Next piece of gear - Dry suit or reg/octo?

[pacificgal]

So I bought a used reg/octo years ago from Diver Dan's. It failed on me in Cabo and now I don't trust it (and it was almost $200 to service last time). So, I have let it fall into disrepair and choose to rent them from my LDS when I go diving, which hasn't been nearly enough to justify spending thousands, though I am hoping to find some people to dive with through clubs here.
Last year I got dry-suit certified, and honestly prefer to dive wet, though Monterey Bay gets really really cold. When I did my dry-suit cert I also think I wasn't wearing enough thermal protection underneath because I still felt chilled. But swimming without getting wet is weird to me.
So, how much $$ do I need to save to buy my next scuba purchase, and which one should I buy first?

 

[bbianchi]

So I guess heres the options...

If you plan to dive monterey a LOT id get a drysuit... but theres lots of options there too.

If you plan to buy a reg/octo id say go Scubapro, since as long as you service it anually you only have to pay for the labor and they cover parts, for life.

So that being that...

Drysuits, whites has some options that start fairly cheap spend probably around 800-1000 (my guess) all the way to a custom DUI/Diving Concepts for probably a good $3,000+.

The Scubapro 1st/2nd stage are probably around 650 plus another 100-250 for a decent octo.

You can always rent a reg, the Drysuit some places rent to, but every time you get a different suit the buoyancy will change too.

Food for thought, hopefully it helps some.

 

[fire_diver]

Which option will allow you dive more often and with more comfort? If you prefer wetsuits and just need regs to get under, go with the regs. If you will dive more often using a drysuit, then buy that and rent regs for a while more.

 

[pacificgal]

Thanks Brandon. I'll poke around my LDS this weekend and see if there's something there I can't live without! And, I am diving in Monterey Sunday, so we'll see what the water temp is like again in my wetsuit, my next purchase may just be dependant on that!

 

[bbianchi]

No problem, id anticipate the water to be in the mid 50's if you don't go too deep so ill guess 54. If you go much past 40-60 even at break water the other week it dropped quickly to 51.

 

[fobturbo]

You've got a lot of options between the two. I know that Diver Dan's is going to be having their semi-yearly sale starting 08/28 or so. This time, it's 15% (as opposed to 20% + free tax earlier this year). Certain products (i.e. under the AquaLung family) won't allow them to do the 15%. You can also bring in your reg & octo and bring the discount to 20%. They currently have a nice deal on the Oceanic Delta 4.0 for ~$399. You can take a look at the details on their site (Diver Dan's Online Scuba Store - A PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center (IDC)) I got an email from AnyWater Sports (great folks there BTW) saying they're offering some close outs on last year's models, even AquaLung Titan LX (08).

As far as the drysuit goes, the semi-annual sale would definitely be a great time to buy a DUI drysuit @DiverDans. Like Brandon said, Whites has some fairly inexpensive (and Power Rangetastic) options, they offer some spiffy Fusion packages (~$1700 for whole setup suit + booties + thermals) though you could get the suit only and rest of fleabay for cheaper. Lots of people like Ron's drysuit undies, myself included.

Disclaimer: I don't work at Diver Dan's, but use them as my main LDS & belong to their dive club.

Edit: Looks like this time around, it's not tax free. Both shops offer an equipment upgrade "program." Diver Dan's is 15%, not sure about AnyWater. You might want to see if other shops near you have the same and see if there's anything that catches your eye.

 

[bbianchi]

Personally ive had some bad service from Dan's and one very bad very expensive experience. That was enough for me to take my business to places that would be more appreciative. Others love and swear by them, so to each their own.

Generally if your making a big purchase, or a couple bigger items you can talk a discount into the picture as well. (at Bay Area LDS' that is)

 

[pacificgal]

Thanks fobturbo, I plan on attending Diver Dan's...., oh crumb. Can't. I was just gonna say I was planning on joining their dive club 9/2 but I am going to the AC/DC concert that night.
Maybe I should go to the next one 8/19, and try the other SJ one next time?
Would you be going to the dive club meeting at Dan's next week?
AnyWater is right around the corner from my house, I'll look around there this weekend when I go pick up my rental reg. for Sunday diving. Any new news on the sea nettles at Breakwater? Have they moved on leaving 100' viz in their wake?

 

[fobturbo]

Brandon, you're not the only former Diver Dan's customer I know. A few of the people that I did my AOW class with are now Any Water customers. There are a few people that work at Diver Dans that seem a bit pushy, but there's also a few that are great and will talk (Jonathan being one) you out of unneccessary purchases. I brought in my gear for maintenance to Diver Dan's and had a minor issue, more of an annoyance really (wrist mountable computer strap put back on backwards). I haven't had any gear serviced by AnyWater yet, so can't comment about them.

PacificGal, I will be attending the dive club meeting next week. Just FYI though if you're planning on joining Diver Dan's dive club, the yearly dues are good until Dec 31. regardless of when you join. They do give you a rental/gas fill voucher that's worth more than the membership fee in return. I don't know if other LDS affiliated dive clubs that collect membership dues do the same. The rental voucher ($70) has to be used all at once. I was a bit miffed about that when I just wanted to rent 2 tanks. At the last club dive, there were a bunch of folks from AnyWater, I'm not sure if it was a class or if it's a club. Might be worth checking into when you're at AnyWater to pick up your rentals. Don't take this as me dissuading you from joining the DiverDan's club though.

As far as the sea nettles go, I have no idea if they've moved on or not. I've never dove with them, and the thought doesn't seem too pleasant. And 100' viz? I'll be happy with 100" viz ;p

 

[ccohn2000]

Have you thought about buying used? I just bought a "used" never been wet drysuit on E-Bay for $290. There were some things I didn't like about it, so I've put another $280 into it, but it really wasn't necessary. It's a Bare CD-4 Pro crushed neoprene. Can't beat it for the price. My other suit is a DUI CLX 450 that I had custom made. It was definitely a lot more expensive and it's not any dryer. The level of warmth depends on the undergarment I choose to wear, not really the suit. Although I don't need as much underwear with the neoprene suit.

I bought a nice scuba pro reg set on E-Bay too, for around $200, but I immediately spent $80 having it serviced so I could be certain it worked. (The one hazard of buying sight unseen!) If you shop around, you can definitely find some good deals. Craigslist is also a good option. You can usually see things from Craigslist before you buy them.

FWIW The water was between 50 and 52 in Monterey last weekend where I was diving. There were LOTS of jellies deepish off Outer Chase Reef. There were not nearly as many shallower off Lovers Pt. I didn't dive Breakwater so can tell what it was like there.

Have fun!