Newbie basic gear questions

[rachel0]

Hi--I am getting open water certified as I write, just finished some pool classes, haven't done my first open water dive. We've (my DH & I) always wanted to dive (well, i have) and with our first cruise coming up, we finally got the time to be able to do it. (went to Bali in 2001, could kick myself for not learning before then, but really didn't have time to learn before the trip). We live in Houston and there seems to be some readily accessible diving just on weekends, so maybe we'll be able to do it often, but as our lives and careers get busier, I just don't know.

Anyway, we've bought snorkel stuff (fins, mask, snorkel) weight belt, gloves & booties b/c we've done alot of snorkeling and that stuff would be useful regardless of how much diving we end up doing. So my question is: not knowing how much diving we will do, what do we really need now or just rent that stuff now and wait until the cruise is over and see when we actually go diving again to even think about buying the "serious" equipment?

Sorry for the super long post and TIA!

 

[Scubaguy62]

Take it from me, once you start diving, you will only stop when you go and meet your maker.

My advise is this, if you can calculate, to some degree of certainty, how many times you will dive in say 2 years, and then calculate how much it will cost to rent gear for those times, then you will at least have a monetary figure with which to compare to the cost of purchasing gear. Then you'll need to ask yourself this question, do I really want to use gear that I don't know who else has used it, or where it's stored, or how well is cleaned (and disinfected), or that is perhaps torn, or that might just not work as it should? Then go and look at moderately priced equipment, and you'll find that the few extra $$ you will spend on your own gear will serve to keep your sanity!!

 

[hantzu701]

It depends.

In general, most dive professionals would urge you to buy your own equipment. If you own your own equipment, you will 1) dive more often and 2) be more comfortable with equipment that fits you.

Personally, my advice is to wait and see if 1) diving is for you and 2) what kind of diving that you'll do. Eg. There isn't much point in buying a 7mm wetsuit if all the diving that you plan to do is in warm, clear water. I also think that newbies (myself included) tend to go out and buy equipment as a crutch.

I made the mistake of buying everything upfront. I also made the mistake of listening to my local dive shop for purchasing advice. I bought a lot of stuff that I didn't need or want later and had to e-bay it at a loss. Not all dive shops are bad, but in general, equipment sales constitute the bulk of their annual revenue. They have a lot of incentive to sell equipment.

So, what I'm trying to say, is, buy equipment at your own pace, when you are ready for it. Scuba gear is a huge investment, so take your time. Rent and try out that $500 BCD before you buy it. A BCD that feels comfortable in the shop may feel terrible in the water.

 

[yknot]

Your question is one of the most common I see on this board. There are some serious decisions you need to make about your diving before you buy gear. If you only dive once a year on a tropical vacation there wouldn't be much point, from a cost basis, of buying gear. On the other hand, buying your own gear tends to have two results: 1) you may dive more. Just thinking about all of that expensive gear gathering dust should motivate you and 2) you can concentrate on developing your dive skills whan you have your own gear because you won't have to constantly contend with different items of rental gear. Another decision is whether you are willing to buy online or from a LDS. If you aren't comfortable making a decision without the advice of a dive shop then you probably shouldn't buy gear online. Alot of shops will match internet prices but you have to know what they are and be willing to push the issue. Just remember that we are talking about a potential savings of hundreds of dollars of your money. You also haven't specified if you will be diving in colder water, say below 60 degrees. This will require a larger investment upfront. A cold water reg will be fine in the tropics but a tropical reg won't work in the cold. With generic internet pricing (www.leisurepro.com), a basic package would be regulator, octo, analog gauge set, BC (and you will need to further decide between back inflate or jacket styles) and wet suit. Figure on at least $800 each for warm water diving. Everything except maybe the BC becomes more expensive for colder water, plus add hoods and gloves, total of about $1200 min. each. If you want dive computers, plan on at least another $300 each for something dependable. What I'm telling you is very broad but will give you some sort of indication as to the minimum investment your facing. When you are readye more specific about where you want to head with your diving then you can expect more specific advice on gear from this board. In spite of personal preference, virtually all of the well known name brand gear available today is pretty good.

 

[rachel0]

thank you for the advice! I think i will wait until at least until my first open water dive so i can try out some gear before i buy. I did have trouble with the BC last night in the pool although it felt fine before i got in so i see the point in try first.

