Going to take an open water class need gear advice

[Seville]

Hello everyone,

I was hoping I could get some help on buying some cheaper lower end gear for an open water class. I really didn't want to spend a lot as I do not know if is going to me. I have some sherwood mini graphite fins with straps that I use for snorkeling. Can I use those for scuba diving? the course stated "no Costco dive gear!" I also need booties, a mask, and gloves. I wear glasses and wanted to get some prescription ones. I saw some on ebay for about $50. Do any of those actually work or is there a better option? I also have a question about booties. I am going to dive in San Diego, CA where the water temp is usually in the 50s-60s. I am a smaller guy and get cold easily. should i get 5mm booties that zip up higher or lower ones? Should the hood match the mm of the booties as well?

Sorry for all the questions, I just wanted to start gathering some equipment before I singed up for the class.

 

[emoreira]

Hi, you should ask first if the course will be done in a pool or in a protected zone in open ocean.
If it will be in a pool you will surely not need gloves. Booties are only needed if you will use open heel fins. For the very beginning a pair of thick socks could be enough.
Start the course, ask to the instructor his advice for your specific zone, get some info and then made your purchases. I've seen many times people buying things than after e few classes they regret.

 

[SaltyDog35]

You can use cheap, thin booties for entering off sandy beaches or stepping off a boat but they might be painfull for walking over rocks getting in and out of the water. Another reason to ask the instructor about where your training will take place. Make sure your booties will fit under the fins. Prescription masks, find a dive shop to help you find a mask that fits right and get lenses put in. That's not something I recommend going online for.

 

[Scubatude]

Hi Seville,

Congrats on deciding to get certified! Nothing at wrong with asking questions. I encourage my students and customers to ask all the questions thy need.

First, you should talk to your instructor. He/she should be able to help answer many of these questions with answers appropriate to the area.

Really, low end gear is simply not worth the money. Buy something of high quality, or it is just throwing money away. That said, you do not have to spend a lot of money to find the few items you need. Your fins will be just fine for your Open Water Course. He in Cali we use 5mm tall zipper boots. As for the mask, fit is the most important thing. A cheap mask that fits is far better than the most expensive mask that leaks. They even make glue in reader optics for your mask that are pretty inexpensive, depending on your prescription of course.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Honestly, I would have expected that you'd have all equipment provided to you by the dive op, except for maybe snorkel and mask (as you do want one that fits well). Question for others. Is that not common? Here in Seattle, all dive shops that I know of provide gear as part of the OW course.

 

[Is_907]

Here you pay for the class and material, then my LDS provides a "bundle" for the mask, fins, boots, and snorkel. It's a base of $150 then anything beyond the starter level gear you pay the difference. (I bought nicer boots for +$5 and nicer fins for +$90, personally.)

To the OP, I highly recommend talking to your instructor or the LDS / club that runs the class. If it's a shop, ask them or the instructor to help fit your mask and fins.
I have 3mm zip up high top boots with a decently tough sole because we do a lot of lakes and quarries here in Texas. I didn't need 5mm because I'm mostly going to be in warm water but I like the harder sole and I wanted the high top to make sure I don't get any sunburn (I'm pale and pasty.)

 

[NAM001]

Seville

You being very new to eh sport, you really do not have a clue what is available , and of what is, do you need it. I would recommend you use theclass time to try various gear and decide what is going to be the best (as you know) for you. Vision. the water by its self puts a 1-1.5 correction on your vision. if you can dive with contacts, that may be the best thing for you. no special masks. There is a mask (I use one) that is a generic one that has a no correction in front and on the bottom a separate lens with 1.5-2.5 correction for gage reading. all depends on whether you are near or far sighted. check with your instructor for his advice. If you see our eye doctor make sure he knows you are going to use them for diving. He may give you a diving script. Finish the class of the shops gear and then take you time buying. you want to buy what works, not what is in the shop necessarily.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

