To buy or not to buy....

[StSomewhere]

I knew without my own gear I wouldn't dive much locally. But the gear I bought without a lot of diving knowledge (jacket BC, console computer) didn't turn out to be the right gear for me. Some like the computer I was able to return minus a restocking fee. Some like the jacket BC I wound up taking a bath on when I sold it on ebay.

So you'll dive more often, especially locally, with your own gear. But by buying early on in your diving career you'll probably buy stuff you will regret in the not too distant future. Surface logic: it'll look great in the store, the sales pitch will make sense, but the reality will be something different in the water.

So maybe rent a few different types of equipment, in a few different diving environments, to get a feel for what will work for you.

Then there are those that would say.....save yourself a lot of time and just go get a decent bp and wing and be happy. (I fall into that group by the way.)

Me three. And I'll add to that, you'll probably also be happier in the long run with a wrist mounted computer than a console.

 

[Darnold9999]

Not to disagree too strenuously but even choice of suit requires some testing. I dive in a 2/1 shorty in warm water - I find it starts to get cool at about 74 degrees or so and am starting to wish I had brought a little more neoprene, others around me are in full 3 mil suits in 78+. I would cook is such a suit in 78+ water. Everyone experiences cold differently, body type and the environment your body is used to I suspect are the critical factors.

Just bought a dry suit, went diving in a neoprene suit, went diving in a bag type suit. Ended up with a trilaminate. Got lots of advice but I had to dive them before I could decide.

Everybody is different and it takes some time to figure that out. Someone here rushed out and bought a weight integrated BCD - first time I dove one thought it was a great idea, planned to buy one. Tried it out with a dry suit and could barely lift it onto my back with the lead and the weight of the tank all in one package(yes I am a wimp). Does not work for me in cold water. Not to say you should try out lots and lots of gear, but a little testing is perhaps a good thing.

Many shops (around here anyway) have a "rental package" that will allow you to go diving as often as you want for a period of time like 3 or 6 months for a fixed price. As a new diver planning to dive in local waters I would go that route until you were sure a) that you wanted to dive for a few years and b) you know what kind of diving you want to do.

If you are doing vacation diving only then I am not sure I would buy anything beyond mask fins and wetsuit. A reg that only gets used a week or two a year is probably more dangerous than one that gets used every day. Yes you can get your two regs serviced every year, but then you just paid for the rental. A BCD is a pain to travel with, a dive computer is unnecessary for most holiday diving, what else would you buy?

Now the moment you move from holiday diving to diving holidays everything changes, now I want my own gear.

 

[RussR]

Thanks for all the good advice!

I think i will get a feww more dives under the ole weight belt and then revist this!

Have a trip planned for Feb and another for April so after those i should have a better idea of what i need/like

Thanks again !

 

[dpbishop]

Call or e-mail the outfit you are going to be diving with and ask about equipment you will be renting. You have plenty of time to research it and see if you have any issues with an item of theirs; if so you can buy your own to replace it. Remember that you have to deal with the hassle of transporting your own equipment. For local diving the first purchase I would recommend is a good wetsuit; spring for a custom one if you can't get one that fits. BCDs are adjustable and regulators are ubiquitous, renting a wetsuit that fits well is chancy.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Rent it, you don't have to deal with the luggage, there is lots of time to buy gear later.......I would buy a wrist computor though.