Hi, I'm currently in the process of becoming a certified Open Water Diver. Although my LDS offers rental everything (This including snorkeling gear) I chose to buy my own since I find it better and more hygienic. I pondered on also buying at least a bcd but held myself in fear that I wouldn't like being underwater and would end up quitting and loosing my money. After doing all my Pool dives I must say I LOVE It!. All the excercises were relatively easy however I lost the small amount of faith I had in rental gear when I had A leaking 1st stage followed by a leaking Low Pressure Inflator followed by a Free flowing regulator. In the end, everything worked out and I got through all the drills however a I don't feel confident diving in the ocean with rented gear in addition to the fact that I hate the constricting feel of the jacket bcds. My question is, is it reasonable to buy my own gear for the open water certification dives and beyond? If it is, what mid range bp/w or back inflatable bcd would you guys recommend ? Thanks in Advance!
Gear Before Completing Certification
- Thread starter Ekthor
- Start date
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AaronRiot
Contributor
I got my gear after certification and am glad I did.
I'd say your best bet is to get through certification and take your sweet time shopping around and reading reviews and Scubaboard suggestion/review/and complaint threads (which includes checking posters profiles and past posts!). There is A LOT of information to digest and mull over. Brands. Where to buy. Gear configuration. What bells and whistles you want (if any).
There is lots of great gear. I am particularly happy with my HOG regs and Oceanic computer with its wireless SPG) but I have heard great things about many brands and I am just a novice.
I'd say your best bet is to get through certification and take your sweet time shopping around and reading reviews and Scubaboard suggestion/review/and complaint threads (which includes checking posters profiles and past posts!). There is A LOT of information to digest and mull over. Brands. Where to buy. Gear configuration. What bells and whistles you want (if any).
There is lots of great gear. I am particularly happy with my HOG regs and Oceanic computer with its wireless SPG) but I have heard great things about many brands and I am just a novice.
Loosing faith in rental gear is undertsandable, rental gear typically gets plenty of use and may not be maintained properly. Most if not all of those issues can be detected and resolved in the assembly and pre-dive checks. We have students assemble the gear in front of us while renting and perform checks to make sure some of those issues never make it to the dive site.
I have a small number of students that purchase all of thier gear before starting classes or during, most wait until after certification. I would be hesitant to take new gear to the OW checkout dives without first doing a pool session or two in it. There will be plenty of things on your mind during the weekend and figuring gear out should be low on the list.
Deep Sea Supply has a BP&W for $460
Dive Gear Express has a Hollis for $490 and a HOG setup for $400
For back inflate I have heard good reviews on the Apeks Black Ice and Zeagle Express Tec
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Welcome to Scuba and the boards. I know a lot of people who bought gear during the class. I have mixed feelings about it. Other than personal gear (mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit which I had as a snorkeler before certification) I waited until after a couple of dive trips, that way I was able to try some things out. I love having my own gear and did have minor issues with rental gear but nothing more than just a nuisance. I am not sure what your financial situation or geographical situation is either. If you are about to go diving or live somewhere where you can dive frequently, then I would say buying gear early is a good idea from a fiscal perspective. If you won't be diving much you can also see how the sales go - you just missed a couple of great scubapro and apeks ones (maybe there is some stock left floating around). There are usually killer Black Friday HOG/EDGE sales among others. Here is also the order I purchased these items.
Computer, I think for the dive computer if you want one, something simple and affordable is a good solid purchase. Then if you want something really fancy later this can become your backup computer. Think Suunto Zoop or similar ( I got a new Cressi Leonardo from LP on black Friday for $175)
For a regulator - you need to decide what your needs are vs. your budget (cold water, # of ports, adjustable?). I have purchased like new used regulator sets and had them serviced for a really great deal. If I hadn't done this I would have jumped on the apeks or scubapro sale or gone EDGE. It sounds like there are a lot of common favorites floating around. HOG/EDGE, Scubapro, Apeks/Aqualung, Zeagle and Atomics always seem to be pretty highly recommended. What does your LDS sell and service? Without knowing more about you it is hard to recommend specific models.
BCD - Fit is really important, and also what types of diving you are doing, ie I don't know your specifics so its hard to say. I did get a BPW as a new diver and had dove rental jackets and back inflates and occassionally get in one at the LDS. I love love love my BPW and am a new rec diver, so while I can recommend this to you, I am not sure what your needs are beyond that. The nice thing about BPW is it is modular and can be customized and then you can switch things in and out if your needs change later. I did get mine from DSS and Tobin was great at helping a newbie figure out what was needed, how to set it up, great supporting info, too. When my hubby is ready to buy he will be calling Tobin. That being said, there are lots of choices in BPW. Dive Right in Scuba, Northeast Scuba Supply, and Jim Lapenta also come to mind as great sources.
Once again, welcome to this addictive and wonderful sport!
Computer, I think for the dive computer if you want one, something simple and affordable is a good solid purchase. Then if you want something really fancy later this can become your backup computer. Think Suunto Zoop or similar ( I got a new Cressi Leonardo from LP on black Friday for $175)
For a regulator - you need to decide what your needs are vs. your budget (cold water, # of ports, adjustable?). I have purchased like new used regulator sets and had them serviced for a really great deal. If I hadn't done this I would have jumped on the apeks or scubapro sale or gone EDGE. It sounds like there are a lot of common favorites floating around. HOG/EDGE, Scubapro, Apeks/Aqualung, Zeagle and Atomics always seem to be pretty highly recommended. What does your LDS sell and service? Without knowing more about you it is hard to recommend specific models.
