Please help me pick equipment... (dive computer, regulator, BCDs)

[spirula]

Hello. I'm a novice diver. I almost finished my certification last year but a family emergency prevented me from doing the open water dives.

I plan on certifying this summer and practicing through volunteer diving or an REU. Since both of those would involve extensive amounts of diving, I would like to own my own equipment rather than rent it everyday. However, certification and equipment is expensive so I'm applying for a grant from my school but they want a more specific estimate of the cost. I gave a broad range before since I know that equipment should be chosen with your dive instructor's help because it's specific to each person etc. but I was wondering if someone could recommend any specific Dive Computers, BCDs, or regulators.

I'd like a low-end, mid-range, and nice product for each. I am a 150 pound female. Will probably start out diving in shallow, warm water however in the future I would like to be able to dive a bit deeper (100 -330 feet) in tropical water and also dive (shallow) in colder water in northern California (near Monterey Bay).

I've obviously googled these but honestly have no idea how to go about picking one.

Please help me. Your advice is much appreciated.

 

[KevinNM]

I would strongly recommend that you do not buy equipment prior to completing certification. Ideally not until you have dove a bit after classes and decided that you enjoy it. There are a lot of people who keep the scuba diving part of ebay busy by selling off their equipment that was used less than a dozen times before they decided they didn't really like diving.

That said, if you are thinking about eventually doing 100 meter scuba diving in the future (which is pretty seriously deep) you should buy equipment suitable for technical diving. These days that typically means a backplate and wing, a shearwater computer and a midrange regulator with two second stages instead of a second stage and dedicated octopus.

But I still would suggest you wait before buying gear.

 

[spirula]

I would strongly recommend that you do not buy equipment prior to completing certification. Ideally not until you have dove a bit after classes and decided that you enjoy it. There are a lot of people who keep the scuba diving part of ebay busy by selling off their equipment that was used less than a dozen times before they decided they didn't really like diving.

That said, if you are thinking about eventually doing 100 meter scuba diving in the future (which is pretty seriously deep) you should buy equipment suitable for technical diving. These days that typically means a backplate and wing, a shearwater computer and a midrange regulator with two second stages instead of a second stage and dedicated octopus.

But I still would suggest you wait before buying gear.

Thank you for your advice. Also, 100 meters is the max. Most would probably be 30-60 meters (i.e. 100-200 feet) is your advice still the same?

I wasn't planning on buying equipment until after I finish certifying anyways - I just need specifics so I can give the funding committee a reliable estimate. I've been in the water before just never got a chance to complete the last two dives. I am studying biology and have a particular interest in certain marine organisms and the desire to do behavioral research on animals. In particular, cephalopods whose natural behavior is very difficult to study in the lab (and I work in a lab with them). I ask about deeper diving because I'm interested in looking at mesophotic reef communities if possible. I would only buy equipment if I can do research diving or an REU for several months and, even then, I would probably want to do a few more dives before figuring out what I want. So, basically, this is a serious interest and I'm not planning on dropping like $2000 on equipment that won't get used.

 

[KevinNM]

Ok, there are a zillion backplate and wing threads in the equipment section. Basically the top end is Halcyon at $800-900, (or Oxycheq - but customer service - if you need it - is said to be poor) the midrange is DSS ($500 range) or DiveRite, and the low end is whatever is on sale at Diverightinscuba.com.

Virtually everyone on this board who has any pretense of being a tech diver recommends a shearwater dive computer. So I'd suggest you just buy that.

I'm not good at regulator models. The regulator section under equipment is frequented by a bunch of people who know much more. Apeks and Scubapro seem very popular as the expensive brands, as is Hog and dive rite on the less expensive side. But essentially the top end models in each line cost a lot more than the mid range and the differences are mostly cosmetic. People don't sell bad regulators in the U.S., the liability is absurd, so unless you buy a Chinese ripoff of a regulator via the web or otherwise try hard you won't get a really bad regulator.

Tech divers usually need two first and second stage primary regulators, so buying two of the same at the same time makes sense if affordable. Oh, and buy DIN first stages with yoke adaptors.

I would also see what the PIs and experienced researchers you hope to be working with use and ask lots of gear questions before buying if you can.

