regulator package which one should i look at

[Arizona]

Well put Coldwater!

 

[bigtim6656]

my dad is planning on doing it to. so i would have a buddy most of the time maybe a dive here or there by my self nothing to deep though. i am going to check into local fill sites and local clubs

Big Tim,

A few questions do you plan on diving alone? I would not recommend this!! Be safe, your enthusiasm is fantastic, but diving with a buddy is safer and whole lot better IMO. Think about how often you will dive and if you can get fills in your area. It may be that you have no choice but to drive the distance for the fills anyway. Maybe the shop will be willing to meet you somewhere in between if you develop a regular relationship. Renting tanks for a group of people will add up and be more of an incentive for the shop to work with you. You may also get bored with "local" diving" so buying the tanks maybe a big loss in the end.

As Cold Water wrote, "Just make sure the air is scuba quality, because some contaminants that are fine to breathe on the surface could be much more problematic at depth (much like pure oxygen is)."

Is there a dive club or others in your area that are doing something similar? Maybe you can start one.

Enjoy the course and get some experience as this will most likely help you buy the right stuff for you.

I dive almost exclusively in Thailand. The water on average is about 28-29c (82-82f).

AZ

 

[bigtim6656]

more then likely i will wait on the compute and reg till i get my ow. Though it would be nice to train with my own gear. i figure i can take the ow then buy the reg when i get done. I did not intend to buy one expect fo the fact i want to dive localy there is no place to rent stuff less then 50 miles away

I'd doubt anything like that exists, at least at a price that would make sense for you (you'd probably be better off just buying a crapload of tanks).

But with the regulator, why are you buying this at all now? I understand with wetsuit and BCD you were concerned the rentals may not fit, but wouldn't it make sense to at least wait until you pass OW before buying things like a regulator?

I'm in the process of buying gear right now, but I have to hold off for a few weeks until I'm in the USA to order it. I know it's really tempting and I don't want to wait any longer to buy it. I also know prior to my OW I was excited just to buy my personal gear: I guess it was one step closer to actually diving or something. No one but you can decide what to buy, but just make sure you're not letting excitement carry you away (this coming from someone who's often guilty of doing just that )

But best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

I dive an Abyss and Proton Metal octo and you can't get a much better high end cold water reg than a Mares Abyss. The Abyss is a great reg from Caribbean warm to Great Lakes ice cold water and from 20ft. to 200ft. Mares regs can be serviced at any Mares dealer and they offer the free parts program. I believe Scubatoys also will service regs? I also like the fact that there aren't any little buttons or levers that have to be to adjusted at different depths on the second stage. The computer is a personal choice but I would recommend getting a simple wrist computer. Sunnto makes good dive computers, you should look at a Geko or Viper.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

my dad is planning on doing it to. so i would have a buddy most of the time maybe a dive here or there by my self nothing to deep though. i am going to check into local fill sites and local clubs

It will ultimately be up to you as there's no dive police, but solo diving is not allowed by any of the recreational certification agencies. To give some perspective, i think the one agency that offers solo diving as an option for technical divers requires over 100 dives just to enroll, and even these programs seem a bit controversial. Diving for the most part is entirely self-policed, so it's up to you if you follow the rules, but they are generally there for good reason.

more then likely i will wait on the compute and reg till i get my ow. Though it would be nice to train with my own gear. i figure i can take the ow then buy the reg when i get done. I did not intend to buy one expect fo the fact i want to dive localy there is no place to rent stuff less then 50 miles away

I wouldn't worry too much about training with your own reg setup. In OW you'll probably have so much on your mind that you won't use your fancy dive computer for much more than making sure you have air and checking your depth. (your instructors aren't going to keep you down for dangerous bottom times). And I've used a few different regs, and I don't see any learning curve when you switch regs: meaning if you train on one type and use another, it probably won't matter. Training with your own BCD however I can see the benefit in as some of these are vastly different.

 

[diver 85]

Don't leave the compressor off your list.....A diver without a compressor in the garage is well--not a real diver.......

 

[bigtim6656]

Ihave looked at some but they seem to be over 1500 bucks unless you know of one cheaper

Don't leave the compressor off your list.....A diver without a compressor in the garage is well--not a real diver.......

 

[matnik]

My advise, slow, once I got my open water I bought a package set, thought unless I have the gear will not dive. Reality took to diving like a fish to water, beginner package gear is going to be used as my pool gear on hopefully my way to DM this year. Suggest wait until your certified, if no issues recommend by one piece at a time higher end. BPW, reg for all seasons, computer, drysuit etc. I found found I have replaced all my gear and have spent on it twice. By the way dove today -11 celcus, water temp 34 F.

 

[bigtim6656]

I can just about buy everything high end when i get my ow. in fact if i do not buy it now it will be hard for me to get later. This summer i will be getting stuff for hunting season. And in march i will have a extra1500 or so to spend over the bc and wetsuit

My advise, slow, once I got my open water I bought a package set, thought unless I have the gear will not dive. Reality took to diving like a fish to water, beginner package gear is going to be used as my pool gear on hopefully my way to DM this year. Suggest wait until your certified, if no issues recommend by one piece at a time higher end. BPW, reg for all seasons, computer, drysuit etc. I found found I have replaced all my gear and have spent on it twice. By the way dove today -11 celcus, water temp 34 F.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

if no issues recommend by one piece at a time higher end. BPW, reg for all seasons, computer, drysuit etc. I found found I have replaced all my gear and have spent on it twice.

Unless you have all the money to buy high quality gear up front (which for most people isn't the case), this wasting of money is inevitable. What's the alternative to buying cheaper gear to start out? Renting it. And gear rentals aren't free, in fact they seem highly expensive for what you're getting. So you're going to be wasting money either way, at least with buying some intro gear you'll have something tangible you can later sell or use as backup / pool gear; plus even intro gear is better than the rental crap I've dealt with (too many times I've had to dive using my octo because of issues with the primary second stage)..

I"m perfectly fine with spending like $750 for a reasonable BCD, regulator, nitrox computer set. If I have to replace some of those pieces over time because I want better, I'm fine with that. In the meantime it'll sure beat having to rent them. That said, I'm holding off on an exposure suit and tanks since these two items have given me the least issues and I can't really afford to buy even cheaper ones right now.