New diver in Brooklyn, NY

[doctormike]

I'm a huge evangelist for local diving in the NYC area, for two reasons:

-It's AMAZING diving, with a thriving marine ecosystem and lots of historic shipwrecks.
-It's HERE, so you can go diving for a day without flying anywhere or taking time off from work.

I'm the dive chair and past president of the NYC Sea Gypsies - lots of information about local diving on our site, including our Introduction to Northeast Diving program where experienced mentors help warm water divers break into the local scene.

Feel free to DM me if you want to chat more about this. Our club meets regularly via Zoom these days, so we have a lot of fun activities to share, even if you don't dive locally...

 

[formernuke]

Do you think it's really worth it to have and travel with my own fins? I was thinking that's also something I could skip for now.

Fins are one thing I would definitely not rent. If you want to see why head over to the fins section. They are a very personal choice thing and what works for one will suck for another.

Money wise which is more important traveling or local diving? If local start saving for the drysuit now as you venture deeper you will want it, if you go year round you will really, really really want it.

When I started diving I lived in a studio apartment and got both steel and aluminum tanks with all my own gear. Just a matter of organizing right...... over the last couple years though my gear is having a lot of sex or is asexually reproducing as it seems to keep multiplying.

Look at local dive clubs mine does a gear swap once a year and good gear can be got used from reputable people. Sometimes shops will have stuff on consignment from other customers.

I would avoid ebay and Craigslist for now.

 

[drrich2]

Do you think it's really worth it to have and travel with my own fins? I was thinking that's also something I could skip for now.

The things I most recommend taking your personal gear for (if you're not an unusual body size that's hard to fit - like my size 15 feet):

1.) Mask - fit is so individual and a leaky mask can mess up a dive.
2.) Dive Computer - so you'll know how to use it. Yes, you can rent one.
3.) Dive boots/booties and fins - maybe not such a big deal if you're not picky. I'd probably want to take my own dive boots, though. Fit matters.

 

[doctormike]

Do you think it's really worth it to have and travel with my own fins? I was thinking that's also something I could skip for now.

Bear in mind that some of the people responding in this thread have spent $1400 on a flashlight.

 

[formernuke]

Bear in mind that some of the people responding in this thread have spent $1400 on a flashlight.

Raises hand


Or over 4k on a drysuit (OP they can be had for much less)

OP Gear doesn't have to be that much though, try thing out especially BC figure out which you like best and we advise you better on cost effective options.

 

[doctormike]

Bad timing, OP, getting into diving during a pandemic. Two of the best places to check out and buy gear have been unavailable - Beneath the Sea and the Scuba Flea Market. Here's to a better 2022!

 

[Marie13]

@Salamandra

600 sqft for a suburban apartment is small! I have a drysuit, 10 tanks, various other assorted bits of gear, although my 4 big tanks pretty much stay in my SUV all year round. My living room looks like a dive shop and my dry suit always hangs in the bathroom. You just deal with it if you dive local. Once someone gets into tech diving, the stuff really multiples!

I’m with @formernuke on dropping more than $4K on a drysuit. Cold water divers are an odd bunch.

 

[Esprise Me]

I rented fins on vacation even though I had my own (they were too big for my suitcase). It was fine. Often the only fins available for rent in warm- water destinations are full-foot fins, which you can't wear with booties and which really need to fit just right. If your feet are a common size and shape, you'll probably be fine, though it might not hurt to bring some lycra socks to prevent blisters.

 

[formernuke]

Cold water diving addicts are an odd bunch.

Fixed it for you.

 

[Salamandra]

formernuke - that is such a difficult question! (vacation diving versus local diving). I don't even know how to begin to answer. I think I want to find a way to try out local diving first before investing a ton in it. It is kind of too bad the equipment doesn't actually sexually or asexually reproduce itself!

drrich2 and espriseme - Thanks! I think I will try out this mask for this one more trip, and if it still bugs me either with leaking or hurting my upper lip, I will shop for a new one. The shop where I learned did rent me full foot fins, and I was sort of between sizes but the larger size worked well enough. I did buy some lycra socks and a pair of very thin (I think 1mm) mm dive socks to try on this trip - both because I can see how it would be more comfortable and I'm concerned about getting colder. The weather will be warmer than when I learned in February, but I'll be doing a lot more diving. I've also been reading lots of tips here on keeping warm in the morning and between dives. I'm actually contemplating packing sweatpants for a summer tropical trip I definitely got colder and colder as my trip went on, and was basically chattering after a night dive. But I also got a new 3mm wetsuit that I think fits me better than the 2.5mm I rented at the shop, so hopefully I'll be ok. I'm thinking of buying a cap...

doctorrmike, formernuke, marie13 - $1,400 on a light!? $4k on a wetsuit!? Wow. Now I understand why so many of the people I met diving were business owners AND engineers or doctors. Well, I am most likely foregoing reproduction, so that will help some I guess! But I think I will wait and see how much I settle into this hobby before considering that kind of expenditure. I did spend more on a computer than I originally meant to, thinking of the 'buy once cry once' advice I've seen here, but that would be a lot of crying Hopefully by the time I'm ready some of those second hand places you mentioned or gear swaps will be available again.

Actually I was a bit concerned even buying a wetsuit since I'm not one of those people who stays wearing the same size for years at a time. At least a dive computer/mask/fins should be more difficult to accidentally size myself out of

It's ironic because I think if it hadn't been for the pandemic, I wouldn't have tried diving. I'd been to Roatan before because my dad loves it for snorkeling, but I was always way too intimidated by the dive shops, so busy, so full of super-hero-looking people in and out of wetsuits - to even say hi. It was so quiet at the beginning of my trip and I think the DMs were bored and had lots of time to talk and explain things. There were actually a handful of other people like me who hadn't even been planning to try diving but found it easier to do under those circumstances. I guess I'm still a bit intimidated by dive shops, which is part of why I'm going back to the same place again!

Again, thank you all so much!