Newbie -OWC and Equipment Pls Help

[Damselfish]

$2000 for just reg, octo, BC and computer seems high to me. You didn't say what models this includes. It's probably the correct list price for whatever top of the line Scubapro they're offering you. But you may not need that and it may even not be the best choices for you. You should be able to get really good new gear for somewhat less than that, certainly 1500, probably less.

 

[BrianS]

Some Scubapro Regs are $1,000 alone.

 

[Damselfish]

that's what I'm saying - they probably (almost certainly?) don't need a $1000 reg.

 

[ScubaSixString]

that's what I'm saying - they probably (almost certainly?) don't need a $1000 reg.

Thats why its a good idea to hold off on the gear you can rent purchases (exception might be a wetsuit). He doesn't know what they need. And he'll have people telling him that a reg is life support equipment and that he shouldn't skimp on it (ie pay the grand). Once he does some diving, tries out different rental gear, he'll have a better idea of what he's looking for. He might have some idea of how far he wants to go with diving. And he'll know about how much diving he's (and they're) gonna be doing. If they only dive once a year, maybe he doesn't have to buy any of it, and saves the money for the trip itself.

 

[CameronMartz]

Add another vote for buying just the minimum until you know you love diving and have a better idea of what equipment you like, though $2000 for a complete set of gear does not sound that stratospheric to me. On the high end, yes, but not unusual for high-end equipment.

Your wife does not need to go through a complete OWC to see if she will like SCUBA. Most shops can set up a "discovery" type event for her to just get a few pointers and a chance to breathe on a reg under direct supervision in a pool. IMHO, this would be much less intimidating to her than entering a class full of people gunho on getting certified and going at a pace faster than she's comfortable with. It will also be much less expensive if she decides she doesn't want to do it.

I also second the advice for her to get some time in swimming. There is a swim requirement for all major certifications, which will be hard to pass if she hates water. She should attempt the swim test before signing up, for sure.

One last thing to consider- I've seen divers who have been dragged through their certification even though they are uncomfortable with the water, and it pains me to see them on the boat. SCUBA should be fun, not terrifying, and it's unlikely that the stress of an OWC will improve the comfort level of someone already uneasy with the water.

Cameron

 

[rottielover]

Hi, I wanted to chime in here because about 3 months ago I was just about where you are (my wife and I knew we wanted to try scuba, but that was it)....

So, I hope this helps you:

My wife and I scheduled a Private "Discover SCUBA" dive with the LDS. The private session was only $25 each and if we decided to purchase mask, fins, snorkle, and booties that money was counted tword those purchases. After the Discover experance we were hooked! We started hanging out at the dive shop just about every other day, asking questions, and I felt like a bit of a pest, but eveyone was very nice and very helpful. We ended up purchasing our own gear set (less tanks and weights) as a package deal. Our LDS carries Aqualung/SeaQuest mostly and all thier rental gear is this brand. We were able to try on other brands they had, but in the end we liked the Aqualung/SeaQuest stuff the best, somewhat because it was a bit cheaper than the other brands they carry, but mostly because it was solid gear, and reasonably priced when compared to prices I reasearched on the net. (note I'm not advertising here, just pointing out that you should research the gear you like!). My wife and I ended up with a price tag right about $1200 each (BC's, Regs, Octo, Gekko Air/Nitrox Computers, hoses, etc.).

We have also purchased our own wetsuits (some people just don't like rental wetsuits and my wife is one of them).

First, you'll find that you can accumulate gear on an "as-needed" basis. For example, our first purchase were 3 mil shortie wetsuites, for use in "warm" water (pool, mexico, etc.) while we were doing our confined water pool dives. Then before our OW check out dives at a quarry, we knew that we'd be diving past the thermocline to the nose of a 727 (Mermet Springs in IL), so we purchased two 7/5 full suites and gloves and hoods. So as we needed some things, we researched them and purchased them.

90% of our purchases have been thru the LDS, because they had the product we wanted, and it was priced resonably. But I had done enough searching on the internet to know about what the price should be at. On things like Hoods and Gloves, they were way overpriced, so I just ordered those online.

Now that we've been certified and have a few dives under our belts, I've started purchasing things like knives, lights, saftey sausage, etc., but again, I did't get them until I needed them for a trip (we're going to cozumel in the fall, so I'm slowly buying what we'll need to do the dives we want to).


There are two schools of thought here. 1) Rent your equipement to get your cert. and get comfotable with diving 2) Purchase your own gear and use it while your doing your cert.

My wife and I did #2, but we had done the "Discover" dive, knew that this is something we wanted to make a part of our lives, and went for it. We found it was pretty nice to have your own gear in the water to get certified on, since it's adjusted and setup the way YOU want it before every dive.


OK I've rambled on a bit longer than I wanted too...

Hope this helps you out!

 

[Froschmann]

I personally would stay away from SubaPro Regulators. Their Mk20 first stage seems to have some serious issues (check out # 05-01 NOAA Safety Bulletin on ScubaPro MK20). I read in an European board about bursted 1st stages but ScubaPro is playing it down just recommending to switch some parts during the next reg service.
IMHO a gamble with peoples life which is enough for me not to consider them anymore despite the fact that other regulators (Mk25 1st stage / S600) might be perfectly fine and of good quality.

 

[Xanthro]

Scuba can be really expensive. That expense is more bareable when you dive often, but as a uncertified diver, you may find that you do not dive often enough to warrant spending $2,000 per person in gear.

Rental or borrowing gear is a great way to learn about what kind of gear you like. How do you know if you'd prefer a jacket style, or back BCD, or a Backplate and Wing?

If you want to save money, http://www.triple-l.biz/ has good prices on BCDs and Wetsuits.

Regulator, guages and computer can cost a ton of money, so I'd wait till you have some more experience on what you like before making such a major purchase.

 

[Jasonmh]

I personally would stay away from SubaPro Regulators. Their Mk20 first stage seems to have some serious issues (check out # 05-01 NOAA Safety Bulletin on ScubaPro MK20). I read in an European board about bursted 1st stages but ScubaPro is playing it down just recommending to switch some parts during the next reg service.
IMHO a gamble with peoples life which is enough for me not to consider them anymore despite the fact that other regulators (Mk25 1st stage / S600) might be perfectly fine and of good quality.

Remember that almost any brand you choose will have had a recall at some time or another. Check out this link: http://www.cdnn.info/recall/recall.html
Brands like Apex, Atomic, Zeagle, Scubapro, Sherwood, Oceanic, etc. have all had recalled equipment, so basing your decision on that may leave you with very few options.

 

[Froschmann]

Remember that almost any brand you choose will have had a recall at some time or another. Check out this link: http://www.cdnn.info/recall/recall.html
Brands like Apex, Atomic, Zeagle, Scubapro, Sherwood, Oceanic, etc. have all had recalled equipment, so basing your decision on that may leave you with very few options.

It is less the issue of something's not being quite right - it's more the way ScubaPro deals with it that drives me away from them.