What did you buy that you regret?

[Spoon]

Whats a snorkel?

you never used em in beer bongs?

 

[Mike Veitch]

you never used em in beer bongs?

Ahhh, good point!!! now i know

 

[ishbaby]

a pair of second hand US Divers fins that I've NEVER used as well . . lol

 

[tribaltim]

A lot of people -- myself included -- keep giving beginners the advice NOT to buy gear for a while but to rent and figure out what they really need or want. I was actually given this advice from a good friend before I bought MY gear . . . but I wanted to dive, and to dive I needed gear, so I made the best decisions I could at the time. Most of them were okay, but a couple were, in retrospect, bad decisions.

If I had it to do over, I would NOT: Buy a console computer. My husband and I, for reasons I can't clearly remember, decided that wrist-mounted gauges would be too much hassle. We were wrong. Consoles are too much hassle. Either they hang, or you clip them up to something and then have to pull them out to look at them. I have since bought a wrist computer and intend to give up the console. I would also NOT: Equip my BC with an Air2. It seemed like a good idea at the time, eliminating a hose and improving streamlining (my husband and I wanted simple gear, streamlined, and standardized for the two of us . . . small wonder I'm going DIR, huh?) It is a very awkward device to use for air-sharing, and even more complicated if you have to do an ascent. If I had bought a second second stage, converting my gear to a DIR setup would be much simpler as well.

So what gear-buying decisions did other people make that they regretted later?

I completely agree I bought an UWATEC SMART COM and now I think I'm going to buy the D9? I should have never bought the consoule computer.....

 

[CaptainMarvel]

I completely agree I bought an UWATEC SMART COM and now I think I'm going to buy the D9? I should have never bought the consoule computer.....

I bought the SmartCom when I started diving. I've been very happy with it, but I've recently been streamlining my gear (along the lines of DIR, although I haven't taken fundies or anything). Anyway, I recently bought the SmartZ, which is essentially the wrist-mounted version of the SmartCom. If you're happy with the SmartCom (minus being a console), you might want to look into the SmartZ as well. I've been happy with it.

 

[Mike Newman]

That's easy - a Mares Airtrim Dragonfly BC. Once I got comfortable in the water I just couldn't see why!

 

[Mike Newman]

BTW - as a quick afterthought. This is a really great thread to start. Apart from us all getting the chance to be humble and admit past mistakes - it's a marvellous litany of 'what not to dos' for those newer to diving.

Great idea - TSandM

 

[bentex]

I bought all of my gear before I got certified and am extremely happy with most of it.

One regret is that I wish I had bought a computer that does air and nitrox, instead of an air only computer. For about the same money I could have gotten the dual computer. I got Nitrox certified a few weeks ago and had to buy a new computer.

When I got into diving I did not know anything about Nitrox and to be honest was a little intimidated by it. After doing a live aboard last summer where most of the divers were on Nitrox and getting way more bottom time than me, I see the benefit.

Another regret, I bought a wetsuit that is uncomfortable around the neck in the water. I wish that I had tried more wetsuits IN THE WATER and not just in the dressing room. Also, I went for the least expensive one that I could find, instead of the one that fit me best.

This is a great thread!

 

[Mike Newman]

"And a near miss...we almost got bright yellow gear so we would be able to see each other. Fortunately, a bit of internet research on sharks resulted in a hit on a site with the term "yum-yum yellow" (something about patches of bright color looking like fish a shark might eat). We repented in time to cancel the order and went with grey and black."


OK PJ5 - So now you look like a seal ? !

 

[ScorpioSphinx]

Disclaimer: Before I start: I am not saying negative things about women. I love women. They rule. I could not live without them. They are, however, very different from men. Not better, not worse, just different. There.

When I read this part of the post I knew your gender. so, here is my question: Why is it that many (not all, just many) women have issues with feeling like they are choking?

I do not think it is made up, I believe you really feel it. I think it is legitimate. My wife, mom, and mother in law all hate seatbelts because they feel like they are getting choked, and many of my female patients feel like the hospital gowns choke them.

Does anyone have any insight? I am trying to learn something about the fairer sex here...

Thanks!

In cars, I think that the choking feeling comes from having the seatbelt coming across your neck, rather than across your chest, which happens if you're shorter than the "average" person the car was designed for.

However, I think it's not only absolute height which comes into this. Standing, I'm the same height as my husband. Sitting, I'm much shorter. Basically, I'm longer in the legs, and shorter in the back. So sitting in a car, I'm "shorter", and the seatbelt is higher on my neck.

The shorter-back-compared-to-a-similar-sized-man thing was really noticeable when using a rented wetsuit - I felt very cold as the suit which best fitted was about four inches too long in the back, so I got "flushed" with cold water repeatedly. My womens-fit wetsuit was the first thing I purchased, and has been the thing which has made the biggest difference to my enjoyment of diving.