New to diving

[VikingDives]

Hello everyone!
I’m currently in the process of getting my open water cert through SSI and have completed all course work just scheduling my pool training and then my cert dive. I’m reaching out because I purchased my own gear and have been doing reviews and such but wanted to know if anyone has experience with this gear or things to lookout for or know. Here’s the big pieces I got
Zeagle Ranger BCD
Aqualung helix pro reg and octo
Tusa freedom elite mask( had this from snorkeling)
Apeks rk3 fins
Aqualung i470tc dive computer (currently without transmitter)
Apeks air gauge

About me on a personal note- I’m a firefighter/aemt, I enjoy playing and coaching ice hockey, boating, hiking, travel to warmer places, and weightlifting.

Any input on my gear would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!

I'm curious what you paid for all that and where you want to be in a few years diving wise. You could have done much worse, but I'd venture to say you could have done better. . .

I hate seeing first responders getting ripped off.

 

[Litefoot]

Sounds like you did some research and got a good set of gear. Now you have a unique situation in which you can have your instructor and/or DM help you set up your own kit. Pretty cool.

 

[Jrob4449]

I'm curious what you paid for all that and where you want to be in a few years diving wise. You could have done much worse, but I'd venture to say you could have done better. . .

I hate seeing first responders getting ripped off.

Little over 2k after taxes and I wanted to keep my options open to use it to work towards my departments dive team. Recreationally I’d like to get into underwater photography.

 

[Jrob4449]

Sounds like you did some research and got a good set of gear. Now you have a unique situation in which you can have your instructor and/or DM help you set up your own kit. Pretty cool.

The shop I went to is less than a mile from my house and the manager and instructor have been very easy and comfortable to work with. I did a lot of research and spoke with guys I know who are advanced divers so I felt like I was getting good products that are comfortable to me as I was sized for them all and had the setup built for me and my body type. I wanted to make sure I had some
Of the basic things to be comfortable in my own gear while learning and when I started going through it I was able to get the gear I was looking for. But the original post was really to hear any secrets or tricks people have learned with it so to speak.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

The shop I went to is less than a mile from my house and the manager and instructor have been very easy and comfortable to work with. I did a lot of research and spoke with guys I know who are advanced divers so I felt like I was getting good products that are comfortable to me as I was sized for them all and had the setup built for me and my body type. I wanted to make sure I had some
Of the basic things to be comfortable in my own gear while learning and when I started going through it I was able to get the gear I was looking for. But the original post was really to hear any secrets or tricks people have learned with it so to speak.

Ok.. I feel better for you now. You did a lot of research and not just walking into the nearest dive shop. Not that any shop would just sell you gear...
What I have learned through the years of diving, is that my equipment changed a lot the first 500 dives. What I started with I do not dive with now with the excpetion of my mask which has been replaced a few times by the same style. Drop in lenses dictate that. I'm not thrilled with it, but am willing to make that concession. I did go from pink to black though. LOL
The biggest takeaway is that there is a lot of gear choices, and what works great for one is not the best choice for another.
Good luck on your journey! Its a good one!
Oh.. wait till you have at least 50 dives before jumping into photography. It takes that long to get everything dialed in, and getting the neutral buoyancy down. When you hit 50 dives, you will have a clue. When you hit 100 you'll realize at 50 you really didn't have a clue.

 

[formernuke]

When you hit 50 dives, you will have a clue. When you hit 100 you'll realize at 50 you really didn't have a clue.

I think this the best thing I've heard here in a while.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Thanks. I repeat that often to new divers...
(and there are a LOT of new divers in this area!!!)

 

[Chavodel8en]

My opinion on scuba gear is that almost all of it will do the job fine, and the rest is about personal preferences. And you may not yet have personal preferences in scuba until you dive a bit. Hence folks recommendation to rent for a bit.

But if you already bought, that's fine, they are all reputable brands, and all of it is fairly standard gear configuration, nothing gimicky that could be a problem.

Enjoy your diving!

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Hello everyone!
I’m currently in the process of getting my open water cert through SSI and have completed all course work just scheduling my pool training and then my cert dive. I’m reaching out because I purchased my own gear and have been doing reviews and such but wanted to know if anyone has experience with this gear or things to lookout for or know. Here’s the big pieces I got
Zeagle Ranger BCD
Aqualung helix pro reg and octo
Tusa freedom elite mask( had this from snorkeling)
Apeks rk3 fins
Aqualung i470tc dive computer (currently without transmitter)
Apeks air gauge

About me on a personal note- I’m a firefighter/aemt, I enjoy playing and coaching ice hockey, boating, hiking, travel to warmer places, and weightlifting.

