Next piece of equipment

[popcorn]

We purchased our mask, fins, booties and snorkel for our Open Water Diver certification. Now we are starting to look at our next piece of equipment. We were thinking that we should go:
regulator (with second stage, alternate, pressure guage, and low pressure inflator),
then dive computer (maybe at the same time as regulator),
then BCD,
then dive suit(s), gloves, hood, etc.

What do you think of this order? Did we miss anything?

 

[Corsair]

My personal suggestion would be to invest in computers first. Everything else is a fairly easy rental. You may want to actually buy a nitrox computer now if you're interested in diving nitrox in the future. It saves on buying a computer, and then having to turn around and buy a brand new one when you take the course (a mistake I am getting ready to shell out some money for).

Just a side note, the LP inflator SHOULD come with your BC. Check it, if there's not one, you may be getting ripped off...

Beyond that, my reccomendation (if you're buying a bit at a time) would be:

1 computer
2 regulator
3 BC
4 suits etc

We bit the bullet and made the plastic scream as we bought pretty much all at once ;-0

 

[Green_Manelishi]

unless the average, off-the-rack suit fits you well I'd
suggest buying a wet or dry suit that fits well. a 'puter
will NOT keep you warm; nor will a regulator or BC.

After the suit comes life support (and a 'puter is not
life support ... word up boils and goils there was beaucoup
diving done in the years prior to 'puters). If you are an
odd-shaped fellow I'd go with the BC next so that you know
it will fit well and that it is cared for properly. Then
you buy a regulator. Or, live large and buy BOTH.

a 'PUTER should be way down on your list.

 

[TexasMike]

Kinda agree with the green guy....my order was based on comfort first, bells whistles later...

1. Wetsuit, bought used 3-mil off of eBay. Found gloves at Walmart's water ski section for $10.00

2. BC (Zeagle Ranger), new, since the proper fit can make the dive more confortable.

3. Regulator, (Zeagle 50D), new, insert all the arguments for having your own.

4. Instruments, new, purchased at same time as regulator, including Genesis ReAct computer.

 

[Swamp Rat]

It depends on where and how much you dive. If you dive warm water your suit is no big deal. And could be put at the end. But if your cold water diving. Suit comes up fast. I bought computer, reg, bc, suit, spear gun, tank, and tank.. In that order for my type of diving. I'm going to run jump in the river this afternoon maybe find a tooth or two. One thing about having a computer along is it helps to record your dives especialy in the early stages which all newbies forget.

 

[buff]

As a former Texan whose name is also Mike I have to agree with TexasMike. I own a Cobra computer and it's "fun". Would I trust it diving in a technical setting-NO WAY-too many things to go wrong on that little marvel-I mean how many times does Windows crash for no good reason-HUH??. A computer is the last thing you need. I would go with the warm wetsuit option, the BC and regulator(might I add here that I bought my wife the Apeks TX50 from DiveInn.com and the thing is a miracle regulator-so smooth, so effortless). Fit is important, it is important because it results in comfort and ease of use and that equates to safety. That is why I would by my own BC and regulator.

 

[WetDane]

Hey Popcorn,

If I'm not completely wrong you are in IL and the water is cold...
Get a drysuit! no two ways about it - you are not going to be divign anythign radical for a while anyway (and even when you do - a computer may not be the best solution).

My recommendation is:
Dry suit - be comfortable when you dive
BC - trust it
Regs - by waiting you will have an oppotunity to try out some different manufacturers and models - this is a piece of equipment you are going to have in your mouth for a long time... better make sure you like it...
Now - I think you may want to consider getting a computer - but then at this point in time you are going to have a much better idea what you need to dive than you do now...

Cheers,
Dane

 

[Iguana Don]

Popcorn,

Green's advice, as well as TexasMike I and TexasMike II have hit the nail on the head. go with that order and you won't be sorry.

ID

 

[turnerjd]

OK, these are just my thoughts

You need to acquire kit in an order that means that you always dive safely, and get enjoying diving ASAP

So,

Suit - if you are cold- diving is no fun and potentially dangerous. If you dive in cold water a good suit is one of the first to buy. Rented suits never fit properly.

Regs - generally I have had no problem with a rented reg. Having your own is very nice, and when you do more advanced diving is absolutely essential. For some-one just qualified I would suggest you want to rent o=for a while, and find what you like before you spend £££££ on a reg.

Computer - you learned on tables, you can always dive tables. For the first 20 dives or so the air will run out before you finish your bottom time, so for a beginner there is no real advantage to having a computer. I don't delieve computers add to your safety. Being aware of your depth and time does.

BCD - similarly to a reg, rented BCD's are usually OK. rent for a while and then choose based on a bit more experience.

So,

I would suggest Reg - BCD - Computer in that order. Then put the Suit in where necessary - if you dive in cold water it really out to be first. If you only plan to do caribean diving, then it can go last.

Most of us here have plenty of equipment that was 'OK when we bought it' and proved to be not so good when we used it!

Go slowly and sensibly. I would also suggest that after you have done 15 - 20 dives you will have a much better idea of what type of diving you will be doing. At this point you can better chose the correct equipment to buy.

Jon T

 

[large_diver]

A few thoughts somewhat similar to the opinions above:

Here is what I did and why --

(1) Wetsuit/hood/gloves. I wear a XXXL wetsuit. These are often hard to find for rental. If you are a "standard-sized" person (whatever that is), this may not be as big of an issue.

(2) BCD & weightbelt -- as a newbie last year, the skill I was most worried about mastering was buoyancy. By fixing the main variables affecting my buoyancy (weighting system, wetsuit and BCD), I was able to master my buoyancy more quickly. As others have mentioned, fit is an issue as well. One final point here -- since we all attach various things to our BCDs (lights, octo/back-up reg, console, etc.), it is nice to have a standard config. Rental BCDs make it harder to streamline your gear since each one may have different/no D ring set-ups.

(3) Tank -- a few reasons here. I am a large human (and thus consume air at a faster than average rate) and wanted something bigger than an AL 80 to give me more bottom time. Also wanted a steel tank to help get some weight off of my belt/BC (again -- buoyancy).

(4) Regulator -- I felt like this was the piece of equipment I wanted to do the most research on. Regulators are easily rented, hose configurations are fairly similar and and sizing is generally not an issue. One counterpoint here -- I got sick a few times immediately after using rental regs. Can't prove that the reg was the cause...but something to think about.

(5) Computer -- this should be last because it is good to learn how tables work initially. This can be situational, however. If you are about to leave for a week-long liveaboard trip or a dive vacation where you are getting in 3-4 dives a day, a computer would be a must to maximize your diving $$$. If you are a newly certified diver and will be doing mainly shore diving in the near future at shallow depths, a computer is not as necessary. At shallow depths, you will be running out of air long before you hit NDLs, so this negates one big advantage a computer gives you (extended bottom times via continuous NDL computations based on varying depths during a dive).

As I said above, your "personal variables" (body type, future dive profiles, etc.) may cause you to change the order of purchase. Just think about the points I've made above and see how they apply to your situation.

Good luck!