First time gear purchase

[DerekS]

I have recently rediscovered diving. I did a little diving as a kid, and then for reasons beyond my control, I took a 17 year break. I just recently took the PADI OWD class, and I am looking to buy my own equipment. I am hoping to find a little help steering me in the right direction. I had an hour long talk with the LDS, but I am back in afghanistan until january or february. So, calling the dive shop when I have questions is a WEEEEEE bit expensive. I have had to do most of my research online, and I am looking for the opinions of some experienced divers.

I am looking for equipment that will grow with my skills and interests. I would like to try many kinds of diving, but I am fascinated with tec and deep dives. I have an approximate budget of $5000. And here is the gear that I have been looking the most closely at:

Dive Rite Transplate harness w/ rec wing for now and stainless steel backplate

Atomic frameless mask and SV2 snorkel

Atomic regulators (ST1, B1, and M1)

Wetsuit will be what ever fits me well

Fins will probably be Mares X-Stream or ScubaPro SeaWing Nova

UEMIS Zurich computer (and good analog gauges for back ups)



Thoughts? Comments? Any and all info will be helpful.


Thanks in advance!

 

[jon1]

This all seems to be good, quality stuff. I would factor in the money for multiple wetsuits to stay as comfortable as possible.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

For $5,000 you could outfit three divers with good quality gear

If you think you are going to go the tech route, you may wish to talk to a tech instructor before making major gear purchases, to avoid having to "buy twice".

Wing selection will depend on whether you plan to dive singles or doubles.... I'd recommend a singles wing first, doubles later.... you do need two wings, the "compromise" wings often claim to work for both singles and doubles, and they do, just not as well as the dedicated wings.

Computer selection also depends on the type of diving you plan to do.... if you are looking at tech diving, but anticipate taking a few years of training to get there, then I'd hold off on a hugely expensive "tech" computer that may need to be replaced by a another hugely expensive tech computer in a few years (or, in many cases no computer at all: Many tech divers use a "bottom timer" and pre-cut tables to do deco dives).

All the gear you've listed is good stuff. There is equally good stuff for less money, but in the end, it is your money, and spend it in the way that makes you happy, and makes the most sence to you. I do recommend spending a great deal of time looking into all the gear alternatives, before commiting anything near $5000

Good Luck, and Best Wishes.

 

[ajduplessis]

With $5000 budget you could get the best out there. I agree about growing into equipment and buying quality gear. I live in South Africa and pay big $$$ for equipment. Members have already posted good advise, and there are 2 major consideration IMO to take into account when buying gear.

1. Cold/Ice Diving (below 45 or 7 degrees Celsius) - Apeks
2. Technical Diving

Thermal protection is a very important consideration. I would get a SP Everflex 5mm or equivalent to start with. Nice for warmer waters and great quality. Cold diving will require something else (semi or dry suite) depending on conditions. Speak to an instructor.

Regulators is the next consideration, cold and tech should be thought of. If you are going cold and or tech, I would suggest Apeks DS4's with any Apeks seconds. They will also work great for warm waters. If you are not going cold and tech I can really recommend SP MK25/S600, the work great at all depths, are serviceable everywhere and will last you a lifetime if looked after.

I noticed that you want to move to a BP/W system which is great. I don't know Dive Rite, but is looks great and get good reviews. I'm a Halcyon fan and love mine. Wing selection is also going to be critical. Generally a 30lb should be good for singles and 40-60lb for doubles depending on tanks. Once again, speak to an instructor.

Fins selection will also be tech based. If you are going down the tech route get SP Jet fins, if not go for the Seawing Nova's ... I love mine. Good thrust, easy donning and light weight.

DC selection will also be dependent on diving requirements. Speak to the relevant instructor.
Suunto Helo2
VR3/x
X1
many more

 

[DerekS]

Thank you for the pointers. I don't really see much cold water diving in my near future, as home for me is in southern Georgia. So, most of my diving will be in the temperate waters near home. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of talking with the tech instructor at my LDS because work keeps me over seas (in the wonderful landlocked country of Afghanistan - where I wouldn't recommend drinking, bathing, and submersing yourself in any of the bodies of water around here). The advice is very helpful. The Atomic regs and Dive Rite equipment were recommended by the tech instructor when I was home last. I am going to be sure that the Atomic reg has a sealed first stage after reading in a different thread about the resonant "squeel" that the unsealed regs seem to develop.

 

[DevonDiver]

That's a good budget - so you have the flexibility to choose what you want.

