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drrich2
Contributor
Hi. Welcome. Roughly where are you, and what kind of places do you anticipate diving? Any rough idea about how often you might be diving?
Mask fit is individual and for some people hard enough to achieve that if you find one that fits great, buy 2 and plan to pack it in your carry on baggage when you travel to dive.
A dive computer could be a good choice if you learn the interface and what alerts mean.
If you are an unusual size or body shape, or just don't like wearing rental options, a wetsuit could be a good choice.
Richard.
Mask fit is individual and for some people hard enough to achieve that if you find one that fits great, buy 2 and plan to pack it in your carry on baggage when you travel to dive.
A dive computer could be a good choice if you learn the interface and what alerts mean.
If you are an unusual size or body shape, or just don't like wearing rental options, a wetsuit could be a good choice.
Richard.
Welcome flygirl. What gear to buy first depends on a few variables. If you haven't already, you'll want to buy your own mask, booties, and fins. After that, it depends on where you will be diving and availability of decent rental gear. If you aren't diving in exclusively in tropical waters, you should probably invest in a good fitting wetsuit, suitable for the waters you will dive most often. Rental wetsuits will rarely fit you as well as one you purchase. Beyond that, you'll probably want a computer, then regulator & BC.
A couple of cross posts here. 
. If you are going to be diving "everywhere" then one wetsuit will not sufficient. I usually dive a shorty in the tropics and up to a an 8mm wetsuit late in the year off North Carolina. After that, I'd still recommend a wrist mount computer. That way you can use it with any rental regulator wherever you go.
. If you are going to be diving "everywhere" then one wetsuit will not sufficient. I usually dive a shorty in the tropics and up to a an 8mm wetsuit late in the year off North Carolina. After that, I'd still recommend a wrist mount computer. That way you can use it with any rental regulator wherever you go.
drrich2
Contributor
It's not all about practical concerns, either. If you use a rental regulator, it's been in somebody else's mouth. If you use a rental wetsuit, somebody else peed in it. If that stuff bothers you a lot, well, you may have your answers!
Richard.
Richard.
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Agree. Plus BCD. I bought it all used. Give some thought to tank size before you buy. That steel 120 was just too heavy for any really long walks. Computer is a good idea, but you can get by with a cheap watch and depth gauge. Definitely a computer if you plan on a lot of "deep" dives.
Knife if you're around fishing line or other possible entanglements. Compass if it's not part of your console already (have to know where you're going). Booties unless you'll always use full foot fins in very warm water. For all other fins the spring straps are the way to go.
There are numerous threads asking about what to buy first, and of course varying opinions.
MichaelMc
Working toward Cenotes
If you're flying around and diving on the way, small and light weight might be key. In aviation flight crew or month at a time traveling mechanic/engineer... Tropics or sub arctic... 50lb checked bags or 20 lb helo carry on...?
Definitely wrist computer vs console, it lets you pack your computer in a pocket and rent the rest if you want. Although reg set is next easiest to pack, BC might be early on the list, in that it is what everything else hangs off of. Many here, and I, like BP/W, aka widely customizable back inflate. There are versions with fabric, aluminum, or light steel plates for travel. Suits are bulky, so other than thin tropic suits, that might join the travel list last. (For super light, you might go side mount, but apparently that only really saves a last couple of pounds.)
Definitely wrist computer vs console, it lets you pack your computer in a pocket and rent the rest if you want. Although reg set is next easiest to pack, BC might be early on the list, in that it is what everything else hangs off of. Many here, and I, like BP/W, aka widely customizable back inflate. There are versions with fabric, aluminum, or light steel plates for travel. Suits are bulky, so other than thin tropic suits, that might join the travel list last. (For super light, you might go side mount, but apparently that only really saves a last couple of pounds.)
Hi Flygirl, Welcome to scuba!
I get the "What to buy?" question from students and customers all the time! My go to answer is usually more dives! Go diving! Rent for just a bit and figure out what you works for you, and what doesn't. For me personally, I hated rental regulators, so that was my first purchase. Regulators now are so good that even rentals are often good enough for a while. If that is the case, than a computer would be high on my list of recommendations. Having your own computer lets you track (log) your diving, maintain safe diving practices, and keep track of your Time To Fly limits which may be important to a Flygirl.
Whatever you plan on doing and/or buying, HAVE FUN!
I get the "What to buy?" question from students and customers all the time! My go to answer is usually more dives! Go diving! Rent for just a bit and figure out what you works for you, and what doesn't. For me personally, I hated rental regulators, so that was my first purchase. Regulators now are so good that even rentals are often good enough for a while. If that is the case, than a computer would be high on my list of recommendations. Having your own computer lets you track (log) your diving, maintain safe diving practices, and keep track of your Time To Fly limits which may be important to a Flygirl.
Whatever you plan on doing and/or buying, HAVE FUN!
