hello... and help!

[island girl]

hi folks. i'm new to this... so bear with me. I'm looking for some advice on buying new gear.

How do I fare? Any recommendations?

-wetsuit Scubapro S Tek 227 USD
- shortie S Tek 124 USD
(less 15%)

Octopus R190 S.Pro 85 USD
MK 18 / R380 240USD
or
MK 20 / R380 281 USD

Jacket Cressi 103 260 USD
or
Scubapro Glide 1000 286 USD

any rec.s on fins.. was thinking of getting Mares. Any comments..? any help, ideas etc would be grateful.
thx a mil in adv.

"Island Girl"

 

[Merlin]

What kind of diving do you do? Warm, deep, cold, salt, fresh?

Just out of curiosity, how long have you been diving and how much have you done?

To be honest, I'm not familiar with that equipment but it helps to look at the kind of diving you do right now, and what you will eventually be doing.

Hopefully others will have moe info on those exact pieces of gear.

 

[island girl]

I just started diving, last summer. (salt water). I took my PADI advanced in the Mediterrean last August and i have 60 dives.

I'm planning to go do an internship in Hurghada this April.. to get my divemaster/instructor and from there on.. "the world is my oyster".

 

[Mrs. don]

How about that I beat the guys this time.

I have a scubapro MK20 UL and love it. I would suggest that you look around locally though. It's always better to buy from someone that can do any service that you need. As for the suits there are alot of place to look. You might check out DiversDirect.com they have some good prices on alot of stuff. For the fins my personal fav are split fins. The ones I have are by Apollo but there are alot of other out there. Be sure that you check out the equipment board. There are always some good/strong opinions there too.

Again welcome. Jump in the water is warm....no sharks here just alot of clown fish. LOL

 

[Mario S Caner]

Hello Island Girl, and welcome to the family. Looks like you've done your homework on gear, so I'm going to just jump into it. The thermal protection is dependant on the environment you are planning on diving in. The rule of thumb is to be properly protected for the coldest portion of your dive. Take into consideration the temperature of the water below the thermocline, or thermoclines if there are multiple layers in your area. Also consider the amount of time you anticipate spending at depth. Full wetsuit will provide full body abrasion protection as well, so I would say stick with the full S-tek suit.

As for the regulators, the Mk20 First stage is ScubaPro's 'flagship' model. It differs from the Mk18 in that the 20 is a Piston regulator and has a swivel port with 5 low pressure ports and 2 high pressure ports. I've tried the 5th port on my Mk20's and agree with ScubaPro's tests that it delivers 20% more efficient air delivery at deeper depths. I don't know if you plan on moving into that type of diving anytime soon or ever for that matter, but it's nice to know it's there.

The Mk18 is a balanced Diaphragm system, still has the anti freeze design just like the Mk20, but lacks the bells and whistles that only a 'flagship' model can give you. There's a grip of technical specs we ca also provide for these regs too... So to make a long story short pich up the Mk20, you just can't go wrong with it.

 

[Aegir]

High Island Girl nice to meet you.

Basically you should spend as much as you can afford on your gear. At the end of the day its there to save your life if need be, so "splash-out" on some decent gear if you can afford it.

___________
"Contrariwise", continued Tweedledee, "If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic."
Lewis Carroll

 

[gozumutti]

Dear Island Girl

I cannot give advice on equipment because I am completely new at this, but I wanted to say welcome to the board.

Also, who will you be interning with in Hurghada - I was just there over New Year's, so I am kinda wondering....

gozumutti

 

[Iguana Don]

Island Girl,
Mario S(cuba Pro)Caner hit the nail right on the head with the MK20/G250 reg combo, go with either the R190 or the R380 as an octo and you will be set for life. And also be ready for almost any type of diving, with no mods.

As for the wetsuit, you can probably do better on pricing. Scuba Pro is a good wetsuiit, but a little pricy.

Not familiar with the BCs though.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tom]

Looks like everybody agrees with me, or I agree with them.
The MK20 is the way to go. I use it with the G550 and AirII.

Haven't seen a Slide yet but I have a ScubaPro Accent and am happy with it.

I'm going to pick up an STek shortie next time I'm in that neighborhood (my dive shop - the closest one - is about 30 miles away). About $4 less than your price. My full was quite a bit less though.

Tom

 

[island girl]

sorry for the delay in getting back.

I'm going to try for an internship with Red Sea Scuba Schools (Emperor Divers) in Hurghada. Although I will go to all the schools to check out the scene.

I have also been offered internship in the Phi Phi Islands.. anyone been there???

thanks to all for the adv. concerning equip. I want to train to instructor level.. and I've been told to take my time in choosing the right jacket. Any comments/feeback as to why?

thanks again to all. Happy Monday!