New to diving and looking at equipment.

[LowDrag]

I agree with Peter. As a newer diver myself and having just tried diving with a BP&W recently I wish I would have listened to people like Peter last year. I just dived my ScubaPro Glide Pro last weekend to compare it to the wing I have been diving. I was amazed that I at how unstable I felt in my Glide Pro. That being said, you are going to buy what you are going to buy and may possibly end up changing down the road.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[Damselfish]

Are you looking at this gear for after you are certified, or are you talking about getting gear before then? If before, I think it's (surprisingly) been said only once so far on this thread, but for most people it's best to wait until after you are certified to get the major gear. You will much better be able to decide what you want after you have actually learned to dive. This won't guarantee you get it all right the first time, we all accumulate gear, but you've really got a much better chance of picking out stuff you won't want to replace in a couple months if you wait. (Also, in the case of a BC, if you only go by pictures on the net and have not actually seen it and at least tried it on.)

 

[eelnoraa]

Hello,

My fiance and I are going to start our open water certification and we have decided to look into getting our own equipment. Here is a list I put together for me and wanted to see what you guys think about it. We will be mostly diving in warm water.

Because of this, you should at least wait until you finish OW.

 

[Skittl1321]

We are planning on getting our certification at Rainbow Reef in Key Largo.

That's going to be MUCH prettier than Iowa diving
Good luck getting your gear and certificate! (I'd still suggest using rental gear... it might not be for you, or you might find your like something you didn't think you would.)

 

[tamas970]

I second (third, etc...) that. I also bought my equipment after OW. Several parts are second hand, a few things hunted down from Asian e-bay sources. Quite a lot of $$ can be saved once you know what you really need and what do you accept from 2nd hand.

That's going to be MUCH prettier than Iowa diving
Good luck getting your gear and certificate! (I'd still suggest using rental gear... it might not be for you, or you might find your like something you didn't think you would.)

 

[windapp]

I would not spend any more than $250 on your first BCD. If you don't like it, $600 is a lot to blow. Just get a used BC, and after you have figured out what your trim requirements are, then buy your permanent one. Your BCD is a very personal thing. You can get 100 different opinions on a BCD, and none of them will tell you how you are going to like it.

It's taken me a couple of years to come to the conclusion that for my bottom-heavy body, I really want to go to a back plate and wing. I spent $180 on my first (used) BCD. It has served me well, and by the time I get to having the BP&W setup I want, it will have only cost me $60 a year, which if I continue to dive at the same rate works out to $2 a dive.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Another big mistake is going cheap on your octo. It should perform at least as well as your primary. Think about what it is used for. The stuff hits the fan and you need to hand it off to your fiance or go on it yourself. Do you really want a piece of crap to breathe off of in such a stressful situation?

And think about the psychological message it sends during the pre dive check. " This is my low cost, kinda eh performing alternate. This is what you are going to get if you go out of air. See what I think of you?" or yourself if you decide to breathe it. All nine of my regs have seconds that are equal in performance.

Forget the expensive computer. get a cheap one and put the money towards a real second stage for your alternate.

 

[windapp]

Another big mistake is going cheap on your octo. It should perform at least as well as your primary. Think about what it is used for. The stuff hits the fan and you need to hand it off to your fiance or go on it yourself. Do you really want a piece of crap to breathe off of in such a stressful situation?

And think about the psychological message it sends during the pre dive check. " This is my low cost, kinda eh performing alternate. This is what you are going to get if you go out of air. See what I think of you?" or yourself if you decide to breathe it. All nine of my regs have seconds that are equal in performance.

Forget the expensive computer. get a cheap one and put the money towards a real second stage for your alternate.

I have never really understood this. If my octo was the same as my primary, it would free-flow every time a jumped into the water until I shook the air out of it.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Not if you tuned it correctly. Or if you had an octo with a venturi or breathing adjustment knob. And if it did that you are not storing it properly for the entry.

 

[BDSC]

Looks like the reach may be a little short for use by a panicing dive buddy?

I dive an AIR II which is the Scubapro version of the Octo-Z and I love mine. If a buddy goes out of air, you would give him your primary reg and you would take the Octo-Z. The reach is just fine for you.