for the next diver to have to deal with (and remember that you might want to come back that way). That issue gets back to good instruction ... which you WON'T get from those $89 classes.
And don't let 'em sell you on split fins because "they're the fastest fin out there" ... that kind of marketing works because it sounds sexy to people who don't (yet) understand that the whole point of diving is to go slow and look at what's around you. Going fast causes you to blow right past a whole lot of really cool things without ever seeing them. Whatever fin you choose, don't buy it for that reason.
Wetsuit vs drysuit ... I started out in a wetsuit, and it was fine. But I started diving in March. When the winds of November get here, you'll either want a drysuit or you'll most likely hang it up till March or April ... when the sun comes out again. Diving in a wetsuit in winter will be OK until you get out of the water. Then, you'll freeze your butt off in a hurry. It's not the cold water that'll get you ... it's the cold air and evaporation that happens when you get out. It'll definitely limit your desire for diving for about six months out of the year. If you only intend to dive casually, that's fine. If you're looking to dive year-round, you'll want a drysuit.
FWIW - I think Apollo makes one of the better low-end drysuits out there. If you're planning to go to the Diver's Fair, perhaps they'll be running a special on 'em. For someone just getting into diving that wants a drysuit and doesn't have the money for a premium product, that suit is worth considering.
Mask ... like someone else said ... the best mask is the one that doesn't leak. Make sure it fits your face properly. And, FWIW, I absolutely despise masks with purge valves. Haven't met one yet that doesn't leak eventually. They'll teach you how to clear a mask in your OW class ... so you don't need a gadget to do it for you. Purge valves in masks are not one of dive equipment manufacturer's better ideas ... that's one "convenience" feature that's more bother than it's worth.
That's my 500 psi ... I'm outta air ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
