VERY new to Scuba

[hambleto]

Hello. I am very new to Scuba and I am looking into gettings the essentials. I have looked around at the local dive shops and seen a few masks that I like. I have settled on the Scubapro Crystal VU Single Lens Mask I am trying to decided weather I should get the mask with a purge or the one without a purge (the price is about 3 dollars more for the one with a purge). I have a full moustache and I breath through my nose. What would you recomend?

Also, does anyone have a problem with a combo for the BCD and regulator that is sold from Leisure pro? OR would you recomend i buy one from the LDS?

Do you think I should buy a dry snorkle or a semi dry or a walmart special? I am kind of partial to the Aqualung Impulse Dry Flex Snorkel cause I think it looks nice and the fact that it is a flex is a good feature.

If anyone has any information/suggestions for a newbie, please please feel free to im me or post it or anything. I am very open to information.

I thank you all for taking the time to read this. I hope someday to see you around.
Take care,
Ben

 

[steleehin]

hi and welcome to diving,before someone tells you to use the search ,ill tell you although it will take hours to read all the new equipment threads ,so ill tell you what i have gathered buy regs if
your going to from you lds for warranty and p.r.
buy wetsuits from whoever you try them on from ,trust me on this they dont all fit the same .and last but not least most divers i know and have dove with leave the snorkel at home 90%
of the time so buy accordingly .just my .02 cents

 

[flyingcopdiver]

Hi welcome to the diving world. I also am new to diving 1yr. I bought most of my important stuff regs, bcd, mask,computer from my lds. i had to have my wet suit custom made (they don't make them for little fat guys) and the dive shop was very helpful. I bought my first fins from the lds and my second set and my snorkel light and some other stuff from the internet. l believe in supporting my lds that is why i bought the important stuff there. some stuff on the net was cheaper. some of the more experienced guys here don't like snorkels but you need it for training and I like having it. they do have some that fold into your pocket. i shave the top of my moustache a little, and that helps. keep looking around the boards, a lot of good info here. take care, and good luck

 

[MaresMan1]

hambleto,

Welcome to the board and to a new world. Search around the board and you will find some very helpful information to make diving safe and enjoyable.

There are a lot of good masks out there, just make sure that the mask you choose really fits your face well. I prefer the low volume wide vision masks like the Tusa Visulator, Cressi Big Eyes or Mares X-Vision. Bottom line though is it's all about fit.

With regard to your BC and equipment. You can find good deals from your LDS and from online store like Leisure Pro. I have bought from both. However, since you are so new to diving (and I don't know what kind if diving you will be doing (cold water, tropics, etc.)), I would suggest that you rent from a LDS with good equipment to find out what you like/dislike before you spend that hard earned cash.

For snorkles, I purchased a semi-dry low profile snorkle that I keep in my BC pocket while diving. I find the bigger dry snorkle to be cumbersome when submerged. However, this is a personal thing but I do think that you should have one with you.

Scuba equipment can get very personal but, whatever you choose for equipment make sure that you get familiar and feel comfortable with it.

Best of luck in your adventures.

Dive Smart;Dive Safe
Enjoy the ride
:mean: