Need feedback or suggestions... please

[David P]

ok sorry a little confused here... you said "So, for the sake of DIR the first time and keeping it for the longest time I did a little research and came up with a list of things to buy" Then you put a whole list of things that you bought, none of which are DIR... JK

Living in SF I would recommend buying a 7 mil suit, or a drysuit. But if you go somewhere tropical, you will need a lighter suit. As for tanks, I would only recommend buying a tank if you are going diving a couple times a month. How much is an air fill vs tank rental? $3/$8? ok so you save $5, but you have a VIS and that is what.... $15? oh yeah and a hydro every 5 years and thats $30? so it costs you $11 a year to keep a tank, so as long as you use it 3 times per year you are ahead of the game (not counting the purchase price of $150-$400) I dive double 120s and just swapped out my 119 for another 120. 130s are BIG tanks that weigh a ton. 120s are great if you are tall, 100s are quite popular, but if you GOTTA have your own tank just starting out, you might consider a simple aluminum 80. If you really get into diving and start going technical, you can always use the aluminum tanks for deco (get Luxfor instead of Catalinas) but I prefer steels over aluminum as they hold more air, and I need to wear less lead.

 

[alcina]

Thanks Damsel...good pointers. Now about tanks, what size do you guys use 80, 100, 120 or 130? What should be my basis for choosing?

How much air do you use?

Where and how deep will you be diving?

What's comfortable to carry on your back for a dive?

What's your budget?

Do you prefer steel or ali tanks?

Do you need to buy tanks or does where you will do most of your diving have a rental program that works for you instead?

I dive 65 aluminum tanks and that's probably so not the right choice for most people But those are comfy, give me more than enough air even for 40m dives and just work for me. I can barely lift my friend's steel 120s so those would be a no-no for me!

 

[danvolker]

Get rid of the dry snmorkel--it is a creation of greed infested dive shops who don't care about what they sell---any real freediver will use a normal J snorkel, and NEVER use a purge based snorkel, or one with the flexible hose nonsense. Dry and purge snorkels create so many problems, and it is far too easy to learn how to use a snorkel, to go with such a convolution.
There is just no excuse to not learn how to use a snorkel. A person without the coordination to use a snorkel, should NOT be allowed to scuba dive.

As to fins, get freedive fins like Cressi Garas, or Riffe, or Picasso. They will blow away what you have for both snorkeling AND scuba.
While I prefer a backplate and 18 pound lift wing, for the ultra low drag and easy coasting it allows, BC choice is far less critical than mask, fin and snorkel....as long as you don't get some huge monster BC with 50 or more punds of lift, so much drag it makes you move like a puffer fish.

And....you need to get a good buddy... a very important piece of equipment


Regards,
Dan

 

[Pomkiwi]

Think about where you want to go with your diving. Are you going to be an every now and then kind of person - popping out once every few months (in which case you may just be better off renting when you go out) or are you going to be out as much as possible at very short notice - in which case getting all the gear including tanks would be recommended.

Are you likely to want to go tech at some stage? Have you thought about a Backplate and Wing versus a jacket style BCD? There are pro's and con's for both styles but the BP/W will give you the flexibility to dive singles or doubles (with the change of a wing) at a later date.

Basically it comes down to personal preference and you should hold back from rushing out and buying lots of stuff right away (I know it's really tempting!!) until you know what you like and what you actually want the gear to do. There may be a club nearby or another scubaboarder who can let you borrow some different types of gear to try out (BP/W vs BCD, wrist comp vs hose, split fins / regular etc) before you buy.
When I started out a couple of years back I went to the shop that did my training and said "kit me out!" which they did, and now have spent the last year replacing nearly all the kit I bought as I found that actually I prefered having a backplate system, different hose set up, a wrist computer vs a hosed one etc...in short I have now spent about the same money again but am nearly at what I actually need for my own type of diving!

Have a try with a few set-ups and see what you like is my advice - then go buy it.

 

[norbs007]

Great replies as usual...I'm very greatful with everybody's help. I intend to go as far as I can, getting there depends on how confident I feel to move up a level...slow but sure. I will be completing my OW next week and will try to do AOW next month. I have talked to different LDSs and these are what I ended up getting:

Henderson 7mm Titanium Hyperstretch
Henderson 7mm Titanium Hooded Vest - I was told that it's a must for Monterey Bay (14mm on the body)
Henderson 7mm Titanium Boots
Oceanic Excursion BCD - I like the back inflation better
Oceanic Atom 2 Computer
Oceanic SWIV Compass
Oceanic Spinner Knife
Atomic Aquatics B2
Atomic Aquatics Ti2 Octo
Atomic Aquatics Subframe mask
Mares Volo Power Fins with XS Scuba springs
Seasoft Ti Pro Kevlar gloves
2 X7 100 cu.ft. HP tanks

I got a little excited, I know. But I'm ready to go and looking forward to my new adventure.:luxhello:

Thank you all!

 

[PinkPADIgal]

It looks like you got some nice stuff. You will be very comfortable. Now, go dive and have fun!

 

[norbs007]

It looks like you got some nice stuff. You will be very comfortable. Now, go dive and have fun!

Thank you, we'll see how nice they are when my better half finds out how much they cost :no

 

[RJP]

Stick with a regular inflater. In the unlikely event you have to USE the thing, you would be better suited with something that does not hinder your ability to look around. You will be limited by the length of your inflater and corrugated hoses. Your buddy will be to your right, and you won't be able to turn your head that far.

Agreed. An octo-inflator is like one of those little donut spare tires: Seems like a great idea, right up until the point you actually need to use it for it's intended purpose.