 

[mccabejc]

Also keep in mind that often diving is a sport that requires a great deal of effort and resources compared to other sports. And you may find that you just don't want to invest all that it takes. The equipment is very expensive (thousands of dollars). The classes are expensive and time consuming. And when you're done with the OW class you likely will want to take more classes. And maybe buy an underwater camera. And then you have to find someone to dive with every time you want to go. So there's a lot of time and effort finding buddies and scheduling. And it's more difficult when you're new, because people don't know you and some have an aversion to diving with new guys. So you really have to put yourself out there. And make sure you have a backup buddy in case your other buddy flakes. And don't forget to drive to the LDS and pick up your rental equipment the day before. And then you need to find places to dive. Here in California we are lucky, but still it takes a some effort. Often you have to wake up very early, and maybe drive an hour or two to get there while there is still parking available. Beach dives depend on conditions, and you may go thru all that and end up deciding to scratch the dive. Or you can spend $100 to dive off a boat. Or you can spend $50 to take the ferry to Catalina. All of that for an hour or two underwater. And when you're done you have to reverse the process, make sure you wash all your equipment, fill out your log, etc.

Not to discourage you, but the last thing you want to do is buy a whole load of equipment and end up having it sit in your garage.

 

[yknot]

What brands of gear does the shop you are certifiying with carry? What, specifically if you can recall, gear are you using in the pool? Not being a woman I can only assume that there could be fit and comfort issues with BC's, which are probably implied to be unisex by the LDS. Try searching the woman's forum for specific advice. Before you buy anything, visit at least three other dive shops to see some different gear and hear some different advice. LDS's don't typically recommend something that may be perfect for you unless they carry it. Dive equipment purchasing can be very intimidating and confusing. Don't get fast talked into a package by the shop.

 

[rachel0]

The BC brand I've been using in the pool is LadyHawk. I tried on a Diva, it seemed more comfortable, but i've not used it in the pool. I've searched the forums, but there's so much information I was getting a bit overwhelmed so that's why i started the thread. I really like the idea of visiting other shops though and see what they say.

We're getting an underwater case for one of our digital cameras (or an UW camera) regardless--I love snorkeling and being in the water and have many times wished for a water-safe camera even when above water like rafting. And that disposable stuff is so useless.

The one reason I thought about buying, for example, a regulator and BC is I'm a bit paranoid about a crappy rental regulator and a BC i am unfamiliar with.

Thank you so much for your help--This board is really fantastic!

 

[rachel0]

As far as diving locations--over the past 6 years, we've been to Bali once, Hawaii 4x , India 3x, and coastal California more times than i can count (we've been to Singapore as well--i guess there's good diving there too?). We go to Chicago, Europe & the DC/NYC area lot but don't plan to do any diving there except maybe Italy. We plan to go to Greece, Turkey & Egypt so I'd like to do some diving in the Red Sea. But that won't be for a few years. Next year, though, I'm aiming for Tahiti. So it's largely warmer waters, except California, I don't see any point in getting cold water stuff unless and until we actually do some diving in California or somewhere. So wouldn't renting the cold water stuff would be better than buying it now?

I'd like to make this a lifetime obsession, i mean hobby. I love the water, i love being in the water, and I love marine life. I dream about our SNUBA adventures in Hawaii and snorkeling in India when i'm stressed out. I love learning about scuba and am extremely excited to be able to investigate the marine life upclose. But, I'm worried i won't get to do it often enough b/c of my (or his) career and family obligations.

So, reading y'all's advice, it seems best to wait until after the cruise and then if we go diving again, then i know scuba will be part of us and time to buy. And it gives the credit cards some time to breathe!

Did i mention how grateful i am for all the replies (and so quick too)!

 

[yknot]

So it's largely warmer waters, except California, I don't see any point in getting cold water stuff unless and until we actually do some diving in California or somewhere. So wouldn't renting the cold water stuff would be better than buying it now?

Yes and no. There's no such thing as too much regulator. If you buy a reg that is capable of world record depths under a polar ice cap rest assured that it will be fine in the Red Sea. In the case of a regulator, you are looking at maybe $300 complete for a good quality warm water reg and $550 for a very good quality cold water reg. While I resent paying more than a competitive price for a specific piece of gear I have never regretted buying the best I could afford. Additionaly, the more inexpensive gear may suit you for a lifetime but has very poor resale when you want to upgrade. Buy the absolute best you can afford. The trick with scuba is figuring out what the best you can afford is.