What sort of diving do you intend to do over the long-term? Any specific activities?

What diving locations are most likely?

Will you be travelling with the kit? Is size and weight an issue? Airline baggage allowances?

Do you have any personal requirements? Bad knees? Bad back? Bad eyesight?

Where will you get the kit serviced? Do you need locally available service/spares centres?

The BP&W option is a good choice, as it has many 'pros' over a regular BCD. Some would debate the need for a complex harness system...and the advice given is to initially opt for a plain (hogarthian) harness...and only upgrade if you dislike it (most never bother to upgrade).

I am a fan of Halcyon and Oxycheq BP&Ws. The Oxycheq Mach V Extreme is the most durable and slimline singles wing on the market IMHO. Halcyon have great design and ruggedness also. The owner of DSS is here on Scubaboard.... I've heard many people praise his products and the personal service he gives to SB members. It is WELL worth making contact with him just for a discussion. He spends a lot of time advising divers based on their individual requirements and won't sell you anything inappropriate.

Fins are a very personal choice. Money buys performance and/or efficiency in propulsion. I am a big fan of 'Force Fins'. They have good power and very little resistance. When you first wear them, it doesn't feel like you are even wearing fins...except that you zip through the water leaving your buddies behind. They are very maneovrable, which is great for photography and confined spaces (like inside wrecks). I am ex-military, ex-rugby player... so my knees and back are quite damaged.... Force Fins take that strain away and still give me awesome propulsion underwater. The ease of use also goes a long way to improving my air consumption.

Another popular choice is Scubapro Jet Fins. They have solid power, which is great for the resistance of doubles kit...and cope well with current. The drawback is much more finning resistance and the weight for carrying/travelling. OMS make a simular copy...and the experts who have dived with both Jet Fins and the OMS ones can inform you of the variance in effort and performance..

Any regs from Atomics, Scubapro and Apeks are great. A main factor is where you can get them serviced or repaired. A local LDS that specialises is good. Also consider the ease of repair in other locations/overseas should you intend to travel regularly. I owned several sets of Poseidon regs, which were awesome in every respect, but sold them because it was such a PITA to get spares in Asia. I currently dive with Scubapro M25/S600 - for both recreational and technical diving. In tropical waters, they are awesome. I never dived with them back in the UK (cold water), so won't comment on their capacity for that. I loved my old set of Apeks.... and would always recommend them... rugged, high performance and easy to maintain. You can't go wrong with them.

Dive computer is a critical purchase, if you want to 'future proof' against your developing requirements. If you have the money, investigate the Liquidvision X1. That's all the dive computer you will ever need... updatable software, rechargable batteries...the best lit display available... small size... excellent interface.... and suitable for OW divers through to Trimix CCR...

 

[DerekS]

Thank you Andy. I think my preference for the UEMIS Zurich over the Liquivision X1 boils down to 2 things, the color OLED display (over yellow and black of the X1), and the AI with the ability to monitor up to 3 tanks. I like the color display so that the warnings are vivid and attention getting, which is particularly important to me personally because I know how easily I can be distracted, especially when a cool new (to me) species swims by. And I like being able to only have to monitor the wrist mounted computer to know how I'm doing on air. The Uemis and Liquivision are nearly identical in price, updatable software (and I know UEMIS reps monitor SB posts for requests on upgrades), and the Trimix update is either out now or coming soon.

I am lucky in that my local dive shop does service the Atomic regs. The shop owner dives atomic regs and I believe he is the tech that does the servicing. I am also a little nerdy about "buying American". I like to support my fellow americans and keep them working as much as I can, and I know that Atomic regs are made in the states.

I do have neck and back issues when I'm topside, but I have never had problems in water with them. The issues are due to a few injuries from wrestling when I was in school and work related injuries as a cop. The pain is only a problem due to impact though, like when I run. I can't forsee too much of an issue underwater. I will be checking into the jets though.

 

[DerekS]

Oh, and Andy... one other thing,

You have some GREAT photos posted! What kind of photo set up are you using?

 

[DevonDiver]

Most of the pics come from a Sony Cybershot T20, no strobes. Nothing fancy

It's really compact...so I can take it with me diving more often.... that results in more shots and a percentage of good pics. I rarely get to photo dive the way I would want (solo, with no time limit)... so I never felt the urge to get a fancier system.

 

[DerekS]

Wow!... its nice to know that a simple point and shoot in a housing will take great pics underwater. I use mostly nikon equipment (D90 and D300) on dry land and the housings for those cameras cost nearly as much as the camera itself!