What order to buy gear?

[purbeast]

I purchased my wetsuit and computer before I went to Grand Cayman this past March to do my OW and AOW certification dives. I already have my own personal gear (fins, mask, booties, snorkel, belt).

I then went to the Keys in May and did 2 more dives.

Since then I've now purchased a full set of gear and purchased my BC first (BP/W) and then my regulator set which included buying additional hoses because I wanted to go the long primary/necklace primary route.

I did TONS and TONS of research and knew I could take my time since I am not diving again until September, but I now have a full set and I got exactly what I wanted, and even ended up making my own harness in the color I wanted for the nylon as well as the hardware. I'm a tinkerer by nature so it fit me perfectly.

I will say, you can get reg sets MUCH cheaper than the advertised price. I ended up getting a full Atomic Z2 set (first stage and 2 second stages) for about 25% off listed price, just by basically asking for it, and it was from one of the big dog sites.

Oh I also ended up buying a tank cheap from a guy locally just so that I could test everything out and get a feel for everything, and so that when I soak my regs after trips I can have them pressurized.

I'm hoping to actually get it all wet for the first time this weekend in a pool session.

 

[dmaziuk]

I already have a mask and fins from snorkeling, but that's it. I live in the Florida Keys, so warm water, and do not currently have plans to do any specialty or deep diving for the immediately foreseeable future.

I was thinking that really the best thing I could buy to start out would be my own dive computer. That way I could get comfortable with it and have access to go back and see details of my dives after the fact, other than just relying on manually logging them after each dive.

+1 on wetsuit then computer, then BCD. Note that both suit and BCD can be a bit of a hassle if you're not of "standard" dimensions like a 200lb 5'10" or somesuch.

 

[eelnoraa]

My order if I have to do it all over again
1. suit, if water is on the cold side
2. BC,
3. computer
4. reg.

 

[caydiver]

I knew I would be warm water diving. I bought fins, mask&snorkel (snorkel has only been used in Galapagos) and skin. I rented and used maybe five years of BCD’s and regs some rental and some from DMs who we befriended and were willing to share. So glad I waited. Learned a lot. Replaced the fins to warm water but happy after USVI that I still had booties, finally replaced my original BCD which was purchased second hand from a dive op we used dozens of times. It worked until I tried several different options before making my ultimate decision. Hundreds of dives later I am happy. That said I did not bring my gear to a few trips to OZ or The Galapagos. Using rental in the local environment was superior than anything I could have added. Oops forgot computer. Before bcd or Reg. Comes everywhere. On number three now. Least fav number three. Feel like it is more about social Media hook ups than my diving.

 

[KatieMac]

After mask/fins, I would buy
1. computer
2. safety equipment - SMB, signalling devices (you never know when you will get separated from the group.

You can rent the rest

 

[Neilwood]

Personally, for colder water that needs exposure protection, I would go for:
1) Computer
2) Wetsuit/drysuit (unless you are an outlier sizewise and need a custom in which case it probably goes to number one)
3) Regs
4) BCD
5) DSMB, compass etc

Reasoning is simple:
1) Having your own computer makes you instantly safer than using a rental. That is of course so long as you RTFM (read the flipping manual). Nothing worse than going diving with either no computer and relying on your buddy or having one you don't know how to use. You need to at least know how is shows NDL (or deco), depth and ascent rate.
2) Having the right exposure protection makes for a comfortable and safe dive - you are not going to enjoy a cold dive and you are increasing your health risks as well. Rental is ok (so long as the suits are well maintained and clean) but better to have your own.
3) Regs - most rental sets will be good and safe but having your own gives a level of comfort in the knowledge of their condition in relation to service dates, type of use (dings/scrapes etc).
4) BCD - As per regs
5) These are ancillaries and often can be shared within a buddy pair. Also depending on dive sites they might not be required initially (following a simple reef way is easy - wall on one side going out and so long as it is on the opposite side coming back you are good!).

 

[Snoweman]

When I first got certified, the dive shop convinced me to buy my own reg, which was suitable for travel. I liked the idea of it, because putting a rental reg in my mouth gives me the heebie-jeebies. They also convinced me to get the SPG, cheap computer and compass. I liked the idea of having my own computer, but I wish I had read up more on them before making the purchase. As I have said in other threads, this kept me from buying other computers until I saw the Perdix. Probably much more computer than I will ever utilize, but I love it.

I like the idea of buying safety gear (safety sausage, spool, whistle, mirror) before other, bigger priced items. The first reason is that rental gear will be fine until you decide what you want (BCD, for example - poodle vest, back inflate, BP & wing), but will not help as much you if you get separated from your group or boat. Second, it's cheap if you make a mistake (there are lots of people on here that love or hate their SMBs). Third, I think it's good practice to learn to shoot a SMB from at least your safety stop early on. You will probably be using that skill a lot.

My two bubbles...

 

[HKGuns]

I wanted to train with the gear I owned, so I bought everything up front. Were I to do it another way, I would center it around personal hygiene and the buy the items you wouldn't want to have on or in your body after others had used.

So, my list would be........

Mask/Fins/Snorkle - Regulator - Wetsuit - then other stuff, as required.

 

[Belzelbub]

Well, for starters, let's assume that the basics (mask, fins, etc.) are already covered. After that, my order would be as follows:

1. Wetsuit: (if needed for the area) because there are two types of divers, and rental gear may not be cleaned properly.
2. Computer: Best to rely and learn on your own. I'd hate having to go through mix settings each time.
3. Regulator: Again, good to rely on your own. Apart from a few differences (Balanced vs. non-balanced, Environmental sealed vs. non-sealed, DIN vs. Yoke) you can use one reg for many different types of diving.
4. BC: Many different styles here, so I put this last as a new diver might not have a good feel for what type of diving they will do predominantly, and which style they prefer.

A note on the computer. A cheap rec computer is probably sufficient for a new diver, and can work with most recreational dives. An upgrade will be needed for tech diving, but apart from that every dive computer I've seen lately is capable of handling nitrox mixes. A computer that has AI capability is preferred among some divers. Often, the computer and transmitter can be purchased separately, for a lower upfront cost. Swapping out a SPG to an AI transmitter is ridiculously simple. Just need to make sure you have the right o-rings and o-ring lube on-hand.

 

[Bob DBF]

It makes a difference what kind of dives you are making. I dove locally, where the bottom is usually less than 60', for years on tables because once good computers were available, there was no huge advantage for the two shore dives I would do in a day. Once I was going out on dive op's to other areas I picked up a computer.

If you know an experienced diver that will help, buying used gear, or lower end new gear, could save enough to buy it all upfront. And before the " buy for your future use" crowd starts in, I have seen few people that have not changed their goals and gear choices over the years, so buying serviceable gear and replacing it as you gain more knowledge about gear and what diving you will do, is a reasonable approach.

And don't forget, no matter how much loves diving when they start, the majority of new divers probably won't be diving, for whatever reason, in the foreseeable future. Spend your money wisely, new rec gear dosen't sell well or profitably after it's been used.



Bob