Is it really a good deal and don’t buy used especially when new to diving

[Happyladydiver]

With a basic harness there are no pockets and we clip things off to D-rings. Depending on your definition of "clutter" and the amount of stuff you carry, that may not look "less cluttered".

Wrong word choice. I mean strapped in and feeling squished.
You bring up a great point though.

 

[Happyladydiver]

My obvious hesitation is the cost of the Halcyon system if I am to be honest. Even if I tried it and really liked it, it would take a while to get one. I am also not sure if I like the idea of everything dangling off of me. Isn’t that more stuff to get caught on things?
In the mean time, I don’t want to rent gear. I already experienced the unwelcome surprise of having to use a weight belt at the first dive I did outside training. Had buoyancy issues out the wazoo which I already talked about in this thread or another one.
I had no issues in training and used a Beuchat. They have a sale right now at Adreno and I can buy one for $479 or the men’s one for $399 and likely I trained in a male one anyway.


Beuchat Masterlift X-Air Light Womens BCD

It beats the hell out of renting and not knowing wtf they will have waiting for me. It’s also not an insane amount of money so when I DO try out others and if I find I like another more, I won’t lose an insane amount of money by selling and upgrading. I just can’t do any more surprises and not knowing what I’ll be renting. I’m way too much of a control freak and need to be organised. It will give me peace of mind to have my own equipment.
Not only that, the sooner I get my own stuff, the sooner I can say back the eff off if I get an over zealous and pushy scuba tour operator wanting to rush and insisting on setting up my gear for me. Yeah, this happened and no I wasn’t late and we had tons of time.

My gear. Don’t touch it. Thanks .

 

[Happyladydiver]

OP is in Australia.

Hey it may be worth it to ship some stuff! The shipping cost isn’t always as bad as you might think! I used to live in the USA for 20 years so I can find deals. But good looking out there!

 

[Marie13]

Hey it may be worth it to ship some stuff! The shipping cost isn’t always as bad as you might think! I used to live in the USA for 20 years so I can find deals. But good looking out there!

It’s not just the shipping. Some countries put high import duties on scuba gear.

 

[Happyladydiver]

It’s not just the shipping. Some countries put high import duties on scuba gear.

I just remembered and was on my way back to say so. Oh well.

 

[Open Ocean Diver]

My obvious hesitation is the cost of the Halcyon system if I am to be honest. Even if I tried it and really liked it, it would take a while to get one. I am also not sure if I like the idea of everything dangling off of me. Isn’t that more stuff to get caught on things?
In the mean time, I don’t want to rent gear. I already experienced the unwelcome surprise of having to use a weight belt at the first dive I did outside training. Had buoyancy issues out the wazoo which I already talked about in this thread or another one.
I had no issues in training and used a Beuchat. They have a sale right now at Adreno and I can buy one for $479 or the men’s one for $399 and likely I trained in a male one anyway.


Beuchat Masterlift X-Air Light Womens BCD

It beats the hell out of renting and not knowing wtf they will have waiting for me. It’s also not an insane amount of money so when I DO try out others and if I find I like another more, I won’t lose an insane amount of money by selling and upgrading. I just can’t do any more surprises and not knowing what I’ll be renting. I’m way too much of a control freak and need to be organised. It will give me peace of mind to have my own equipment.
Not only that, the sooner I get my own stuff, the sooner I can say back the eff off if I get an over zealous and pushy scuba tour operator wanting to rush and insisting on setting up my gear for me. Yeah, this happened and no I wasn’t late and we had tons of time.

My gear. Don’t touch it. Thanks .

Call your LDS the have nice sales going on, go there and try the Zuma on with a tank you will love. The Weight of the one above will drive you crazy when you have to clean.

 

[jonhall]

To add to or repeat what a few others have written:

Determine the type of diving you plan to do the most.
Do you plan to do 10 dives a year or 100 dives a year?
Will you be a happy OW or AOW diver or do you plan to continue taking courses and collecting certification cards (of course you can still be happy)?
Answering questions like this might help you determine how much money do you want to put into SCUBA as well as the specific gear you want?

Although a SB member at the time, I think I would have been overwhelmed and second guessing myself had I read through all the threads or actively seeked advice on a BCD. I knew early on my diving would mostly be in warm Caribbean waters, so only when traveling, and knew I wanted to travel light. A scuba diving magazine is where I first saw what I thought I wanted. Didn't see very many actual travel BC's on the market, which made it easier. Would have liked to have been able to test what I purchased, but trying it on was as close as it was going to get. I've had my Aqualung Zuma (travel BCD) and Mikron Regulator since 2010. No regrets, but if I purchase new gear again, I know there are other features I will look for. You learn through time.

In the mean time, I don’t want to rent gear. I already experienced the unwelcome surprise of having to use a weight belt at the first dive I did outside training.