 

[uboettger]

Funny - about a year ago I met a student in Egypt who was pursuing the same idea. She was about to get into an Oxford Master/Ph.D. program with the same specifications.

Now, since you are asking about estimates you should consider the need of your own rebreather for the deep part of your diving. Maybe you should read a bit about it. The big advantage of a rebreather is that you don't need OC systems that just blow away your helium. Helium is the most expensive part in technical diving.

The student I met was owning her own rebreather (about US$ 10.000), had her own photo eqipment for taking macro pictures at 330 feet (another US$ 10.000) and had investent a couple of thousand US$ in basic diving training, technical diving training and rebreather training.

 

[diversteve]

Most mid-range gear will function well in both environments you plan to dive in.

I can generally agree with Kevin's suggestions. But here's my take on some options.

For regulators, a Scubapro Mk17 or Mk21 are one option. They're upper mid-range, will function equally well in warm/cold water at the depths you're expecting. Most of the Apeks line also - they're sold here in the U.S. thru Aqualung. They're from England and are designed to work across the line in colder water. Aqualung also makes some pretty decent products like their Core or Glacia series. Can't go wrong with Poseidon either if you have service options in your area. They're a little pricier but known to deliver a lot of air at depth as needed.

Many regs are available with cold water kits also for Monterey conditions where you could need that in winter. Some of the mid-range/higher models in most mfr's lines can be ordered with environmental sealing - usually that adds $40-50 to the price and at every service. For deeper diving you want both stages balanced.

One thing about Hog/Edge is that although they're a good value, their dealer network is smaller worldwide. Also you won't find them much overseas yet. I think they do have a dealer in Monterey though. IMO that makes DiveRite a better choice in the lower midrange space.

You don't have to but thought about buying tanks? Might be useful for shore diving. That can run from about $200 for AL tanks to well over $400 for steel tanks.

I'd consider DIN/Yoke carefully also. Yoke is much more prevalent in warm water conditions than DIN. In some Caribbean locations it's still difficult to find DIN tanks on the entire island. So then your option is to buy an adapter but that adds two more failure points to your system. In Monterey that may be different - if more people own their tanks - DIN is often selected. There are certain areas like Cave Country in FL. where DIN is the standard. Most people I know in SoCal dive Yoke if they rent but own DIN tanks.

DIN is a better connection but not as good for rental fleets since the valve lends itself to cross-threading if you're not careful. Also you can drop a Yoke tank on it's valve, dust it off and go diving. A DIN valve may deform if dropped repeatedly. Dirt/Grit in the threads can damage it also when you attach a regulator. No issues with Yoke like that as it's all external except for the one o-ring.

I'm not a Shearwater fan unless you think you'll be doing mixed-gas diving. At 100M you probably will be. At 200' probably as well for longer time at depth with a deco obligation. Deep Air is an often debated topic here but one thing you find is most that do it don't stay down long. Shearwaters are not Air Integrated and probably never will be so there's alternatives that are for generally about the same or a little more money. A Shearwater Petrel sells for around $775 so use that as a baseline for comparison. IMO Oceanic makes some nicer models also for around $1000. Suunto as well but they're only sold in the U.S. thru Aqualung at fixed prices. They're known to use a more conservative algorithm than other brands so you get possibly more safety at the expense of bottom time. I don't consider Oceanic - or any other mainstream computer unsafe though.

Since you're trying to anticipate future purchases, see if they'll go for a drysuit also. They start about $800 and go past $3K - for long dives in Monterey they're optimum. Even in a layered 7MM wetsuit you're going to freeze in the winter.

If you're not interested in a BP/W setup, consider one of the mid/upper range womens BC models for comfort - they're cut differently than for a man. Zeagle makes a couple of good ones, the Zena or the Lazer. The Lazer is a good dual-purpose model based on their Stiletto, a single tank, womans BC that only weighs about 6lbs. for travel. Aqualung or Scubapro make some nice models also, the SP LadyHawk or the AL Pearl seem popular. For pricing for your estimate since you won't find Aqualung pricing anywhere on line go to their website, each product has the MSRP listed. Zeagle or Scubapro can be priced at Leisurepro.com. The reason Aqualung is priced cheaper there is because they're not an authorized dealer for that brand so warranty service is thru them only - in NYC.

