New Equipment

[Anna95]

Hello

I've been diving since March, although not that regularly unfortunately Anyway I went diving today on my 16th dive and a woman who is on about 10 dives said to me "I've bought all the gear for my two children and myself..!'

... uh.

Please tell me that I'm not being ridiculous by not making such a major investment, despite wanting to continue diving in the long term? So far I only have a mask, but I do want to travel after uni so are there any recommendations of what to buy next? I was thinking finns?

I hope someone can reassure me!!

 

[runsongas]

no, it is fine to rent gear if you don't dive very often. you can always just be patient and pick up used gear on the cheap slowly too.

 

[Reku]

It is perfectly OK to rent gear - I would however own my fins/boots/mask at a minimum - then from there I would probably buy a wetsuit - because wetsuits need to fit right or you'll be cold. Everything else you could rent. From there it would probably be a computer - then regs - then bcd.

The computer will be important if you ever go on multi dive multi day liveaboards.

Slowly over time you'll amass quite a collection of gear anyway if you keep diving - no need to rush into it.

Used gear is a good option - I've gotten some serious deals over the years.

Have fun. Enjoy.

 

[Anna95]

Yes I hope thats the case. I'm moving back to the UK next month so dont want to accumulate too much but I might check out fins and boots then if i have the money

 

[Lorenzoid]

If you'll be diving locally, you will want your own gear sooner rather than later. If you're traveling to tropical destinations, you could get by for a long time without ever buying gear. I know a couple who have done hundreds of dives, all over the Caribbean and Pacific, and amazingly, rent everything except mask and fins/boots. They have no gear to pack in their bags, no gear to clean when they get home, and no gear to store at home. They say they have never been rented poor quality gear. (No doubt they choose their dive operators wisely--they've got the money to do so--and avoid those shoestring operations geared toward backpackers.) These people are the extreme example, but you get the idea. You could rent gear for a while and be fine. Consider it part of the cost of traveling.

 

[Neilwood]

Personally i think it comes down a number of issues:
1) Spare money - if you have it, it is easy to justify buying kit
2) Are you a gear collector? Some people need to buy everything for every hobby.
3) Quality of rental gear - if the kit looks well kept the tendency will be to keep using it
4) Cost of rental gear - if it is quite reasonable, it might be cheaper depending on 5
5) Amount of diving you plan to do and where.

 

[chrisch]

If you are moving to the UK you will want a drysuit. It's a fairly essential bit of kit to get the best out of living here. I wouldn't worry about buying anything much before that. Most folk change all their shiny new kit about a year after they buy it. New divers get sucked into buying gimmicks and silly items that end up on eBay or in the scrap bin. I thoroughly recommend taking your time before shelling out on equipment. You have a mask but the fins might be the wrong size for the drysuit if you buy them to fit a wetsuit.

The items that are personal to you - exposure suit and mask are good items to own. Beyond that what do you think you might want when you get here? Will you enjoy the wreck diving the UK has to offer? Or will you want to be a holiday diver (so buy light air-portable kit). Are you going to buy a car here? Can you get everything in it?

100% honestly there really is no need at all to rush to spend your money.

 

[maj2]

Personally i think it comes down a number of issues:
1) Spare money - if you have it, it is easy to justify buying kit
2) Are you a gear collector? Some people need to buy everything for every hobby.
3) Quality of rental gear - if the kit looks well kept the tendency will be to keep using it
4) Cost of rental gear - if it is quite reasonable, it might be cheaper depending on 5
5) Amount of diving you plan to do and where.

The only thing I would add to this is the availability of rental gear.
I bought gear early after not being able to rent the correct size BCD on a couple of occasions because they were already booked (eg when my desired dive trips coincided with their open water training weekends).

 

[Bob DBF]

Please tell me that I'm not being ridiculous by not making such a major investment, despite wanting to continue diving in the long term?

SCUBA gear is an expense rather than an investment. Depending on your situation it may become a reasonable expense if you are diving enough to reduce your rental costs or increase your convenience when diving. In your situation, I would buy a mask, fins, snorkel, boots and depending on the amount and locations of my diving, would consider thermal protection and a dive computer. This would minimize the travel load and cost until you were in a situation to expand your dive locker.


Good Diving

Bob

 

[Subcooled]

Renting is a good option at first but owning becomes more economical if you would need to rent often.
Things that you might want to buy first include:
- a mask that fits your face (does not leak)
- a dive computer that logs your dives (because writing a dive diary is fun)

If you don't love logs and diaries then you are not in a hurry to get your own computer.

Later you might consider either clothing that fits (fins, boots, wet/dry suit, hood, ...) or your own regulators (& first stages). Which one first? Don't know. If you trust rented regs then maybe fitting clothing first, else regs. Comfort vs. trust. I will not place those in an order of preference for you. You do.

Addition: If you live and dive in a country that has cold waters, then you must get a drysuit for each dive and those are expensive to rent. Get a mask first, then buy a drysuit and undergarments and heavy rubber fins with spring straps. The regs and other stuff can wait.