What comes with a bc vest and what do would i need to dive?

[bigtim6656]

I plan to get cert. in march. I am a big guy and worry about renting the equipment to fit me.
I found a custom fit wetsuit. I was looking at the bc vest do they come with the Regulator and everything shown in the pics. If i was to buy everything but say the tank what would i need to get to have everything to dive but the tank.
Also any idea what price range i am looking at

 

[Henryville]

If you wanted a complete set of gear, You'd want:
- mask
- snorkel
- fins
- boots
- wetsuit
- BC, either traditional or backplate and wing, which might be easier to fit (do a search, huge number of discussions on this topic
- a regulator, which would include first stage, 2 second stages, BC inflation hose, pressure gauge
- some kind of depth gauge.
Depending on where you're diving and how susceptible to cold you are,
- hood
- gloves

There are other things you will add, such as safety equipment (submersible marker buoy, whistle) and other items, but the list above will get you in the water except for a weight belt and a tank.

If you're not going to get gear through the shop where you are learning, or even if you are, check out Scubatoys online. I'll bet they make good package deals. The total price will vary alot depending on the grade of gear you get and the markups for the outlet you use.

A good shop can be very, very helpful for outfitting beginners and keeping you from needless purchases, and that can be a shop you walk into or one you contact electronically. Some (even many) shops that also sell training are very anti-gear not bought from them, and there are lots of discussion here on that topic. Some see it as trying to defend an obsolete business model, some see it as laziness. In fairness, you might want to have a conversation with the shop about whether they will be competitive with other sources that offer comparable service (such as help with selection and fitting.)

Good luck!

 

[Henryville]

Oh, and one other important thing to get, in my opinion, is DAN diving accident insurance:

DAN Divers Alert Network

 

[Teamcasa]

You are going to get ton's of advice. Along with the inevitable posts advising you to get a backplate and wing and avoid the split fins people.

I'll just say this (also a big guy), you will go through gear like crazy in your first year, provided you don’t give up diving altogether. I myself have used and sold three or four different BC combinations, several set of fins and masks, two wetsuits and so far, only one drysuit.

Buy the stuff used. Try it out and if you (not what others like) find the system that works for you, keep it and sell the rest.

I ended up with an Apeks WTX Harness with a 30lb wing, Scubapro weight belt, ScubaPro regulators, two sets of fins (depending on the dive) and a Oceanic ProPlus 2 computer. So far, I like this configuration but like a member posted in another thread, "You are buying scuba gear, not picking out a bride.".

 

[frogman159]

If you wanted a complete set of gear, You'd want:
- mask
- snorkel
- fins
- boots
- wetsuit
- BC, either traditional or backplate and wing, which might be easier to fit (do a search, huge number of discussions on this topic
- a regulator, which would include first stage, 2 second stages, BC inflation hose, pressure gauge
- some kind of depth gauge.
Depending on where you're diving and how susceptible to cold you are,
- hood
- gloves

Also any idea what price range i am looking at?

I paid about $1300 for everything henryville mentioned, 7mm wetsuits w/7mm hooded vest and a basic computer. My gear quality I consider in the "good" range. I've seen "moderate" & "ok" rigs for much cheaper and "great" and rigs for much more.

**Note "quality" doesn't necessarily mean safety

 

[SDiggy]

**Note "quality" doesn't necessarily mean safety

I may be pretty new at the sport, but I can't see myself agreeing with this statement.

Price is another story, though. The highest of the high end equipment, with the price tag to go with it, (if by your statement is high "quality" gear) isn't necessarily safer that the garden variety mid-price gear. Granted, the mid-grade may not have all the bells and whistles of the high end stuff, but that doesn't make it any less "safe".

Low quality gear, particularly used gear that is not serviced properly, can certainly be a liability.

 

[frogman159]

I may be pretty new at the sport, but I can't see myself agreeing with this statement.

Price is another story, though. The highest of the high end equipment, with the price tag to go with it, (if by your statement is high "quality" gear) isn't necessarily safer that the garden variety mid-price gear. Granted, the mid-grade may not have all the bells and whistles of the high end stuff, but that doesn't make it any less "safe".

Low quality gear, particularly used gear that is not serviced properly, can certainly be a liability.

Also heavily depends on application. If you have a 50ft reef in your backyard thats always 78* then $200 regulator serviced properly may give you years and years of great service and be very "safe" and of decent "quality". Take that same reg and go to 175' in 38* water and you've got a good chance of killing yourself, not very "quality" in that scenerio.

 

[ligersandtions]

If you're planning on getting gear before your certification class because you're not sure the off the rack stuff will fit you, I would suggest holding off on getting things like regulators and a computer. Granted, these are very important pieces to your gear collection, but the problem is that before actually trying scuba, you have no idea if you will actually like and want to continue diving on a regular basis.

Things like a wetsuit and BC are probably good things for you to get if you won't be able to comfortably wear rental gear. And as mentioned in a previous post, take a look at getting into a back plate and wing set-up....they are infinitely adjustable, which means you won't have to deal with getting what fits better (this you can make fit perfectly....and if your size changes in the future, you don't have to sell it and buy new....you just adjust the webbing).

Mask, fins, boots, and snorkel will also need to be purchased before the class, but it's a fairly minor investment. So I'd start with those things, plus the custom wetsuit, and some kind of buoyancy compensator (whether it's a traditional BCD or a bp/w).

 

[Henryville]

So far, I like this configuration but like a member posted in another thread, "You are buying scuba gear, not picking out a bride.".

LOL. I'll bet more than a few of us wish we had spent the time on the second decision that we spent/spend on the first one!

 

[Web Monkey]

- a regulator, which would include first stage, 2 second stages, BC inflation hose, pressure gauge

This depends on how you were trained.

If you were trained to use an "Octopus", you would need two second stages as mentioned.

If you were trained with an "Air-2" (combination BC inflator and spare second stage), you wouldn't need an Octopus, but you would need to make sure your BC came with air Air-2.

Terry