If you think you are going to go BP/W DSS (Deep Sea Supply) is in Pasadena. Road trip down there with advance notice and Tobin will fit/set it up for you. They're not rocket science but you should have someone familiar with a BP/W help you adjust it the first time.

---------- Post added May 13th, 2015 at 11:44 PM ----------

While the rebreather seems like an optimum option for not disturbing natural behavior note that the learning curve on one is probably several years long - you'll need to go through some technical training first. As well as find a qualified instructor just for that. RB's are inherently more dangerous so you can't even just buy one - the seller will ship it to your instructor for setup/instruction. It is optimal for deep/long dives though.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

At 200' probably as well for longer time at depth with a deco obligation. Deep Air is an often debated topic here but one thing you find is most that do it don't stay down long.

Thanks, I needed a good laugh

That out of the way, a Petrel would be an excellent choice if you're willing to spend the $750 or whatever they're going for now on a dive computer you're unlikely to ever outgrow that's also an excellent rec computer. If you're looking to spend much less, there are any number of $300-$400 nitrox computers with a gauge mode that would be perfect for rec diving and tech diving with cut tables and a BT.

Only other advice I'll offer is that the only thing you need to buy new re: a BC is the wing--that gets you a warranty on the only thing that might fail. The plate, harness, cambands, etc...buy what you like but buy it used. I think I paid $75 for my Halcyon SS plate, harness, and cambands on eBay; anything less than $150 is probably a good deal. The $268 or whatever Halcyon wants for a new BP/harness (no wing, no cambands, no STA) is just bananas.

Do not think about rebreathers until you've got some advanced nitrox/deco diving under your belt, be it through formal certs and training or mentoring/whatever. They are indeed optimal for deeper diving; they are also expensive, a huge PITA to maintain properly (and you really don't want to maintain them lazily), and extremely unforgiving of mistakes.

 

[runsongas]

a first set of gear if bought new will start at around 900 to 1000 if including a dive computer. you can get mid end gear if you shop around without really spending any extra money compared to the cheapest packages at a LDS.

check with the dso at the university you plan on doing research with if they have gear you can check out too.

 

[rhwestfall]

are you budgeting advanced training too (you are only at OW now)? You likely have a couple thousand more there....

long/deep dives equates to different exposure protection - drysuit - is that on your list?

deco includes extra stages, so there is more to buy there.

I'd think it be best to attempt to reach out to established professionals in your field to best ascertain the path and requirements for the work they do... with recommended types of equipment from them, you can better establish your needs.

Good luck, it sounds very cool.

 

[uncfnp]

The fact that you may get some financial assistance adds a little bit of a twist to what I might suggest otherwise. With that in mind, here is my take.

If you are sure about this, I would suggest prioritizing items then go for the best at each category till you have reached maximum funding. Number one on my list would be your dive computer. And here too I recommend the Petrel 2. It is not air integrated but offers anything else you could want for intro level to technical dives. And until you reach the level where you will need multi gas/deco functions, there is a recreational setting. The screen is large and very easy to read. And despite its sophistication, it is amazingly user friendly with bluetooth downloadable dive logs. Around $ 750.

Next would be your choice of regulators. Lots of great options here. Unless funding is really generous, start with one set that is suitable for cold water dives. Scupapro and Apex are probably best known. If I had to buy a set today, it would be Apeks with the swivel turret, works back and sidemount. First, second and alternate, budget 800 to 1000 dollars.

And of course a BPW. No specific recommendation here. Look around, try them out if thats an option. But for budgeting, I would plan a total of around 500 to 700 for the wing, plate, harness and hardware.

Next would be the exposure protection. Tough one here. Fit is paramount. I'd budget 1500 to 200 for a drysuit or 300 hundred for wetsuit.

If you still need fins. Good all around fins, Mares Avanti Quattro or Dive Rite XT. Budget 150 to 200.

If there is still monies, let us know and we will be happy to help you spend it on all the various accouterments of diving!

Good Luck!