What should i be looking for?

[randybperry]

Hello..

My name is Randy and I need some help. I'm a new ish diver and am looking for some equipment...

BCD ... Gages ... Octopus ... Reg ...

But i don't know what i should be looking for ..

What makes a good BCD?
What makes a good Octopus?
What makes a good Reg?

I've been looking on ebay and found a good price for an Oceanic package ($749.95)from scubabargain ... they called it the Oceanic Package #3 ...

Alpha 8 SP5 DVT piston regulater
VEO 100NP dive computer
Pro QLR BCD

I dont thing the package came with an octopus but was looking at a Sherwood Dual octopus ... I don't have a modle number but it was in a lower package they were offering...

I will be diveing a few times a year and most likely will be traveling to the ocean ones or twice a year. I would realy like to do some cave diveing and some deaper wreck dives. Do i need special equipment for this ... should i buy seprit equipment for cave and deap dives ...

Any advice?
Thanks for the help...

 

[Jorgy]

You have a lot going on in your post, from new diver to deep wrecks and caves.....I will take a shot at a first post, I'm sure many others will follow......

I say what makes a good piece of gear is - solid manufacturer (which Oceanic is), fit for your purpose, affordable and you like it.....

You talk about a good price, so I'll assume that money is an object.....that will come into play with the fit for purpose aspect......

Here is where the cave and deeper dives come into play, in a short answer - yes, you need different equipment for that type of diving. Typically, double tanks, wings with more lift, more exposure protection, perhaps a dry suit, if you are spending significant time in cooler/colder water, more powerful lights, reels, spools, deco gas and travel gas......it goes on and on......

That is the split between rec and tec diving.......

Some say that if you know your going all the tec then buy the tec style gear now, you can use tec gear for rec but there is very limited rec gear you can use for tec...

I say, tec gear is expensive and on a 30 foot nice reef dive in Key Largo, tec gear would be overkill.......this point is debatable, there is a school of thought that you should always dive the same rig regardless of dive profile, for consistencies sake.....

So far this is has just been about gear - more important than gear is your diving skill: buoyancy control, breathing rate, comfort level in water, etc....

Thus I recommend that you go with good reasonably priced gear (as you have listed above) and focus on diving and building those critical underwater skills......spend the money on more diving less gear........later on you can upgrade/supplement your gear.....

Unless, you are 100% confident that tec will be your path......

Some thoughts:

Wrist mounted computer that has gauge mode for your transition to tec........
Simple brass pressure gauge will do, also suitable for tec.....
A good small light; can become your back-up for tec......

The big debate will be BCD versus BP/W - BP/W is more flexible and can grow with you.......but a good wrap around BCD with integrated weights is a nice easy way to dive, just my opinion here.....

I dive both........

Another debate with be the regulator......tec regs are typically DIN, expensive and selected for good double tank hose routing. I am not sure that if you show up at most US/Caribbean dive shops they even have tanks with DIN valves, so you need an adapter, then negates all the benefits of the DIN valve.....

Welcome to the underwater world........and have fun.......

Hope this helps....M

 

[driftwood]

Hi Randy,

First, I have no idea what the local diving is like in Utah. What I do know is that you need to dive regularly to keep/improve your skills. I would get the right exposure protection so that you can comfortably dive as often as possible. You can rent different gear at shops and decide which one fits you the best.

Second, unless the online seller gives a full manufacturers warranty, I would not buy a new regulator online.

Regs and BC's may be more 'sexy' purchases, but the right suit that allows you to dive is more important.

 

[Lee Taylor]

As you do more and more dives you will start noticing the brands and models of equipment other divers are using. If you do long boat rides you will have lenghty conversations on which gear is best and why it is recommended. From a novice perspective, I suggest you determine which are the best (most popular) "brands". I would then determine the prices ranges and I would spend somewhere between the middle of the road and the top price. You will replace gear as time passes. Your first set of gear will allow you to get in with divers and as time passes you will naturally find out the "specific" information you are looking for. Good luck, and enjoy!

Scuba Gear Manufacturers

 

[rstofer]

There is no solution or explanation that will resolve your questions. Here's why:

Scuba is an expensive, equipment intensive sport. The key word is expensive. You are starting to make buying decisions based on price and this is ok if you only dive a couple of times a year. But you won't be doing wreck dives with the equipment you are looking at.

You have two choices as I see it: First, decide what you really want to get out of diving. Is it going to be a vacation thing a couple of times a year? If so, buy inexpensive. You won't be going very deep and wreck/cave penetration should be off the table. Second, if you really want to progress to the deep/wreck diving you need to choose whether to buy inexpensive now and expensive later or just cut to the chase and get the right stuff first.

There is no reason not to buy the first kit based on price. You can use it while you learn about diving and you can always have it around as backup. If, for any number of reasons, you decide diving isn't your thing, you don't have a lot of money invested.

The other approach is to slowly buy the stuff you really need and rent what you don't have. Maybe you get your wetsuit first because it should really fit well. You could probably go for a drysuit first but this is a very pricey decision - figure $2000 by the time it's ready to get wet. An AquaLung SolaFX 7/8mm semi-dry wetsuit is pretty decent at about $500. Henderson makes a nice suit for about $300.

If you think you will ever dive doubles, your choices in BCs are very limited. This is one of the reasons that you might be better served to go for the BP/W - it is flexible. Still, by the time you get one ready to dive, you're looking at around $500. I would recommend Deep Sea Supply but that's just me. You will use a different wing for singles and doubles so figure at least $300 for the doubles wing.

