local OW training info

[FIXXERVI6]

Are you just wanting to learn to dive out of wondering what it is like or do you have spec goals in mind? Such as I want to look at fishy's and coral, or you want to unbolt port holes at 250 feet to decorate your house some day etc etc?

These are things to keep in mind when shopping for gear, "I don't know" also works, but if you have certain goals in mind, then you can save a TON of money by learning from the mistakes people like myself have made.

I second the statement on the mask I had a fancy deal with purge valve, side windows, all that garb, the side windows made me run into my buddy all the time because of the light bending issue, and the purge failed on me, totally, mask kept flooding, and it was expensive!!

Most important thing is think simple, if it has all kinds of features and do dads, well its probably something to fetch $$, since your on here look up Hogarthian, with that you'll find information on a method of gear rigging that a lot of tech divers use and works very well in the rec environment as well, also since your in TX hook up with some locals just to check out different gear configs and such before sinking big cash.

 

[Willie]

what did it set you back if i may ask ?

I bought a 1 year old Sherwood reg & a 2 year old Sherwood BCD -- $350 for both. Reg was serviced just before I bought it. This was the stuff I had used in training and so I knew what it was like, not something I bought over the internet. My LDS owner cycles his stuff ever two years, regs one year, BCDs the next. I feel confident you can find something similar.

I bought a computer several months later and chose an inexpensive but Nitrox compatible Genesis ReactPro. It was new and I think was about $330, but that is from memory. I knew I was going to do Nitrox and didnt see the point of not getting a computer that would handle that right off the bat.

I have several kids/grandkids that will eventually get into diving and so I figure down the road I will upgrade my gear and pass the other stuff on to one of them.

Willie

 

[Willie]

Booties- get ones that fit you like a sock. Getting boots that fit you to tight will cause your feet to cramp

The booties will expand after they get wet, at least mine do. I wear some ankle length sport socks under mine and they are more comfortable before and after getting wet. A buddy I met gave me that tip.

LDS's can't give an honest opionion, at least not one that can be 100% trusted because of the conflict of interest. It doesn't make all shop owners liars, cheats and theives but it also doesn't make them the most trusted source for information on gear selection.

Over time, you get to know the folks your dealing with. You can tell whether they are giving good advice or not. If you cant trust the folks you are training with you have bigger problems.

I for one adopt the 'there is wisdom in many counselors' approach. Get several opinions, try the stuff if you can. I tend to never buy the cheapest nor the high-dollar stuff. I read the reviews online, ask opinions here and of the buddies I dive with. There are a handful of folks on here that are almost always worth listening too. You will recognize them. That doesnt mean I always come to the same conclusion as them though.

IMO, Debraw is one of the most helpful people on the swamp divers forum and never seems pushy to me. I have never met her though.

Willie

 

[Willie]

... its like paying someone to slap you, why would someone do that?

Especially when there is almost always someone willing to do it for free.

Willie

 

[Lukiedukie]

Okay guys lets get this back on point please.

tx4wl if you need a bubby after your class let me know and you have a PM.

I am still a "newbie" per say so hit me up and we will go from there

 

[IslandFrog]

TX4WL,

I sent you a PM, I am taking my gear in for annual service this weekend in case you are free and would like to go check out a Dive Shop or two.

 

[Debraw]

LDS's can't give an honest opionion, at least not one that can be 100% trusted because of the conflict of interest. It doesn't make all shop owners liars, cheats and theives but it also doesn't make them the most trusted source for information on gear selection.

That's why shops carry multiple lines. I can dive in any type of gear because of my training and experience. Some gear is more comfortable than others. Some gear I like the way it looks. Some of it I like a particular function. To tell you the truth loosebits, you hurt my feelings. It makes me feel bad when people make such blanket statements in a public forum that dive shops can not be trusted.
:031: Then again I am bouncing my head off a wall of different opinions and personalities. Time for me to go to work, to the greatest job on earth, a dive shop owner. Y'all have a nice day.

 

[loosebits]

I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings and yes you carry multiple lines but you couldn't pick any line of gear. Perhaps you think ScubaPro makes the best regs on the market, you might not be able to get a ScubaPro dealership because Bob's Scuba Emporium down the street already has one and ScubaPro doesn't want a to see a price war between its dealers.

Judges have to recuse themselves in a case because of conflicts of interest because they know they can't make an impartial judgement if they have a vested interest. Neither can an LDS owner or employee.

As a more relevant example, for many people Rodales Scuba Diving isn't a trusted source of equipment reviews because they take advertisement dollars from the manufacturers. Many of their reviews are probably unbiased but when they give flying colors to ScubaPro's latest reg and you see an ad for that reg on the next page, would you trust it?

Another example is a certain LDS very strongly recomends I use a certain brand of computer. The employees know I plan on getting into trimix sometime soon and that manufacturer doesn't make a trimix computer but they still recommend it. Sure, I could use their computer today but sometime next year, I'll have to buy another one that can work with the diving I plan on doing.

My initial reply was a little harsh and I apologize. It was prompted from when I see postings recommending the products or services offered by a certain shop that they have an association with and not disclosing that association.

 

[Diesel298]

gezz guys dont scare him away with all your LDS horros stories
its called retail
you get that anywhere

 

[FIXXERVI6]

I may or may not be accurate here but I think the purpose of what I think loosebits is getting to is, shop around, gather information, don't walk into 1 dive shop and take everything that is said as written in stone fact, talk to a few dive shops, talk to a few divers, talk to different types of divers, ask questions, read books, then invest wisely.

I know of one shop that swears by Suunto, and another that refuses to carry them simply because they do not like them, which shop is the right one? well both and neither at the same time, if you walk into shop A with sunnto you may become a sunnto fan, if you walk into shop B that does not like them well you may go that way, instead investigate on your own and decide for yourself, one of the GREAT things about scuba is options, options, options, one of the bad things about scuba is options, options, options.

I'm betting you could walk into almost any shop in DFW and not get taken for a ride (almost any shop), I've heard nothing but good things about SIS even tho I have not been there, and I have personal experiences with several shops in the area, some good, some bad, but if you walk into shop A and you only listen to shop A your going to invest lots of money into gear when you run into diver that shops at shop B that has the gear you should have gotten then you slap yourself in the head and go DOH, be an informed buyer.

Oh and dont' get your education from scuba board, on here you'll find people like myself that have super strong opinions on certain things like split fins but this IS a good source of information if you can wade through all the BS so use it, but don't take what is on these boards as stone fact, in the end its your money and what works for me may not work for you but scuba gear is awfully expensive to be burning through gear trying to find out what works best for you, so get informed, shop around, don't be in a big hurry to drop all kinds of cash at once or you'll do it then find that peice of gear you SHOULD have bought.

I've gone through stab jackes, back inflate "tech bc's" and multiple BP/Wing configs and I've settled on what works for me after spending bookoo money, I am bias toward the BP/Wing config and I won't hash that on here but if your ever in the area look me up and I'll show you the differences in the configs and what MY OPINION is on why I like X gear over Y, take that information, the stuff I have learned from the money I have dropped, hold it in your brain, then move on to another source of info and do it again, and again.

Did I get that about right?