If I were you I would just rent until you have the money to buy decent gear, and it can be piece by piece.
The pool will be warm so they may put you in a 3 mil shorty or a 3 mil full suit, or maybe just shorts.
For the ocean check out dives they will probably put you in a 7mm two piece with a hood, gloves, and booties.
Is this class through a shop or an independent?
If it's a shop they should have all the stuff you'll need for rent so you can get certified.
Try to avoid getting talked into buying a bunch of gear before you even take the class.
That is a tactic of some shops to force sales.
As for your prescription, I have a prescription too and wear one day disposable contacts for diving. You might have trouble doing to mask off and replace drill with your eyes open with contacts on since they might float away, so just keep your eyes shut and you'll do fine.
If your prescription doesn't allow for contacts, then sometimes the dive shop will have a mask that has a selection of prescription lenses sitting on the counter that can be installed. They are generic increments and don't correct for astigmatism but they work to take the edge off and clear things up a bit.
Find out more information then come back here and report. We will know better how to help you once we have more info.

Eric

 

[Damselfish]

Usually a shop will supply the regulator, BC, and hopefully wetsuit - but unless you're at a tropical resort it's common for them to have the student supply mask, snorkel, fins, booties. Some may supply gloves and hood and others will expect you to supply them.

You will want higher booties diving in cold water so you don't have exposed ankles. The booties and hood don't necessarily have to be the same thickness but might be. I couldn't find a picture of those fins but I would wonder about something called "mini". Diving requires more power from a fin than snorkeling. Pretty much anything will work in the pool but it would be a good thing to ask your instructor about the suitability of the fins for actual OW dives. References to "Costco dive gear" are most often objecting to the fins that often come in the sets you tend to find at big box stores - sometimes the masks are perfectly fine as long as you get lucky with the fit, and the snorkel just doesn't matter that much. Though, if you were using your fins for snorkeling without heavy booties there's a good chance the fins simply won't fit over dive booties anyway.

There are several ways to get prescription lenses in a mask and they certainly work. Which works best for you depends on your mask and prescription. (It's something that you can find discussed on many threads on this board.) But fit is really important so the mask itself is something you very much need to try on. You usually need to try on a bunch to find one that fits well and will not leak. (There's also many threads that discuss how to make sure a mask fits, it may not be as obvious as you'd think.) So buying an unknown mask on eBay is probably not a good idea, prescription or not.

You might see if you can ask around and borrow at least fins, gloves and hood for the class until you get a better idea what you need and like.

 

[oly5050user]

Hello everyone,

I was hoping I could get some help on buying some cheaper lower end gear for an open water class. I really didn't want to spend a lot as I do not know if is going to me. I have some sherwood mini graphite fins with straps that I use for snorkeling. Can I use those for scuba diving? the course stated "no Costco dive gear!" I also need booties, a mask, and gloves. I wear glasses and wanted to get some prescription ones. I saw some on ebay for about $50. Do any of those actually work or is there a better option? I also have a question about booties. I am going to dive in San Diego, CA where the water temp is usually in the 50s-60s. I am a smaller guy and get cold easily. should i get 5mm booties that zip up higher or lower ones? Should the hood match the mm of the booties as well?

Sorry for all the questions, I just wanted to start gathering some equipment before I singed up for the class.

Realize that the course you are paying for is to educate you. Not just how to dive, but how to choose gear that fits your needs. You trust the lds enough for them to train you to be safe, trust them to assist you on gear. No cheap inferior gear that may not be reliable. Decent mask, snorkel, fins, boots will cost anywhere from $200 to $350 . Do not forget to get a simple mesh bag ( maybe $26.) to carry it all and keep gear from going missing. A mask with corrective lens usually go for $66 for the mask itself and $35 per lens. Unusual prescription may require custom made lens which makes it much more costly. All this is a very minimal investment in this activity. If you find that this is not for you at the end of course you still have some great snorkeling gear that you can use for a long time.
If the $200 to $350 is too costly , I suggest you rethink if scuba is for you. Just going out for a two tank dive on a charter boat can cost $80 up to $150 and more just to dive , and if the weather does not cooperate you might only get one dive in or even none that day and still have to pay for the charter and any possible rentals. Rental for full set of gear for two dives can run $60 or more for the day on top of the boat charter fee.
Boat charter usually does not include rental gear of a bcd, wetsuit, regulator,dive computer, or many places tanks, and weights. The certification course and learning materials are really inexpensive compared to what it actually costs to GO diving.
The rewards are PRICELESS.