first kit

[Leeguy]

Hi guys just qualified as an open water diver and looking to buy our first kit (me and my partner ) any advice gladly taken. needs are uk diving and abroad. Thanks very much.

Liam

 

[Johanan]

Given you are in UK, you will be often diving in cold water. This means a dry suit. I dive Whites (Aqualung) Fusion Tech with Thermal Fusion undergarment and I think it is great. However, as a UK resident you may consider Otter as well. They produce very good suits. This means, you will need more heavy fins. Hollis F1 or Apeks RK3 would be something to look at. Cold water regulators. Apeks regs are hard to surpass, and they are produced in UK - thus service must be well accessible. If you are serious about diving, you may look at a configuration with two cylinders. Sidemount is definitely something to consider. I wish, I knew it from the beginning. Now I have a jacket BCD and a Backplate and Wing equipment which I do not use. Apeks sidemount regulator kit is the best. Diamond or Apeks sidemount rigs are the best, too. Shearwater Perdix, Seabear H3 or Heinrich Weikamp OSTC3 computers are equally good computers. A good instructor is immensely more important than any equipment. Garry Dallas from near Manchester is one of the best (sidemount) instructors on the planet. He might advise you about anything regarding equipment and diving, and make you a true diver.

All these options are pretty pricey. If you do not think about more advanced diving yet, you may find much cheaper equipment like Suunto Zoop computer, Mares Quattro fins, HOG regulators. When you purchase a mask, try to fit it with a regulator or a snorkel in your mouth as this is how you will be diving.