My first attempt at aquiring some dive gear failed miserably, leaving the lds with little more than a business card with an address writen on it.
The plan for today was to get a mask, or at least to order one (i need a prescription one), since I figured getting it done might take a while since I don't have a simple prescription and didn't figure I could get standard corrective lens replacements. I was planning on getting the rest of my personal gear when I go back with a friend early next week so she can get hers also.
The plan started out fine, got there, told the girl what I needed, she pulls 2 masks off the wall to try. I tried the first one and it seemed to fit pretty well, then I tried the second one and it tried to eat my face
, and I could hear a suction breaking when i had to PULL it off my face. So we go with that one, pick the colour I wanted, and she got one down off the shelf. Then she looks at the prescription and everything starts going wrong. Some Rx's have 3 numbers (sphere, cylinder and axis), and after asking somebody else, tells me that the lenses they have in stock only deal with the sphere number (glasses bought at drugstores also only do sphere), so i figure that won't work, but apparently they recommend a place that does custom lenses, called them and after waiting half an hour to get a response, find out that they can't do lenses with the value I need for axis. She suggests that I call my eye doc to see I'd be able to manage with only part of the Rx or if I could maybe get contacts for the parts they can't do with the replacement lenses, my response being that if I got contacts, they'd correct the whole thing and I'd get a regular mask. (she misunderstood when I said earlier that I couldn't wear contacts, that the doc said not to, not that they couldn't make them). So then I figured, lets see the sphere-only correcting lenses to see how well I could see with them, and turns out that they don't carry + power lenses, that they cost more, and that I'd have to pay for half in order to even be able to see if they'd be good or not, in 2 weeks when they'd arrive. So this perfectly fitting (so it seems) mask went back onto the shelf. 
Meanwhile, while we were waiting for somebody to return the phone call, the girl says that I get 10% off because I'm doing my OW with them and asks if I want to look at fins, snorkels and boots while we're waiting. Here's problem 2: the 10% off only applies if I buy fins, mask, snorkel and boots at the same time, which is reasonable I guess, but I already have a pair of fins (30 year old SP Jets) that I'm planning on using assuming they fit properly.
So yeah, I left with nothing other than a business card and a mental note of the mask that I'll probably be getting once I figure out what to do about actually being able to see. If anybody wants to comment on it, the mask is an XS Scuba M-Line Z Duo (without a purge).
Ok, I'm done my rant, just needed to vent.
The plan for today was to get a mask, or at least to order one (i need a prescription one), since I figured getting it done might take a while since I don't have a simple prescription and didn't figure I could get standard corrective lens replacements. I was planning on getting the rest of my personal gear when I go back with a friend early next week so she can get hers also.
The plan started out fine, got there, told the girl what I needed, she pulls 2 masks off the wall to try. I tried the first one and it seemed to fit pretty well, then I tried the second one and it tried to eat my face
, and I could hear a suction breaking when i had to PULL it off my face. So we go with that one, pick the colour I wanted, and she got one down off the shelf. Then she looks at the prescription and everything starts going wrong. Some Rx's have 3 numbers (sphere, cylinder and axis), and after asking somebody else, tells me that the lenses they have in stock only deal with the sphere number (glasses bought at drugstores also only do sphere), so i figure that won't work, but apparently they recommend a place that does custom lenses, called them and after waiting half an hour to get a response, find out that they can't do lenses with the value I need for axis. She suggests that I call my eye doc to see I'd be able to manage with only part of the Rx or if I could maybe get contacts for the parts they can't do with the replacement lenses, my response being that if I got contacts, they'd correct the whole thing and I'd get a regular mask. (she misunderstood when I said earlier that I couldn't wear contacts, that the doc said not to, not that they couldn't make them). So then I figured, lets see the sphere-only correcting lenses to see how well I could see with them, and turns out that they don't carry + power lenses, that they cost more, and that I'd have to pay for half in order to even be able to see if they'd be good or not, in 2 weeks when they'd arrive. So this perfectly fitting (so it seems) mask went back onto the shelf. Meanwhile, while we were waiting for somebody to return the phone call, the girl says that I get 10% off because I'm doing my OW with them and asks if I want to look at fins, snorkels and boots while we're waiting. Here's problem 2: the 10% off only applies if I buy fins, mask, snorkel and boots at the same time, which is reasonable I guess, but I already have a pair of fins (30 year old SP Jets) that I'm planning on using assuming they fit properly.
So yeah, I left with nothing other than a business card and a mental note of the mask that I'll probably be getting once I figure out what to do about actually being able to see. If anybody wants to comment on it, the mask is an XS Scuba M-Line Z Duo (without a purge).
Ok, I'm done my rant, just needed to vent.
