New diver- New gear

[randytay]

I am a new diver (only tried it once in the pool at my LDS) I haven't taken any classes yet. I don't want to start my class until I purchase my gear. That way I can learn the class work and my gear at the same time. The LDS has given me a quote of $2450 it is all aqualung gear. The BC is a pearl, suunto cobra dive computer, wet suit, hood, gloves, uncoated block weights, uncoated lead weights, snorkel, flag & float, 80 suf cylinder, plastic line holder with 75' line, mesh backpack, defog, boots 6.5 m, comfort strap, hose guard, 10 free fills, 7 ml neop john suit, 7 ml neop shorty, titan lx ads regulator, abs octo, scumball safe second holder, and mariner equipment bag. Plus OW class.

Eh, gear is decent but alot of stuff you probably will not need. I was like you when i started and ended up selling most of my gear within 3 months because I understood more about diving and I wanted/needed something else.

E.g.

I bought the Zeagle Rangle BCD, arguably the best BCD ever made. Loved it, but sold it for a Stainless Steel BP/W setup. The latter allow me to use less weight.

Got the Hollis DC2/212 regulators, one of the finest regulators ever made but its on ebay now. I switched to HOG gear instead because I discovered I preferred DIN and using HOG has the added bonus of being able to service them myself

Bought the Apollo biofins because I was sold with the biofins technology of not silting the bottom. Liked how easy they fin but exchanged for a pair of OMS Slip Stream because my current propulsion techniques will not go well with split fins.

Had the Oceanic VEO 180NX and still using it; but only reduced to using it in gauge mode because I am currently practicing to dive UTD/DIR style by calculating on the fly instead of relying on computers.

And yes, all the above starting within 3 months of my getting certified. You may end up happy with your gear for a long time, but I'll put my money on you wishing you bought something else.

 

[aaronjweese]

Alot have already beaten me to the punch on great advice here. While I am a firm believer in supporting your LDS, that doesn't mean I will let them "beat me over the head" on price when purchasing equipment(esp. since my LDS owner is one of my best friends!). To that end, get certified and purchase your equipment slowly and after a good deal of research and question asking. For 2400 bucks you can get alot of quality gear AND a few boat charters, AND beer and tacos after said charters. Honestly I see alot of "fluff" gear that you may never use in that package.

 

[RTee]

As other have said....wait out because one way or the other you might regret it down the line or wish you had waited...either because it is not what you thought it would be or else...much more than you thought it would be and then having to spend considerably more money to buy what you now require.

In my case, I now own...5 regs...one for my single rig (that is mainly use by my son or when I travel), two for my doubles and I just purchased two more for stage bottles. I initially purchased a good BC. I then acquired a backplate and wing and a set of double tanks and then love the wing so much that I bought a Zeagle Express Tech for diving single and travelling. My initial Mares BC...thank God I have a son...lol.

As a matter of fact, you should use the opportunity offered by your course to try traditional or back inflate BC and see which one you prefer...and then consider how far you might be interested going in scuba diving before committing yourself.

Happy diving

 

[scarefaceDM]

Do not buy all your gear now. Mask, snorkel, fins and possibly your wetsuit...thats it for now.

Get into the course, get certified in rental gear. Rent your gear for at-least the first 10 to 20 dives. In the meantime get better educated on various types of gear. If all possible try them. Assist in Demo days if possible. Get out and a-bout. Read a few books. Talk to more experienced divers to get a feel on what they are diving and ask why.

Do not buy all your gear at once especially since you have not been certified yet. You know nothing about diving and what gear you really need - yet. This is by all means not an insult.

Most of what I bought I have sold. All but my Mask, Fins and my warm water wetsuit.

I got educated on various types of gear, I was able to try most of what I was interested in and then made an educated decision on what was right for me.

Safe dives.

 

[jmasin]

I agree with everyone else, don't buy it all now.

I rented for class, and for my first open water vacation trip. I am VERY glad I did.

I love my LDS, but he is in business to make money, and had I purchased a "Total Dive System" up front I would have bought stuff I didn't like.

I learned a lot after diving a few dives. I don't like jacket style BC's, but these are very popular and would probably have been recommended to me. I don't need a fully adjustable reg, yet a good sales job would have proved to an uneducated me that I did...

I saved myself HUNDREDS of dollars, AND got equipment I like better than what I would have bought if I bought before class.

Assuming you are confident in the rental gear, I strongly suggest a few dives under your belt. I bought my equipment after about 15-20 O/W dives and I'm very glad I waited.

 

[ToyZuki9615]

I am scheduled to take my OW in FL at the end of this month. I have already bought my gear, because I am 100% certain that I am going to dive for the rest of my life. I am extremely comfortable in the water and I have taken discover scuba locally and absolutely loved it! I would like to learn in my gear, because I am the type of person that will adapt to whatever gear I have (and replace if absolutely necessary).

