very new questions

[MSFD923]

OK in a month or so i will be taking classes. but i dint want to rent everything every time and i not for sure what all is need things i would want to own and not rent is the total suit "suit hood boots gloves mask fines" because i know comfort is a must and i like to have that on my own
but my question is what all else is need to dive and i mean everything else and please dint use aberrations i seen in some other thread like bc i have no idea what that is yet unless thats what its called then can you explain what it dose
i know you need a tank so go from their.
oo and i live out side of Lancaster ca and most likely will do my training at sports chalet they have a class on base also "Edwards AF base" but i think the sport chalet has a better class set up even tho it cost about 100 more.
anyways what all do you need to dive after the basic body covers thanks

my wife and i just took the open water (ow) class this month. what we have discovered is that this stuff ain't cheap by any stretch of the imagination. I'm sure a seasoned verteran can shed more light on this than i can but i'll take a stab at it anyway.

during class we used rental gear that was paid for in the price of the class. that stuff included everything needed for most diving. of course the deeper you go the thicker suit you'll need and the better chance to need a hood. our set up was:

mask, fins, snorkle, booties (little hightop neoprene boots to wear under the fins to help them fit and feel better), weight belt buoyancy compensator (bc), tank, stage 1 regulator ( the part the actually attaches to the tank valve), stage 2 regulator ( the part that you breathe thru), octypus (emergency back up regulator), wet suit (thickness will depend on the depth you will be diving), gloves, depth guage, compass, air pressure guage (those 3 usually come together ina "tree" type set up and is all attached to the stage 2 regulator). a dive computer is highly recommended which would replace the need for all of those gauges. As i said, i'm sure ive left some things out that an experienced diver can tell you about.

there were a couple of folks that bought all of thier gear for the class and they shelled out an average of $1500 plus the class cost.

Hope this helps and if there are any experienced divers reading this, please do a better job than i did on the run down of gear.

 

[horsemen]

thanks for all the input i learning a lot from browsing all the other threads and reading about other people problem and getting a idea of what to expect when i start class this is a great resource place

 

[Divesherpa]

There are two types of divers, ya know: Those who pee in their wetsuits and those who lie about it!

I only pee in YOUR wetsuit

 

[medic001918]

Everyone else has offered very good advice. I would start with mask, snorkel, fins and boots. Than I would get a wetsuit. That is all of your personal gear. From there I would move on to a regulator set with gauges since it's life support gear. I'm just not comfortable with the thought of renting life support equipment. Than I'd get a BC and tanks.

And another thing that is just a suggestion, but try typing with proper spelling and grammer. A lot of perceptions about you may be drawn based on how you speak. In a world of computers, typing is as good as speaking. Something to keep in mind.

Have fun and good luck,

Shane

 

[David P]

I personall dont care for sports chalet. Im thinking of the one over by Lowes... theres one girl there that seems knowledgeable... If you dont mind taking a drive down by me (Magic Mtn.) I can recomend you to an instructor that I believe would give you a much better education (not as easy to though) AND he does nitrox unlike sports chalet. PM me if your interested.
Oh I was out at Cataline down to about 70' and there was plenty of light. Then I went out to an oil rig in Ventura, at 10' it was lights out! That was my first night dive... at 7am!

 

[horsemen]

I personall dont care for sports chalet. Im thinking of the one over by Lowes... theres one girl there that seems knowledgeable... If you dont mind taking a drive down by me (Magic Mtn.) I can recomend you to an instructor that I believe would give you a much better education (not as easy to though) AND he does nitrox unlike sports chalet. PM me if your interested.
Oh I was out at Cataline down to about 70' and there was plenty of light. Then I went out to an oil rig in Ventura, at 10' it was lights out! That was my first night dive... at 7am!

not for sure if Lowes is their or not i know best buy is