Hey everybody, from Texas and new to all of this..

[driftwood]

Thank you very much for the replies, and yes I only stated fins because I had been reading on here for a bit and had already learned about needing to try on masks at a lds. I appreciate all of the info, I'll definitely use the knowledge when I go to find my basic gear. That being said, being a starter diver, my first trip is in April. Going to Cozumel, Mexico. One of the "shore dives" i guess you could call it? Or the 30 minute out reef dives, have currents. Is there a particularly type of fin or brand that surpasses others in these sort of dives? As I branch out and do more dives I can build whatever stock of my own personal gear for each type of dive if necessary, but for now I wonder if there's a certain route to take. Or can I just buy "good enough" fins and just look to match gear cosmetically without worrying too much on stats?

The reefs on Coz are too far off shore for shore diving.

I didn't bring up the spring straps for your fins. I love mine but they will set up back about $40 and you are already going to be spending some coin.

Another item I didn't mention is a neoprene strap for your mask. You will be putting on and taking off your mask a lot in training. A slap strap will make the task easier.

 

[drrich2]

If you're not far from Houston, you're not far from Freeport, TX, and that means not far from the Fling live-aboard. From what I'm told it's rather advanced diving, so get some experience, but keep it in mind. Undercurrent has a free review of a Fling trip. Weather can make trip reliability dicey; I asked someone who'd know and was told July 15 - Sept. 15 is a good date range for the best chance of getting out successfully. For me in KY, it'd be a very long drive, or involve plane tickets to fly to a place that's not exactly a famous tourist bonanza, so I'd be ticked if the trip got cancelled.

If you're close enough to conveniently drive & not be out airfare, hey, might be real nice...

Richard.