Hello

[Jack Manning]

Hello everyone,

My name is Jack and we are from coastal NJ. I just enrolled my 12 year old son, Sean, and I in Open Water class (April) and will be looking for our starter gear. We have absolutely no experience with SCUBA, just a few snorkeling trips in Aruba. We are sailors and want to be able to dive at home, off of our boat and when we travel to the Caribbean. Plus, I promised Sean that all of the guys at the dock would pay him to clean bottoms and check zincs in the summer! With all of that in mind, I am probably going to have plenty of questions and really have nothing to offer in return ....at least for the time being...unless you have questions about sailing, navigation and boat maintenance!

I have found that good forums are invaluable to beginners and experience people as well and use and contribute to a few sailing ones on a regular basis. I am hoping to get some good information from here and eventually contribute.

So to start things off.......What equipment brands are the best for just starting out and what gear beyond the required mask, snorkel and fins are needed? We are looking for something that is reliable and safe and would be used after we complete the certification for recreational diving in the Caribbean and in the NJ area.

Thanks!!

 

[t-mac]

Welcome, Jack! I'm also a sailor who likes to combine that with diving. It works well and I'm sure Sean will have a vigorous business cleaning bottoms and changing zincs. (If he were in VA, I'd have work for him!)

I don't think I'd worry a lot about the specific brands at this point. I suspect that your local dive shop has perfectly good gear. Many of the brands are made by the same folks anyway. At this point, the most important piece of gear will be your mask and for that especially, brand doesn't matter. Go to the shop and get something that seals well on your face and is comfortable. Snorkel definitely doesn't matter much. As for fins, you will want the kind with the strap that you wear with boots as those are ok anywhere, especially in NJ. Just to throw some names out to you, I use a Cressi mask, Apeks regs, Mares fins (and snorkel), Waterproof wetsuits, Zeagle BCD and Oceanic computers. I would probably hold off until after your OW class to buy anything other than the basics. At a minimum, it gives you some time to gather advice and also to try some rental gear from your local shop. People here are very happy to tell you why they picked the brands and specific items they use.

One thing I suggest that others may disagree with is to do your pool and class work at home and then do your OW dives in a warm place. Some will tell you do to the cold, dark quarry (or whatever you have in NJ) based on the notion that diving elsewhere will be easier. This is what I did, but I think it is not the best way for a new diver in my opinion. Talk to your shop about doing a trip with them to do this. That will give you the comfort of the instructor from home, but you get to do your first dives in a nice place. You will have plenty of time to dive in the murk off of your boat later!

Good diving!

Tom

 

[Jack Manning]

Thanks Tom. The dive shop that we are taking classes with supplies everything we need except the snorkel and mask. They do use a quarry in PA for the check dives but I did call another shop (which was a lot farther away from home) and they do their checks in one of the back bays so I plan on waiting until summer to do those checks in somewhat warmer water and weather. We were going to wait until we go to Aruba in December but I really don't want to use two full days of vacation learning when we could sped them diving at our leisure.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Welcome to SB! You'll find quite a few opinions on equipment among divers in general. Be sure to take your time, do your research, try out some stuff, and figure out what's best for your personal diving style.

 

[t-mac]

Thanks Tom. The dive shop that we are taking classes with supplies everything we need except the snorkel and mask. They do use a quarry in PA for the check dives but I did call another shop (which was a lot farther away from home) and they do their checks in one of the back bays so I plan on waiting until summer to do those checks in somewhat warmer water and weather. We were going to wait until we go to Aruba in December but I really don't want to use two full days of vacation learning when we could sped them diving at our leisure.

Understood. That's the down side -- burning vacation days training. Haven't been to Dutch Springs (assuming that's the one), but it's a major training site. In any event, the thought of not diving until December would really bother me!

 

[ali's scuba]

Welcome, Jack! I'm also a sailor who likes to combine that with diving. It works well and I'm sure Sean will have a vigorous business cleaning bottoms and changing zincs. (If he were in VA, I'd have work for him!)

I don't think I'd worry a lot about the specific brands at this point. I suspect that your local dive shop has perfectly good gear. Many of the brands are made by the same folks anyway. At this point, the most important piece of gear will be your mask and for that especially, brand doesn't matter. Go to the shop and get something that seals well on your face and is comfortable. Snorkel definitely doesn't matter much. As for fins, you will want the kind with the strap that you wear with boots as those are ok anywhere, especially in NJ. Just to throw some names out to you, I use a Cressi mask, Apeks regs, Mares fins (and snorkel), Waterproof wetsuits, Zeagle BCD and Oceanic computers. I would probably hold off until after your OW class to buy anything other than the basics. At a minimum, it gives you some time to gather advice and also to try some rental gear from your local shop. People here are very happy to tell you why they picked the brands and specific items they use.

One thing I suggest that others may disagree with is to do your pool and class work at home and then do your OW dives in a warm place. Some will tell you do to the cold, dark quarry (or whatever you have in NJ) based on the notion that diving elsewhere will be easier. This is what I did, but I think it is not the best way for a new diver in my opinion. Talk to your shop about doing a trip with them to do this. That will give you the comfort of the instructor from home, but you get to do your first dives in a nice place. You will have plenty of time to dive in the murk off of your boat later!

Good diving!

Tom

Hello everyone,

My name is Jack and we are from coastal NJ. I just enrolled my 12 year old son, Sean, and I in Open Water class (April) and will be looking for our starter gear. We have absolutely no experience with SCUBA, just a few snorkeling trips in Aruba. We are sailors and want to be able to dive at home, off of our boat and when we travel to the Caribbean. Plus, I promised Sean that all of the guys at the dock would pay him to clean bottoms and check zincs in the summer! With all of that in mind, I am probably going to have plenty of questions and really have nothing to offer in return ....at least for the time being...unless you have questions about sailing, navigation and boat maintenance!

I have found that good forums are invaluable to beginners and experience people as well and use and contribute to a few sailing ones on a regular basis. I am hoping to get some good information from here and eventually contribute.

So to start things off.......What equipment brands are the best for just starting out and what gear beyond the required mask, snorkel and fins are needed? We are looking for something that is reliable and safe and would be used after we complete the certification for recreational diving in the Caribbean and in the NJ area.

Thanks!!

HI Tom ;

Here are my personal experiences with the few gears. I tell you it makes a huge different to have right and reliable gears while you are diving. why i said that because for a few times i had to stop my dives due to shaky fins' strips . talking about fins my favorite one is Appllo ,it is little heavy but ,is dependable . Campus Sunnto and dive computer Oceanic ,you never go wrong with any of these . Hopefully your dive shop in your area the staff are knowledgeable not just sell gears, and recommends right gears welcome to exciting venture.
Ali

 

[Compressor]

Welcome to SB. Its a great place and very addicting may I add. Good advice above. Also look at Scubapro.