Please help!

[firewater]

i'm not trying to cause an arguement here, but surely if you are studying to be an instructor you should know what gear you need? I mean if you don't have the experience to tell what gear you will need, then how can you instruct students? I'm not putting you down, but i would have figured that anybody trying to be an instructor should have enough dives to be able to tell what gear they needed..

Valid point, mossym. I do have a list of what I want, and what I think I need. The purpose of this thread, for me anyway is to see if anybody else has these items and has any feedback or comments that may be worth considering. Plus I am a new member here and getting involved on the boards and meeting new likeminded people online is another reason.

Regarding being an instructor, yes I am new to the industry and I do not deny I have a lot to learn, but from the first moment I started diving I knew it was going to be my life. There is nothing I can do about the lack of experience apart from gain it, and I shall I assure you. My love for scuba is infectious and all my discover scuba subjects go onto certification courses. I hope this settles your concern for my future students.

Happy diving!

 

[MakoMermaid]

Some shops require instructors to use a brand of equipment sold in the shop... just something to consider. I was talking with an instructor while on vacation last week, and he mentioned that he had two sets of gear: Brand X that he used for personal diving, and Brand Y for classes and charters run through the shop. It was one of the requirements for teaching from that shop.

 

[mossym]

like i said i wasn't trying to say you wouldn't be a good instructor , i just found it to be an interesting situation...just out of curiosity what did you use for the dives you've done up until now?

 

[turnerjd]

I have to agree with most of the people here.

The vast majority of your dives as an Instructor (I assume PADI as you say you're doing an IDC) will be less than 20m, it will be OW, AOW, discover scuba, specialities etc... as well as many, many hours in the pool.

For your IDC use whatever equipment you have been using for all your courses upto now. By doing this you will be using the equipment that you are most familiar with, and reducing just a small bit the stress of an IDC / IE.

Once you are qualified, the equipment you need to teach needs to be quite basic. You need a simple BCD, reg, etc...... Now, sometimes shops insist that you buy equipment that they sell to show it to your students, others let you use their rental stock. Try and avoid using your own kit in the pool as the chlorine will ruin it quite quickly.

There is only one piece of equipment that IM(nvh)O that you must buy, that is you own exposure suit. You can deal with rental BCDs Regs etc.... however, there is nothing like having your own suit that fits well and keeps you warm.

HTH

JonT

 

[firewater]

I have to agree with most of the people here.

The vast majority of your dives as an Instructor (I assume PADI as you say you're doing an IDC) will be less than 20m, it will be OW, AOW, discover scuba, specialities etc... as well as many, many hours in the pool.

For your IDC use whatever equipment you have been using for all your courses upto now. By doing this you will be using the equipment that you are most familiar with, and reducing just a small bit the stress of an IDC / IE.

Once you are qualified, the equipment you need to teach needs to be quite basic. You need a simple BCD, reg, etc...... Now, sometimes shops insist that you buy equipment that they sell to show it to your students, others let you use their rental stock. Try and avoid using your own kit in the pool as the chlorine will ruin it quite quickly.

There is only one piece of equipment that IM(nvh)O that you must buy, that is you own exposure suit. You can deal with rental BCDs Regs etc.... however, there is nothing like having your own suit that fits well and keeps you warm.

HTH

JonT

Thanks everyone for all the helpful stuff!

 

[Newdawne1196]

As you see...everyone has their facorite brand...For me Scubapro has always been excellent equipment ..usually very easy to find a dealer in most dive communities which is important for service and warranty work, wich they have been excellent about with me. Try to find a shop(s) that will let you rent or try the brands that you are considering and go with what fits you and is comfortable. There is nothing wrong with mixing brands either..I know I do...wetsuits for example...I don't see why you should pay big bucks for a brand name if a non name works for half the price..but stick with good...brand name for life support equipment...BCD..Regs>>computer..etc..hope this helps...good luck...

 

[RICHinNC]

I would also throw in......how often do you see yourself moving??? Dont buy something that cant be serviced all over. You may have to buy a lesser item...but what good does top of the line do you if no one services it near you.

 

[Acapulco]

When you teach, stay with simple gear, the wear and tear on gear used on daily operations is huge....as well consider that you will likely spend a lot of time in Pools....lot's chlorine, so don't bother too much for color or so, they will be gone soon anyway.. I have an old Scubapro MK 5, heavy and ugly, but you somebody can put a tank on it or you can use it to drive in a nail, and it will still work. No seriously, as everybody mentioned, try tro dive all gear before buying it.....any good shop should allow you that. And my personal opinion, stay as simple as possible, not a single buttom that is not needed....what isn't there can't break. I would say, Oceanic SP8 first stage and Alpha 8 second and octopuss, the new model is great, and a Mares BCD. Don't go for wings, you will spend a lot of time on the surface with you students, and with wings you will have to kick all the time.

Just my ideas, good luck to you in Thailand!!!

Beni