Hey new here.... gear question...

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Okay thanks, know where could buy used? want to do cold water dives... also wear glasses so where do get goggles for that?

You can get a generic perscription lens put into certain types of mask that are relatively inexpensive. Or if you have a wild perscription then some optomertist actually make lens and bond them. I have a semi normal prescription and use the generic lens. You LDS should be able to help you out with that. If not, shoot me a pm and I'll see if I can point you in a general direction of prescription mask.
 
Borrow a couple of diving books from the library. Clue.
 
Yep my shop had me buy Mask,fins,snorkel,boots and weights. The weights hurt at the time because she told me I needed 10% of my body weight at $4 a pound. Well I have never used 6% being that I dive in 72F + water.

I did buy all the gear from her and most importantly the mask I wanted it to fit good. Jim gave you good advice when he said he changed everything in 2 years because that is true. Dont worry about spending too much money. You can buy cheap (except mask) and then try out different gear to see what works for you best.
 
I am a little confused by your post. What gear are you referring to? Personal gear-fins, mask ect or BC, reg,? Was none of this discussed when you signed up for the OW class?

When you referred to taking more classes, are you referring to, you already took OW but now you want to take AOW? And now the shop wants you to buy ALL your gear? Do you have to buy all gear through them??? As I have seen one shop around here in VA that states you have to buy your gear though them. It is not unreasonable for the shop to expect you to buy your own personal gear for class.

I can also say that Leisurepro is very easy to work with. I have purchased a bit from them. Very nice to work with. However, I have purchased all my big gear from my LDS. He has beat the online retailers hands down in pricing. We have purchased three complete set ups since Sept of 2010. Three of us got cert. together. This is not a poor mans sport.

But I am still dumbfounded if the purchasing of gear was not discussed when you bought the class.
 
new diver here, 4 dives, i am a bit on the cheap side - but not excessively so (something i am working on) and after my class and pool work i decided to buy boots (high quality), fins (midrange), and mask (high quality) and snorkel (basic) - i bought all of this from a great dive shop here in Denver and the sales guy who had been diving for a long time took a lot of time with me and we tried on probably 15 masks and he was very particular about the fit - i am so glad i did that - my advice (for what its worth) find the perfect fit mask with the help of someone that REALLY knows their stuff and buy it, cost shouldn't be much an issue, not on that piece. i rented the rest while in the Caribbean, was happy with the approach - i will get a reg this year...
 
Borrow a couple of diving books from the library. Clue.

Clue: Don't listen to a thing this guy says. Not even sure he knows what SCUBA stands for.
 
Everybody (for the most part) has been spot on with their advice. There are plenty of places to look for your gear and various thoughts and reasons for it. The that caught my eye, though was the prescription dive mask. You won't find that on ebay or craigslist or the like.

But the good side is they aren't awful to purchase. Diving masks can be equipped with optical lenses in a couple of ways. The first is to have the basic diopters dropped into the mask, replacing the clear lenses. Using the Sph or Spherical reading on your optical prescription, rounding up the the nearest .5 This is usually done using a mask with a particular lens shape to it with the exception here and there of a specific popular mask by a manufacturer that they make optics available for.

The other method is to have any optician who can grind their own lenses custom grind your prescription into your mask. This method tends to be a lot pricier and is often not the best option for the diver on a limited budget, but is a popular way to go if you absolutely love your particular mask and don't desire one of the more generic masks offering optics.
 
As a new diver, I went to my local dive shop, got fitted for a very nice ($$) mask and snorkel, and discovered that when I went into the water the mask leaked excessively and was effectively useless; on the plus side I became very adept at clearing my mask every minute or two! I was very fortunate that the dive center I went to for training (http://grandbahamascuba.com/) had an abundance of masks that I could try until I found one to fit my chipmunk cheeks, and we worked out a trade.
I have 2 daughters that want to dive as well, so for Christmas I went here to get them basic masks and snorkels, fully realizing that chances are I will have to upgrade them soon: Piranha Dive Manufacturing
Great guys to deal with, and I wish I was more knowledgeable about equipment so I could take advantage of some of the deals.

Good luck!
KevinL
 
Just took my first SSI class yesterday....However, the dive shop wants me to buy my own gear before doing anymore lessons....Which sort of discouraging to me due to funds..

Hi Clou... can you clarify the arrangement for lessons that you had with this dive center? Have you paid for the course? Was it made clear to you that equipment would not be provided?

I've never heard anything like this before (but then I don't work in the USA). Normally, an OW course is inclusive of equipment loan. At the very worst, if equipment wasn't loaned for free, then they might charge a supplementary fee for rental.

But to refuse further tuition and progress on the course?!?!

To supply it for the first session, and then refuse to supply for futher training?!?

It sounds very odd to me.... :idk:

Can you please clarify?
 

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