To package, or not?

[floheakinz]

I'm sure this is a common question, but we are new divers that are looking to begin buying equipment. How do we begin?

We (my wife and I, age 24, from Iowa) dive 1-2 times per year in tropical locations. We are very excited about diving for life and participating in the sport. Our predicament is that we don't want to rent equipment for a few years only to find that we could have bought or contributed to decent equipment for ownership.

We are basic divers and so far haven't found the need for computers or anything too advanced. In browsing leisurepro and other sites, the brands and equipment are seemingly endless--it is a good problem to have too many choices! But it is difficult to sift through and figure out what is right for us...

Should we buy a package? Buy snorkel/fin/mask and wait for larger items? How much should we expect to spend? Buy middle of the road, or high end?

We were looking to budget approximately 1000-1200$ total over the course of a couple years (his and hers) to get equipment. Thanks in advance for all of your help and suggestion, we love the site!

Ian and Erin

p.s. we are going to St. Thomas the 2nd week of December, so we are looking to have at least some of the equipment for that trip. Thanks!

 

[scubasaurus94]

You definitely want to have mask/fins/snorkel. I thought that was a prerequisite for OW classes.

 

[sardiverdan]

If you only dive 1 or 2 times a year I would continue to rent. Just doing the quick math, I can rent a full set for 30 dollars a day. So if you rent one set a year for 40 years, thats 1,200 dollars. Now if you are planning to dive more than once or twice I would say purchase some gear. You may want to sart with a good mask, fins, and maybe a light suit (tropical diving) and wait and see how much use you will get out of these items before you spend a larger amount on gear you may not use.

 

[Dhboner]

First of all find a local dive shop you can trust (talk to other divers in the area). Building a relationship with a dive shop is much better than using mail order.

I was able to get a really nice complete package for my LDS for around $2,000.00 (Canadian eh). That included two tanks, regulators, BC, mask, fins, snorkel, computer, 7mm wetsuit, hood, gloves and boots, 2 lights, slate, dive flag and float! They called it their "All you add is water" package.

Gear rental is expensive around here so the package paid for itself in around 20 dives or so.

If you are only going to dive a couple of times a year at least invest in a mask, fins ans snorkel set-up.

Bob (Toronto)

 

[TravisD]

Do you have any local options for diving? If you own, you're more likely to make the time/effort to get out and get wet, which will improve your skills. OTOH, if you're 100% vacation divers than amortizing gear will take a long time, and the yearly (or bi-yearly depending on brand) maintenance may not make any sense.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

At a bare minimum, you should own a mask that fits your face. If you have a hard-to-fit body shape, it also makes sense to purchase a wetsuit appropriate for the water in which you'll be diving. Most OW students have to purchase their own mask/snorkel/fins (booties/gloves, if necessary).

If you plan on doing more than a one-week dive vacation per year, then it might make sense to purchase your own reg, BCD, and computer/gauges. When making your decision, be sure to take into consideration the annual cost of maintenance for your regs.

If you plan to rent, do so intelligently. By that, I mean, do a functional test of all rental gear before leaving the dive shop. It only takes a few minutes to do. You'd be surprised how many people grab a pile of rental gear, head out the door of the shop, hop on a boat, get to the dive site, and then find out that the reg is free-flowing or the BCD doesn't hold air. Consequently, they miss out on dives or experience an in-water emergency. More often than not, those same people place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the dive shop. They then declare that they will never again trust rental gear and/or rent from XYZ dive shop.

Whether you rent or own, make sure you do the same set of functional tests on your gear. It's a safety thing.

 

[floheakinz]

Thanks everybody for the help...

I think the conclusion then, is to for sure get mask and fins, and take a "wait and see" approach for the rest of it. There really is nowhere to dive enjoyably in Iowa so we are pretty much vacation divers.

As we make more $$ i'm thinking that 2x a year is going to be closer to the truth. Scuba diving is very addicting.

Also, I think that math above was a little fuzzy. Renting equipment for a weak of vacation diving is 120 each, making 240 total. It would only take us 5-6 years to "purchase" a complete set within our budget.

Regardless, I understand what you meant. Assuming we bought ALL gear, how much could we expect in annual maintenance charges?

Are snorkels and wetsuits really necessary? We dove in Jamaica in shorts and tees and I thought it was fine.

 

[dgreenh]

If you are going on 2 trips a year, depending on how many days you are diving, @$30 (or more) a day per person rental can add up real fast. If you were going on a 7 day trip with 5 days of diving which is an average dive trip, that would be $300 a week for 2 people at the $30 a day rental rate. So that would be $600 a year in rental expenses for 2 trips.

Depending on what brands you buy and where you buy them, that could pay out in 2 - 4 years. Then you would be diving in your own gear, be more comfortable, know how it has been used, maintained and maybe more importantly sanitized. Rental is not a bad option but if you can afford gear then buying it is the way to go. If you start picking up pieces of equipment as you can afford it, then you have to rent fewer items on your trips. You don't have to start with a full set, just start with what you feel like you can afford. Most places expect you to have your own mask, fins, booties and snorkel (if you choose to use one.)

 

[theduckguru]

Before purchasing any thing become informed consumers and really get to know pricing, the various equipment / brands, warranties, maintenance issues, and how gear wears over time. Know what a bargain is or isn't.

Check out used stuff. Really, how dangerous can used fins be? Check out Craigslist and ebay. A lot of scuba shops have tent sales - used may just mean it is a discontinued item or sold without a warranty. Stay away from older equipment that parts are no longer available for, ie Dacor.

Make sure that you are on the email list over every scuba online retailer out there and investigate coupons and other discounts at each retailer. Did you know LeasurePro has a 5% discount coupon online?

Then be ready for black friday. Best day of the year for buying scuba gear IMHO.

If you gal is small, small stuff always seems to find its way to the clearance rack in a male dominated sport.

 

[blue steal]

You will get alot of advice from members here.
I can only speak for myself. Start with a good mask, fit being the most important here, and fins with a bootties. A snorkel is a snorkel.
Then a nice wetsuit, again fit is key.
After that I just rented for 2 years. I added one piece of gear at a time.