New to diving, need help with a few questions.

On your gear research.
Look to the gear forums and read, read, read, after a whole bunch of reading a few themes will be clear in you mind and then you will probably be really confused. But you will also be ready to ask more specific questions, and in the best forum for each.

Reading about diving and diving gear is not as much fun as diving but it is a good thing to do during a long surface interval.

 

I can't add anything that has'nt already been said but it will get easier with time and practice, eventually you won't even hold you nose

As for gear, again the preivous posts say it all, the vast majority of gear avalible now is good, but think ahead, this can save you a great deal of money in the long run

Good luck and i hope you enjoy your diving

 

I have a couple of ear suggestions: 1) I always pre-equalize them just before slipping the surface and 2) if one ear wont equalize turn your head so that ear is parallel with the surface and then blow. It usually works for me. As for gear my recomendation is to talk to lots of local dive shops and read some gear reviews. My husband and got it narrowed down to two brands we were most interested in and the LDS was nice enough to let us try both of them out in thier pool and that trial made it a very clear cut decision for us. Good luck!