Any input on my gear would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!

You did fine on the gear. I dove a Ranger for 20 years, and it's improved since then. I'm in the "not a fan of the ripcord system" personally, but that's one of those cases where everybody's different and nobody's really wrong. Other than the ripcord, there's nothing about the Ranger I didn't like.

I'm not familiar with the Aqualung i470tc, but I often recommend the AL i330R for new divers. I think the i470tc will serve you better in the long run if you keep with diving, though. The i330R is more entry-level. For most divers, it will be fine for their whole diving career. But it's not suitable for tech diving.

I tend to think "a regulators a regulators a regulator." It keeps you alive underwater. The only difference I can figure out is some breathe a bit easier at extreme depths. And by the time you're going to those extreme depths, the other gear you'll need is so expensive upgrading your regulator will be the least of your concerns....

Folks have commented on medical issues. Just to play devil's advocate for a moment, I'll tell you about two students I ended up putting on oxygen and sending to the ER after diving. Thankfully, both fully recovered. The first was training for a half marathon. And she's fast, as in "winning her age group" fast. However, she didn't realize she was vulnerable to immersion pulmonary edema. There's no medical test for this, no way to know it'll be an issue ahead of time. She was fine in the pool, but surfaced frothing at the mouth after her first cold water dive. Ultimately the docs decided she could never dive again. (But she ran a half marathon two weeks later, and won her age group a month later. ) The other student got the bends on a deep dive (100') but with an otherwise unremarkable profile and LOOONNNGGG safety stop (7-8 minutes). She shouldn't have gotten bent. Turns out she had a patent foramen ovale. No clue until she got bent. If your medical checks include echocardiograms, then you'd know for sure if you had a PFO or not. But echos aren't really a standard part of any physical I'm aware of. Maybe some military applications?

 

[Jrob4449]

You did fine on the gear. I dove a Ranger for 20 years, and it's improved since then. I'm in the "not a fan of the ripcord system" personally, but that's one of those cases where everybody's different and nobody's really wrong. Other than the ripcord, there's nothing about the Ranger I didn't like.

I'm not familiar with the Aqualung i470tc, but I often recommend the AL i330R for new divers. I think the i470tc will serve you better in the long run if you keep with diving, though. The i330R is more entry-level. For most divers, it will be fine for their whole diving career. But it's not suitable for tech diving.

I tend to think "a regulators a regulators a regulator." It keeps you alive underwater. The only difference I can figure out is some breathe a bit easier at extreme depths. And by the time you're going to those extreme depths, the other gear you'll need is so expensive upgrading your regulator will be the least of your concerns....

Folks have commented on medical issues. Just to play devil's advocate for a moment, I'll tell you about two students I ended up putting on oxygen and sending to the ER after diving. Thankfully, both fully recovered. The first was training for a half marathon. And she's fast, as in "winning her age group" fast. However, she didn't realize she was vulnerable to immersion pulmonary edema. There's no medical test for this, no way to know it'll be an issue ahead of time. She was fine in the pool, but surfaced frothing at the mouth after her first cold water dive. Ultimately the docs decided she could never dive again. (But she ran a half marathon two weeks later, and won her age group a month later. ) The other student got the bends on a deep dive (100') but with an otherwise unremarkable profile and LOOONNNGGG safety stop (7-8 minutes). She shouldn't have gotten bent. Turns out she had a patent foramen ovale. No clue until she got bent. If your medical checks include echocardiograms, then you'd know for sure if you had a PFO or not. But echos aren't really a standard part of any physical I'm aware of. Maybe some military applications?

So update…..I’ve got my certs, a couple speciality classes (nitrox and react right) and have done 24 dives since getting certified in the end of January. Love my regulator and my ranger, zeros issues with them. I have had a lot of battery issues with my i470tc so my shop is in the process of talking to aqualung but I’m probably going to get the teric as I’ve really enjoyed everything and am working on getting my pro certs and dives in. Medically, I’ve had an echo, I do ekgs so I’ve never seen an issue with my heart. I’ve been fortunate to dive a few wrecks, do a night dive, several dives in the keys, some in Clearwater fl, a few springs in central Florida and am going to be doing some diving on a cleanup event on my local lakes. No issues thus far, a little trouble equalizing at times and I tend to do better with swallowing verses the valsalva method. But no legitimate issues. I appreciate everyone’s feedback and at this time don’t have any regrets with my decisions or money spent.