I researched about gear a lot and when I had the funding a very good deal on the gear I wanted came up on ScubaToys. All-in-all I got out the door between ScubaToys and JoeDiverAmerica for a little under $1200.

Gear:
Oceanic Delta 4 / FDX-10 reg
Aeris Gyro Octo
Mares Puck Air-Integrated Nitrox computer
Aeris Atmos LX BCD (back inflate hybrid)
Aeris Velocity XP fins, mask, snorkel
BC knife, Computer retractor, Octo holder, Reg bag, Fin Bag
Hard sole 5mm boots, 5mm gloves and some other odds and ends...

I already have the wetsuit I need for FL, but other than that I ordered pretty much everything. I'm going to buy a 7mm wetsuit package from LeisurePro this summer for local diving. (they have a package with hood, gloves, boots, suit for $200 right now)

So in summary... If you definitely want to buy gear, look around online, consider your local shop if they can come close in price (none of mine could).

 

[Jim Lapenta]

"uncoated block weights, uncoated lead weights, flag & float, 80 suf cylinder, plastic line holder with 75' line, mesh backpack,"

At this point these items are a waste of your money. Do not even think about buying weights until the instructor has shown you how to properly weight yourself. Rent tanks for a while unless you plan to dive every weekend. When you do buy tanks buy at least two. One is pretty much worthless because you'll likely need to rent another anyway. Flag and float with line and holder? Nah not yet. Dive with people that already have them. Why would anyone buy a mesh back pack and an equipment bag. Not necessary. Buy the bag, ditch the mesh.

You do not need a computer either. At least for a while. And the cobra is a $500 one at least. Cheaper ones are out there that will do the same thing. BC - don't buy until you've had a chance to try a few. Ask if in the class they will let you try different styles. If not- why not?

What kind of wetsuit? Brand name or generic. Big differences as well. Hose guard should come with reg and not be extra. And they are not that useful anyway. I've seen more new divers abuse them by not pulling them back and rinsing under them. And scumball is a good name for that. An octo holder can be made out of surgical tubing and a couple zip ties for a buck. I like the ones from trident that are a simple hook on to the d ring and an open silicone loop.

The reg is a good one but there are others that will do the job for less money.

This kind of sales pitch is why I devoted a chapter to choosing gear in my book. And why I carry the line of gear I do. I never pressure anyone to spend more than they need to. In the last two days I've discouraged a few customers from spending nearly $200 with me because they didn't need the items.

 

[Teamcasa]

One common denominator with new divers is: If they stay with this sport, they never end up using the same gear they originally bought. Just read the posts, virtually all new divers buy a basic kit from a local dive shop. Then, after they really get into diving they sell that gear on eBay/Craigs or here in the classifieds then move on to new stuff. They then repeat that cycle a few more times until they finally end up with the gear they use today.

 

[al248005]

I agree with what Jim said. You are truely getting the "newbie" sales pitch. I have been certified over 3 years and have never used 1) a spool and line 2) flag and float. The places I dive a flag and float isn't necessary because there are no boats. Now this has a lot to do with where you intend to dive. For me they are just little ponds or strip pits. The spool and line I don't see the need for at least for the type of diving I do. If you want to do overhead diving or are looking into a cavern class well it might be an option for you. Most of the places you go to the attractions will be marked with a float buoy. The buoy is usually attached to the attraction by a nylon rope. I rented tanks for a year and that's diving every week. I finally, like Jim suggested, and went and bought 2 used tanks because with my work hours its tough for me to get to the dive shop once to get them filled let alone twice (once for pickup and once for return).

I would only get mask, fins, snorkel, and booties to start off with. Try out different kinds of gear to see what works well with you before you spend that kind of money on it. And don't let the dive shop tell you that you need to buy it all now and at once in order to be able to take the class. That is just a LIE. I have seen too many people on here selling brand new gear because they thought diving was going to be something more than it is. They go and buy all of their stuff right off the bat only to find out that 1)they don't have the time to dive or 2) they just don't like it as much as they thought they would.

 

[RingoesTar]

Having recently received my certification I'd say to hold on your big equipment purchase until afterwards. Have the basic wetsuit, fins, snorkel, mask, etc. Having said that, in hindsight it would have been good to learn in my own equipment, but what if I didn't like it? Suppose I didn't pass? I rented gear from three shops in two countries during training and the only thing that I really could have used was my own regulator. Some were wet, hard to breath, etc. Now, after certification and a few dives, I'll get my own gear and have somewhat of an idea of what is OK for me at this point in time. Your LDS seem to be loading you with a lot of stuff early on? Hope this helps.