Unwelcome surprises such as this can make you a better diver. I've been a few places where it didn't seem worth the effort of taking my gear - only a day or 2 to dive - so I rented. Weight belts aren't fun for me either (I have no rear end so I have to really tighten the belt to keep it from sliding down) but it may be the only thing a dive op uses. Is it common now for OW classes to use integrated weighting as opposed to a weight belt?

Not only that, the sooner I get my own stuff, the sooner I can say back the eff off if I get an over zealous and pushy scuba tour operator wanting to rush and insisting on setting up my gear for me. Yeah, this happened and no I wasn’t late and we had tons of time.

You will probably find as you dive with different dive ops, they all have there own procedures and you may be stuck adhering to their rules. There are many divers who don't want anyone touching their gear. In the beginning when I wasn't doing many dives on a trip, I wanted to put my own gear (talking about BC, reg, and air) together so I could learn to do it. Generally, a diver just has to tell the crew member that they would like to set up their own gear and there's no problem. There are just as many divers (probably us older ones) who like the op that takes your gear and has it already set up for you. Some dive ops are considered valet ops and take care of everything including carrying your gear and taking care of it between dives.

My last dives were in Hawaii in a RHIB type of boat. Out of necessity due to space, their procedure had the crew putting your gear together before the first dive and during the surface interval. Many ops I've been with will have your gear together before you step on the boat. That doesn't mean you shouldn't check it yourself. In a lot of instances a diver just has to take care of their weights - either the belt or putting in integrated pockets.

Try to enjoy the surprises and adapt - they all make one a better diver.

 

[dmaziuk]

I just remembered and was on my way back to say so. Oh well.

Looks like you could probably put together a BP&W for around $600AUD locally; e.g. DGX package will cost you ~$500 to buy, fees and taxes you'd have to pay on top will probably be more that $100?

 

[Happyladydiver]

Call your LDS the have nice sales going on, go there and try the Zuma on with a tank you will love. The Weight of the one above will drive you crazy when you have to clean.

I only picked it because it did say it was a light travel model. I guess it isn’t really? Thanks

 

[Happyladydiver]

I

To add to or repeat what a few others have written:

Determine the type of diving you plan to do the most.
Do you plan to do 10 dives a year or 100 dives a year?
Will you be a happy OW or AOW diver or do you plan to continue taking courses and collecting certification cards (of course you can still be happy)?
Answering questions like this might help you determine how much money do you want to put into SCUBA as well as the specific gear you want?

Although a SB member at the time, I think I would have been overwhelmed and second guessing myself had I read through all the threads or actively seeked advice on a BCD. I knew early on my diving would mostly be in warm Caribbean waters, so only when traveling, and knew I wanted to travel light. A scuba diving magazine is where I first saw what I thought I wanted. Didn't see very many actual travel BC's on the market, which made it easier. Would have liked to have been able to test what I purchased, but trying it on was as close as it was going to get. I've had my Aqualung Zuma (travel BCD) and Mikron Regulator since 2010. No regrets, but if I purchase new gear again, I know there are other features I will look for. You learn through time.



Unwelcome surprises such as this can make you a better diver. I've been a few places where it didn't seem worth the effort of taking my gear - only a day or 2 to dive - so I rented. Weight belts aren't fun for me either (I have no rear end so I have to really tighten the belt to keep it from sliding down) but it may be the only thing a dive op uses. Is it common now for OW classes to use integrated weighting as opposed to a weight belt?



You will probably find as you dive with different dive ops, they all have there own procedures and you may be stuck adhering to their rules. There are many divers who don't want anyone touching their gear. In the beginning when I wasn't doing many dives on a trip, I wanted to put my own gear (talking about BC, reg, and air) together so I could learn to do it. Generally, a diver just has to tell the crew member that they would like to set up their own gear and there's no problem. There are just as many divers (probably us older ones) who like the op that takes your gear and has it already set up for you. Some dive ops are considered valet ops and take care of everything including carrying your gear and taking care of it between dives.

My last dives were in Hawaii in a RHIB type of boat. Out of necessity due to space, their procedure had the crew putting your gear together before the first dive and during the surface interval. Many ops I've been with will have your gear together before you step on the boat. That doesn't mean you shouldn't check it yourself. In a lot of instances a diver just has to take care of their weights - either the belt or putting in integrated pockets.

Try to enjoy the surprises and adapt - they all make one a better diver.

It wasn’t their rules. He was just rushing people so he could get home. Ended up waiting a while for the briefing anyway so he accomplished nothing and next time I’ll insist on setting it up as I need the practice.
I’d say I’ll get to go once every 3 months right now as I’m a stay at home mother for now and we take turns watching baby. I’d like to learn and do all the classes I can as I eventually I want a business on the water in some capacity when she goes to school and want to be well rounded in many areas. Choices! A beautiful thing and the more I know the more of those I have.

Looks like you could probably put together a BP&W for around $600AUD locally; e.g. DGX package will cost you ~$500 to buy, fees and taxes you'd have to pay on top will probably be more that $100?

Good to know but I need to learn more to know about all this and what exactly I need to put it all together.