New Diver - what's the right gear for me?

[mikeyjoe]

Will also need a desent underwater light - murky water in these rivers. Any opionons on a good one

Well thanks in advance, im sure ill have more questions

UK C8 LED $149 @ Leisure Pro - worth every penny - you won't regret it......

 

[SkipperJohn]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/lights/

 

[linger]

If you have the time / patience, only buy used gear. You'll find it (on SB trade forum, and another website called divematrix) in any condition you want (new, nearly new, used). You may get astounding deals, as it is very very common to trade-up in gear.
>This also means if you stay actively diving, you trade-up your gear (in a year, in a few months).
Think about what ZKY and bouyant1 hint at. The major online dive-shops sell 'accessible' gear, you might use it for life. Or, you might buddy-up with some divers and in two months see that none of the gear you want to buy is on any of the big online dive stores.
Best, Ryan

 

[Buoyant1]

you are all so very helpful, I am taking all your comments to heart.

BTW I am from York Pa pretty close to Hersey

Thanks again guys/girls

Ok, so you'll be diving Bainbridge and Dutch Springs (and a few other places) Yep, you'll definately want environmentally sealed regs and a 7mm+ for most of your local diving. The Bainbridge is 40's at any decent depth throughout most of the summer. (shallow depth's mid-summer you can get away with a 3mm, but go below 25 ft and you know it!) The owner requires for environmentally sealed regs below 50' also...

Just a note...there are a few good shops in the area that offer comparable prices and service...you may want to check them out before committing though...(and no I don't work for any of them)

 

[gumbo717]

I also live in the York, PA area and if you are looking for a place to dive there is a group of us that dive BSC just about every weekend. Infact we are diving tomorrow morning. We meet at the quarry shop at 9am, BS a little, and get to it, then we off gas with lunch and a few cold ones at McCleary's Pub in Marietta. You are welcome to join us anytime and I will be glad to show you around the quarry.

If you are looking to buy gear locally then I can recommend a few shops in the area and if you don't mind a drive a few toward the Philly area. I personally know both shop owners in York and Lancaster and know which brands they offer.

I can only recommend that if you do buy gear and want to consistently dive in the area then look into a Back Plate and Wing set up, it will get some weight off your belt and also be a system that you can customize for different types of diving. Also if you are buying cylinders then get steels. As far as reg, enviro sealed is a good way to go due to the cold temps up here - free flows are a common occurrence with some regs.

I had a Mares Proton Ice, it served me well, I now dive Apex regs and love them.

I think that it is important that you try some different equipment set ups before you buy, in the long run knowing that you bought something that you have tried out first and are comfortable with makes a big difference.

Have fun!

JT

 

[bottlediger]

Thanks for all the comments again guys/girls.

I just wanted to give an up date I have made some purchases after spending countless hrs reading on here and I went with this set up

cyl - worthington HP 130 with 300 bar din valve

Reg - Oceanic Delta 4 fdx10 w/ 300 bar din sounds like a great reg for the cold water around here

Octo - Oceanic slimline

Wetsuit - Aqualung solafx 7/8mm great price at LP

Comp - Oceanic Atom 2.0 w/ hoseless transmiter bought used for a killer deal on the bay 340.00 after ebay coupon

Still need a BC - looking for a desent used one in small prob going to go with a cheap used Sherwood Silhouette
Weight belt - also looking for a used one
Light - looking at the UK C4 Led w/ rechargeable batteries

That should cover me, what do you all think

Thanks again for all the help, great bunch of people you all are

 

[pollywogg]

sorry...info already posted

 

[mikeyjoe]

For a light, I love my UK C8 Led - not incredibly expensive either.......

Make sure you get the Led one.

 

[bottlediger]

Do you think there is a big differnce in the C8 to C4?

 

[scubadobadoo]

I'd go with good used stuff to begin with----a computer is not necessary @ this time(ie 30 to 40' dives is probably what you'll be making)......Remeber, when the stuff leaves the car lot(ie dive shop), it's automatically 30+% reduced....year or longer old, it's now %50 less..

I agree. Heck, you could probably buy that Mares package for half the new price from somebody else on ebay or here who bought it 6 months ago and already wants to sell it. (not that it isn't perfectly good stuff for recreational diving)

If not, rent for a while if you can. Only time will tell if that Mares package will make you happy. I originally bought one of those packages and it did the trick for a year and then I bought something else. MANY do exactly the same.

Take the time to use more gear and you may likely find that the Mares package won't make you happy in the end.

My biggest suggestion is, once you have taken the time to decide what you REALLY want...BUY IT. Even if it takes longer to save for it because it costs more. If you don't, you may likely end up selling the compromise gear you purchased and just buying what you really wanted. Save some time and cash and get what you really want FIRST but ONLY after thorough research. Trust me on this.

Have fun!