Just finished the first part of my open water

[fringefan]

I just finished the first part of my open water certification and I will finish the open water part April 22-23 when it warms up a bit. I had a great time and can't wait to get into the real water instead of the pool but when you live in SD it tends to get a little cold. I tested at Mick’s Scuba in Rapid City with Dennis Lively and I can say that anyone that is thinking about getting into scuba should check out the discover scuba classes that allow you to try on the gear and swim around the pool. I did my discover class with Land Shark Scuba in Sioux Falls and knew a good portion of the material before I took the class so it came very easy for me and the test was no problem.
I have to say that I am starting to regret not getting a back plate wing set up because the BC I bought from scubaL.com is very good quality but it does not fit me like I had hoped. And as far as the rest of the gear I got and posted about a few months back I ended up getting the following:

Mares Abyss Reg and Proton Octo
Mares RGBM computer
Mares X-Vision mask
Tusa X-pert Zoom fins
I bought every thing above from Larry @ Scuba Toys for a little over $920.00. I originally was going to buy the Proton Ice because I did not think I could get into an Abyss for even close to that with the computer but Larry got me a pretty sweet deal so I give my many thanks to him an encourage everyone to check them out.

ScubaL BC, 7mm wet suit, weight belt, gloves and Hood
This is good quality stuff at a great price around 300.00 for everything but being a big guy the wet suit, hood, and gloves did not fit so I have to order a custom wet suit they sell for around $250.00 and make sure I click the right size for the rest. The XXL BC is a little big and rides up so I will probably get a groin strap to keep it in place but I can't say enough about the quality of it it was a 170.00 for the BC that came with a duffle bag to store my gear and I was looking at BC's that cost $400.00 so to get top of the line stuff under 1300.00 was awesome.

When I first posted about looking to buy the stuff I had several opinions and most told me to rent and several said to get the back plate wing and that is the only advice I wished I would have taken. Other than that the only other thing I learned about equipment this weekend is that I really don’t like Scuba Pro stuff and I don’t know what it is but the 2nd stage I used in discover and the first day in the pool this weekend but it really put some strain on my jaw. I was very bummed that I could not use my reg on Sat but we did not have any tools to remove the port screw for my BC hose so I used my instructors ScubaPro set he had.
Thanks for all the advice and I look forward to many dives to come including the Key West trip planned in May.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Thanks for sharing fringefan! It is very valuable for those of us who are new divers to learn from your decisions ... good and not so good.

Thanks!

 

[mudhole]

I just finished the first part of my open water certification and I will finish the open water part April 22-23
I have to say that I am starting to regret not getting a back plate wing set up because the BC I bought from scubaL.com is very good quality but it does not fit me like I had hoped. And as far as the rest of the gear I got and posted about a few months back I ended up getting the following:

Mares Abyss Reg and Proton Octo
Mares RGBM computer
Mares X-Vision mask
Tusa X-pert Zoom fins
I bought every thing above from Larry @ Scuba Toys for a little over $920.00. I originally was going to buy the Proton Ice because I did not think I could get into an Abyss for even close to that with the computer but Larry got me a pretty sweet deal so I give my many thanks to him an encourage everyone to check them out.

ScubaL BC, 7mm wet suit, weight belt, gloves and Hood
This is good quality stuff at a great price around 300.00 for everything but being a big guy the wet suit, hood, and gloves did not fit so I have to order a custom wet suit they sell for around $250.00 and make sure I click the right size for the rest. The XXL BC is a little big and rides up so I will probably get a groin strap to keep it in place but I can't say enough about the quality of it it was a 170.00 for the BC that came with a duffle bag to store my gear and I was looking at BC's that cost $400.00 so to get top of the line stuff under 1300.00 was awesome.

When I first posted. . . most told me to rent and several said to get the back plate wing and that is the only advice I wished I would have taken. Other than that the only other thing I learned about equipment this weekend is that I really don’t like Scuba Pro stuff and I don’t know what it is but the 2nd stage I used in discover and the first day in the pool this weekend but it really put some strain on my jaw. I was very bummed that I could not use my reg on Sat but we did not have any tools to remove the port screw for my BC hose so I used my instructors ScubaPro set he had.
.

With over 1,000 dives I wish I could tell you one set of gear that would please everyone. . . there isn't one thing for everyone. You tried and didn't like a ScubaPro regulator, that's my favorite because there are choices in first, and second stages and choices in mouthpieces for different jaws, etc. Most diving gear requires "Fit" for maximum comfort. A Local Dive Store that has a variety of equipment and will let you dive with different gear to find what is best for you.

On this board there are people who will tell you what they chose is the only choice. But consider that there will be voices for every piece of gear. One example is your buying a jacket. . . A back plate is not better. It is slightly different. How the straps fit your body type verses the fit of your jacket, make little difference in comfort or function. Keep what you've got and learn to adjust the fit, learn where to wear your weights to balance yourself under and on top of the water. If your regulator is not comfortable, there are aftermarket mouthpieces that change the fit. If the second stage is pulling on your jaw, you can change the hose routing for a better fit. Don't dump your gear because it feels uncomfortable, or someone recommends something else. When you can spend many hours with gear that's adjusted for a proper fit, you can learn to enjoy diving with any modern gear. Good luck!