First gear?

[Devils_advocate]

Granted I don't have a whole lot of experience, but I'll share what I've done.(This is also what was recommended to me years ago).

1. Wetsuit--this way it fits you and you only dive in your pee.

2. Extremely high reliability reg.--for the money! Basically one of the same models that your LDS will rent. They are normally the cheapest to maintain and highest reliability for the dollars spent.

3. Dive.....Dive.....Dive..... All the while trying your friends BCD's or renting different styles from the LDS. Find the style you like and get it.

4. Now that you have this....keep diving. If after a while you are still into it heavily buy a BETTER REGULATOR. The one you already have can be used for a pony bottle if you decide to do more involved diving.

This is the method that I would use to save the most money in the long run. Because lets face it not everyone stays in the water this method could save you big bucks. And if you do stay in the water, you get the equipment that you want.

 

[kd5izq]

Being a total newbie, I would not begin to make a "suggestion", but I will relay what I have done. After my best friend of 15 years convinced me to give diving a try (after 3 years of convincing :bonk: ) I decided I liked it well enough to pursue it. Once I made the decision he immediately began drilling into me the importance of owning your own equipment, the reliability stand point, knowledge, and familiarity. My original plan was to buy my regs first mostly due to research that I had done on the internet and suggestions that he had made. Being a computer industry proffesional (IE: geek, nerd, keyboard caresser) I did, literally, about 4 hours a day worth of research for several weeks. I got a general feel for where I thought I wanted to go with diving and what kind of equipment would take me there. I made out my wish list and decided what brands and styles and types I was most interested in. Then one day the old best friend calls (just happened to be about tax refund time) and said that he had found what looked like practically new equipment in a pawn shop, and would be everything I needed short of a tank (Including an A/I hoseless computer) I went over that day and took a look, it was everything I wanted, and in mostly brands that I had been interested in and sure enough, even to a novice eye it didn't look like it had ever been wet, which even if it had in that kind of condition it had to have been pretty well taken care of. I took the plunge and bought the equipment (my thread about my regs has the list in it). The next day I took it straight to my LDS to get their impression of what I had gotten. Now mind you my LDS may very well be an exception to the general rule as they are great, friendly, helpful and extremely dependable. The manager looked it over, noted to me that much of it was not equipment that they serviced, but did hook the regs up and make sure they held pressure and so on and told me I did pretty well. Now I know that there will probably be some that say you shouldn't do the pawn shop thing for scuba gear, and for the most part I think that might be right, at least for a newbie. On the other hand, and to agree with an earlier post in this thread, I had a "mentor/best friend/dive buddy" that helped get me pointed in the right direction. There was no way that I was going to be able to afford most of the gear "brand new" all at once, and since I am going to be certifying in April, I really wanted to go through the whole prcess in my own gear. By researching on the net, and most definitely this board, I found out what I wanted which let me know that the find at the pawn shop was good "stuff" and would be worth the money. I basically came out with equipment that is around 5 years old, basically never been used and saved close to a $1000 dollars on purchase. I will definitely agree with those that suggest finding or making a friend in your area that has good diving knowledge and let them help to point you in a direction. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH and then RESEARCH some more, especially here. Then look around at your LDS check out their new equipment and if you trust them and they offer it, look at their used equipment. If possible, get involved with a local dive club, let them know your interested in buying some equipment, new or used and see what happens you just might be lucky enough to find someone that wants to upgrade and would be interested in selling their equipment.

I know this isn't an equipment purchase order list, but hopefully it will give you some ideas, and maybe help to save you a buck or two while finding the best all-around "deal" for YOU. Of course theres always the "HUB"...JUST KIIDDING!!!! (I couldn't resist, I'm surprised someone else didn't already)

Just my .02 cents, maybe worth a whole lot less to you

 

[Doc Intrepid]

that plug for a local dive club. Many dive clubs have truly enthusiastic and helpful members. (There may be exceptions - I personally only have been involved in a few - but the people have consistently been very supportive)

Trying different equipment does NOT mean having to rent different equipment. If you let the club membership know of your interest, quite likely you will be presented with a variety of equipment that, for each member, represents a personal decision which may have been made at considerable cost. Most of us who have been at this awhile (and obviously some of us who have only been at it a short while) have purchased an item of equipment only to discover it fails to meet our needs. Learn your lessons on OPM! (Other people's money)

Often they may be willing to let you try and compare a backplate & wing rig to several different BCs. They will certainly tell you what did not work for them (in great detail).

Dive shop employees can show you how to examine different BCs from the inside, to look at the nuances of stitching, gluing, bladders, corregated hose connecters, and other details that may escape you otherwise. Certainly try different regulators while diving before buying; there can be huge differences in perceived ease of breathing. [Clue: a used Scubapro regulator that was top of the line when it was new 10 years ago is quite likely to still be a pretty darn good regulator. Have it examined by a dive shop qualified on that brand before purchasing.] Not everything needs to be new and top of the line when just starting.

As Uncle Pug mentioned, mentors can be difficult to find, but worth the search. A local dive club is a good place to begin looking.

Dive safe,

Doc

 

[Ziggys_Friend]

I’m new to diving myself so I’ve been struggling with your question for about a year now and here’s what I’ve learned.

I’d listen to ScubaDan and take your time – one of the things you’ll regret is buying the first expensive toy only to find out later it really wasn’t the right expensive toy and be stuck with it.

Next, DiverBuoy makes a good point when he says “However, I definitely suggest that you don't delay this decision … because equipment ownership keeps you diving, and when your comfortable and familiar you'll dive even more.” I’d also add when you are comfortable and familiar with your equipment, you dive much safer!

Then listen to ScubaKims re wetsuit “No matter how good the rest of the equipment is, if you're cold and uncomfortable because your wetsuit doesn't fit properly (i.e., rental) then your enjoyment level of the dive will most likely decrease.” Also, I’ve found it nearly impossible to rent a good wetsuit/fins/mask and gloves and these items don’t have to be extremely costly though at some point you may want to upgrade (but hey, that’s what ebay is for)

Finally, listen to Uncle Pug about focusing on getting a really good Regulator and backup (not “octopus” or Air2). The nice thing about buying good regs is they will work in any configuration – if you buy two regulators, a top notch primary and a really good backup they can either function as primary and octopus in a typical recreational setup, or as long hose/short backup ala a tech/DIR configuration – either way you’re covered and as you now know, underwater air is life.

I’ll also third the local dive club suggestion – they are a great place to get connected and members are usually happy to share – at least thoughts and at times equipment.

Lastly, when you think you know what you want to buy, why not post the list here (and stand back…) Seriously, this place rocks and while you’ll never get complete agreement, hearing experienced divers comment on your plans can be a great. I bet it would help you focus on what decisions you are making so they are intentional choice and not made by default.

Happy diving,

~Paul <\\><

 

[Quest]

With regard to buying your gear it all depends how often you dive.

When i lived in CT i rented my gear the first two years because i was new to diving and my buddies and i didnt dive that often. So it cost us like $90 to rent a set of dive gear and 3 tanks for the entire weekend.

Eventually i got sick of freeflowing regs and misc crap that i decided to buy my own gear.

But, be warry as the annual cost of servicing this gear adds up quickly.

My recreational set used to cost me around $130 a year. Now that i have tech gear added to that total its about $500 a year just servicing all my dive gear.

I do about 12-18 dives a week so purchasing is definitely cheaper.

But, gotta decide if the cost of gear and maintenance of gear is more than renting gear for the amount of time you will use it.

You also learn alot from renting that when you do buy gear you dont get stuck with something you wish you didnt buy. Thats what my friend did.