BCD - Fit is really important, and also what types of diving you are doing, ie I don't know your specifics so its hard to say. I did get a BPW as a new diver and had dove rental jackets and back inflates and occassionally get in one at the LDS. I love love love my BPW and am a new rec diver, so while I can recommend this to you, I am not sure what your needs are beyond that. The nice thing about BPW is it is modular and can be customized and then you can switch things in and out if your needs change later. I did get mine from DSS and Tobin was great at helping a newbie figure out what was needed, how to set it up, great supporting info, too. When my hubby is ready to buy he will be calling Tobin. That being said, there are lots of choices in BPW. Dive Right in Scuba, Northeast Scuba Supply, and Jim Lapenta also come to mind as great sources.
Once again, welcome to this addictive and wonderful sport!
Coconut Divers
Contributor
There are to many brands and to much equipment on the market to say " Buy THIS ! " Most important is still fit and comfort particular on masks, wet suits , fins and bcd's. If possible go to some shops and try some things on some even let you try there stuff in the pool that gives you a better feeling for it. I know that there is cheaper equipment on the internet but that,s more for divers who know what they want.
Leif Meinert
Coconut Divers Cancun
Leif Meinert
Coconut Divers Cancun
Bigd2722
Contributor
the sooner you buy your first set of gear, the sooner you can trade it in on your next best set of gear. I buy a lot of gear and then end up selling it almost as fast. So far, I'm only down a few thousand
cb5150
Contributor
Ekthor,
The common wisdom is to wait but I'll admit that I certified in the gear that I used for about 5 more years over 400+ dives and much of that stuff is still in service.
It really comes down to 2 things:
1) Are you sure you will go the distance
2) Are you bright enough to buy the right stuff.
Don't feel you are marrying the gear but you want to end up with stuff you will want to use at least long enough to take the pain out of flipping anything you rethink latter. If you need to ask what to buy then you need to spend quality time in the gear forums reading and asking specific questions.
Pete
The common wisdom is to wait but I'll admit that I certified in the gear that I used for about 5 more years over 400+ dives and much of that stuff is still in service.
It really comes down to 2 things:
1) Are you sure you will go the distance
2) Are you bright enough to buy the right stuff.
Don't feel you are marrying the gear but you want to end up with stuff you will want to use at least long enough to take the pain out of flipping anything you rethink latter. If you need to ask what to buy then you need to spend quality time in the gear forums reading and asking specific questions.
Pete
Thank You all for the great replies and warm welcome.
1) The distance I'm sure I'll go, it's just that before I didn't have the money, that's the sole reason I didn't start earlier. I really like the ocean and the whole exploring a foreign world.
2) Being Bright enough is a good question. As far as research I think I can kind of sort of make a good educated decision; however, although my LDS is as helpful as can be he doesn't have much gear to try out since he orders most stuff online.
The whole customization is what has me going towards a BPW. I don't want to buy a good back inflate, or jacket bcd to then realize that I needed something else and have to start buying all over. With a BPW I have to option to have it evolve with my diving career.
Again Thank you all. As of right now I think I'll just buy a decent computer since here in Korea I won't be doing many dives. When I go home for vacation (Puerto Rico) I'll hopefully get a chance to try some stuff out and then decide what I want. I'll continue to do my research of different styles of equipment here on ScubaBoard and hopefully when I reach my still unknown destination after PR Ill know what I want. Thanks for the advice!
1) The distance I'm sure I'll go, it's just that before I didn't have the money, that's the sole reason I didn't start earlier. I really like the ocean and the whole exploring a foreign world.
2) Being Bright enough is a good question. As far as research I think I can kind of sort of make a good educated decision; however, although my LDS is as helpful as can be he doesn't have much gear to try out since he orders most stuff online.
The whole customization is what has me going towards a BPW. I don't want to buy a good back inflate, or jacket bcd to then realize that I needed something else and have to start buying all over. With a BPW I have to option to have it evolve with my diving career.
Again Thank you all. As of right now I think I'll just buy a decent computer since here in Korea I won't be doing many dives. When I go home for vacation (Puerto Rico) I'll hopefully get a chance to try some stuff out and then decide what I want. I'll continue to do my research of different styles of equipment here on ScubaBoard and hopefully when I reach my still unknown destination after PR Ill know what I want. Thanks for the advice!
I bought my first complete set of gear the day I signed up for a certification class, before I even started the classes themselves. My theory was that if I invested the money, I would be more invested in the process. It was a gamble, but it paid off. 16 years and lots more gear purchases later, I have no regrets. Debbie and I also take all our own gear on every dive trip. The cost of an extra bag is worth knowing we are using quality equipment that has been properly maintained. I endorse your plan to own your own equipment as soon as you can. As to what to buy, you will get as many opinions as posts. Buy what you are comfortable using, and what can be serviced locally.
DivemasterDennis
DivemasterDennis
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