Hello!
First of all I am so happy I've found scubaboard. It is very informative to read. Thank you all, guys!
I am new to this forum, so I am not sure if i should have started a new thread, but here are my problems...
I completed my PADI OW course in the end of last summer and have only 8 logged dives. Now I am considering what to do next and whether or not to buy some equipment.
About my situation:
Where I live the water is quite cold even in summer. We have some lakes that are cold and dark with poor vis and reach about 21 degrees C in summer on the surface. The Baltic sea is also a cold place to dive. I am going to try these lakes of ours when making PADI scuba review course before going to red sea vacation this summer. But I am still not sure if I will like them. Cos I am a bit claustrophobic and even snorkeling in those dark water makes me feel some fear creeping around. It scares me to see my feet disappearing into darkness below me. Besides this claustrophobic side of mine I am a fish in the water. I like swimming so far as I remember and I had a really good time having my course and diving in red sea last year. Our instructor was really satisfied with me and my fiance, when we were taking the course. And I was so satisfied when after finishing the course I could see myself having less buoyancy problems and smaller air consumption than some of the other guys from the group we were diving with. So I can see myself becoming a quite good diver IF I put more time into it and IF I have opportunity to dive often. Which of course I could have it I conquer this fear of mine for dark low visibility water and star diving here in Lithuania.
So in this place the dilemma comes: should I buy some gear for myself? If I do, there is a big chance I will start diving more often and become a better diver. But then, which kind of gear to buy: tropic water gear for my holiday in red sea or something for less favorable conditions in my country? Or this there a way to have something suitable for both? To complicate the problem I really don't have a lot of spare money to spend on this.
Another question is that I can't allow myself to buy everything at once, so I am now trying to decide where to start. I bought my fins, snorkel and mask before certification. My diving instructor advised me to start with own regulator when I asked him. Do you think he is right? I am considering buying my own dive computer, because usually you don't get it when renting equipment and I could feel somehow safer if I didn't have to rely on somebodies else judgement on how long to stay underwater or how long the safety stop should be. I would like to feel more in control of this. I felt pretty weird on my post certification dives not having any bottom timer.
So I am considering buying Mares puck dive computer, because it is cheap and will be enough for me for couple of years I suppose.
I also have pretty good offer for BCD. I am offered a seaquest libra for 150 dollars, which had only been used for 5 times and then was kept for four more years unused. As far as I get it this BCD would be suitable for tropical waters, but what about cold lakes of Lithuania? Another question: is that BCD not too old and unsuitable anymore? We ride bicycles a lot and most of the times it is not worth buying something that is 5 years old in that section. But as far as I understand in scuba diving it is not so, as you can see some models of the equipment that almost don't change for ten and more years.
I am also offered an almost new 5 mm aqualung wetsuit for 80 dollar from the same quy. I guess that would be a total overkill for the temperature of red sea, or am I wrong?
To cut the long story short my questions are:
1) Which peace of equipment would you advice buying first: regulator, diving computer, BCD?
2) Would you advice buying Seaquest libra BCD for 150 dollars for use in tropical waters and in freshwater cold lakes?
3) What is 5 mm full body wetsuit suitable for?
P.S. I am sorry if I my english is weird to read, cos it is not my native language.
First of all I am so happy I've found scubaboard. It is very informative to read. Thank you all, guys!
I am new to this forum, so I am not sure if i should have started a new thread, but here are my problems...
I completed my PADI OW course in the end of last summer and have only 8 logged dives. Now I am considering what to do next and whether or not to buy some equipment.
About my situation:
Where I live the water is quite cold even in summer. We have some lakes that are cold and dark with poor vis and reach about 21 degrees C in summer on the surface. The Baltic sea is also a cold place to dive. I am going to try these lakes of ours when making PADI scuba review course before going to red sea vacation this summer. But I am still not sure if I will like them. Cos I am a bit claustrophobic and even snorkeling in those dark water makes me feel some fear creeping around. It scares me to see my feet disappearing into darkness below me. Besides this claustrophobic side of mine I am a fish in the water. I like swimming so far as I remember and I had a really good time having my course and diving in red sea last year. Our instructor was really satisfied with me and my fiance, when we were taking the course. And I was so satisfied when after finishing the course I could see myself having less buoyancy problems and smaller air consumption than some of the other guys from the group we were diving with. So I can see myself becoming a quite good diver IF I put more time into it and IF I have opportunity to dive often. Which of course I could have it I conquer this fear of mine for dark low visibility water and star diving here in Lithuania.
So in this place the dilemma comes: should I buy some gear for myself? If I do, there is a big chance I will start diving more often and become a better diver. But then, which kind of gear to buy: tropic water gear for my holiday in red sea or something for less favorable conditions in my country? Or this there a way to have something suitable for both? To complicate the problem I really don't have a lot of spare money to spend on this.
Another question is that I can't allow myself to buy everything at once, so I am now trying to decide where to start. I bought my fins, snorkel and mask before certification. My diving instructor advised me to start with own regulator when I asked him. Do you think he is right? I am considering buying my own dive computer, because usually you don't get it when renting equipment and I could feel somehow safer if I didn't have to rely on somebodies else judgement on how long to stay underwater or how long the safety stop should be. I would like to feel more in control of this. I felt pretty weird on my post certification dives not having any bottom timer.
So I am considering buying Mares puck dive computer, because it is cheap and will be enough for me for couple of years I suppose.
I also have pretty good offer for BCD. I am offered a seaquest libra for 150 dollars, which had only been used for 5 times and then was kept for four more years unused. As far as I get it this BCD would be suitable for tropical waters, but what about cold lakes of Lithuania? Another question: is that BCD not too old and unsuitable anymore? We ride bicycles a lot and most of the times it is not worth buying something that is 5 years old in that section. But as far as I understand in scuba diving it is not so, as you can see some models of the equipment that almost don't change for ten and more years.
I am also offered an almost new 5 mm aqualung wetsuit for 80 dollar from the same quy. I guess that would be a total overkill for the temperature of red sea, or am I wrong?
To cut the long story short my questions are:
1) Which peace of equipment would you advice buying first: regulator, diving computer, BCD?
2) Would you advice buying Seaquest libra BCD for 150 dollars for use in tropical waters and in freshwater cold lakes?
3) What is 5 mm full body wetsuit suitable for?
P.S. I am sorry if I my english is weird to read, cos it is not my native language.