Regulators are another expensive proposition. For cold water, the Dive Rite Hurricane, the ScubaPro Mk 17/G250V or the Oceanic Delta4/FDX10 are probably about as good as it gets. There are others but these are pretty good. Still, you're looking at some very expensive stuff. Unless you go for the Oceanic without the swivel and DVT - then you can get one for about $400 Oceanic Delta 4 Non-Swivel FDX10 Non-DVT Regulator Personally, I don't want DVT or the swivel but that's just me. The Dive Rite Hurricane is often available for less than $400.

Well, that covers the big items. Without the drysuit, a good set of equipment will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $2000 - $500 wetsuit, $500 regulator, $200 octo, $500 BP/W, $200 personal gear, $100 miscellaneous. That makes a pretty good start. Add another $2000 for a drysuit.

This is the basic stuff. If you want doubles, figure another $1000 for the tank setup and another $500 for a second regulator.

Good luck with your diving and I hope this has given you something to think about.

Richard

 

[randybperry]

Thank you everyone for the holp ,I haven't even thought about suits and lights ..

I gues I'm mainly looking for some starter stuff that can grow with me ... I'm haveing truble finding a dive buddy so this gear may be used more in salt water then in a local lake.. My brotherinlaw and I were in the same ow class and made a few dives then his job moved him out of state so now I need to find some friends.

All the diveing I do now will be around 30 to 60 ft. I need a few more certificatins befor I get to the caves and deeper stuff ... so I think this is the package I will go with. I have a citizen dive watch/computer so I think i'm going to trade in the computer set up for a brass pressure gauge set up.

Any thoughts on this ?

Thanks for the help ...

 

[Jorgy]

Randy......

As long as you have easy to read and reliable depth and time from your dive watch/computer then a simple high quality brass pressure gauge is all you need.

SB is a great place to ask questions and learn, don’t ever hesitate to ask any question. I lurked on the board for years just reading........

M

 

[rstofer]

You can absolutely put off the computer bit if you don't mind diving square profiles using the tables. Any watch rated for about 200m with an analog minute hand and a rotating bezel can be used as a bottom timer. I suspect you could use the stopwatch feature of most digital watches in the same way but I would be nervous about accidentally hitting the stop or reset button.

Of course, you also need a depth gauge with a recording of the maximum depth of the dive. These are usually mounted in the console with the SPG. If you just want a 'brass and glass' SPG, you will have to come up with a different way to get a depth reading. Search eBay for 'scuba depth' and you will find depth modules without a console, two gauge consoles with an SPG / depth gauge and wrist mounted depth gauges like this Item # 170301134873 There's no reason not to have a wrist mounted depth gauge to back up your computer.

I'm going to tell you that I really like my Dive Rite Nitek Duo comptuer. It does everything I need including fresh water and altitude (plus mix changes and Nitrox). I will also say that the software lacks when compared to the Uwatec Aladin Prime and the downloader works about once every 8 tries. I REALLY dislike the downloader and software but the computer is outstanding. I also made more than 120 dives just using a depth gauge, bottom timer and tables before I even thought about a computer and then the only reason was I had switched to Nitrox and there some additional considerations I didn't want to deal with. I got lazy...

I don't know which Citizen dive watch you have but I bought one way back and I used it quite a bit. It worked very well as a depth gauge and dive timer. I still have it but the battery is dead.

Richard

 

[randybperry]

There is no reason not to buy the first kit based on price. You can use it while you learn about diving and you can always have it around as backup. If, for any number of reasons, you decide diving isn't your thing, you don't have a lot of money invested.

??? Now I don't know...

I had no idea suits were so pricey ... I thought most of the cost would come from the BCD and the Regulater set up.

I sell appliances and electronics for a living so I now that good price is not the same as good gear but I'm afrade of over buying ... I'm starting to think I should just buy what I need for the deeper dives now. For deeper dives should I be expecting cold water? Do I need to start looking for gear that is cold water rated? I"ve been reading alot a bout wreck diveing and most of what I would like to see is about 120ft or so. Do I need a two tank set up to go this deep? I'm not sure what a BP/W is but I gues I can google that and see whats up.

Thanks for the help.

 

[BabyDuck]

oh, honey...

i do *not* want to sound like i'm belittling you, but your cart is definitely before your horse right now. cave diving is a truly wonderful thing, and there are also some weirdos who like deep wrecks for some reason , but i really don't think you need to factor 'someday' into right now's decisions.

ok, so you're a new diver. that's great & i'm thrilled for you! you want inexpensive but quality gear - check. don't know a whole lot yet & are asking around - check. wondering what will last into tech diving - maybe. but maybe not.

i really think you need some reliable recreational gear & see how it goes. you don't need a backplate & wing unless you want one (that's the 'bp/w' someone mentioned earlier. it's a modular buoyancy control device that you can configure to do everything except take out the garbage). there's nothing wrong with using a bp/w as a rec diver and if you're pretty dern sure that tech's where you're going, i'd go that direction - *but* there's also nothing wrong with a low-bells-and-whistles jacket or back inflate bc, either.

and remember you don't have to have new. see if there are other divers in the area. see what clubs or groups you can hook up with. my preference is a group that's not affiliated with a shop since they won't have a certain gear line they guide you towards for profit reasons, but any group is almost always better than none. find someone doing the type of stuff you're interested in and see if they're willing to mentor you or at least discuss your choices. maybe you're thinking 'but there aren't any wrecks locally', but if there are serious divers, they're practicing skills and diving basically every week in your local area. i bought a lot of my stuff from someone who was moving up himself and upgrading. his old stuff moved me forward, was cheaper than new, and came from someone i trusted. there's also ebay, but i'd stay away until you know more - it's a bit too easy to be taken if you don't know what to ask.

but previous posters are very right. tech diving is horribly expensive, and worse when there are 2 in the family. canister lights can be more than $1300, drysuits at $1500-2000, drysuit underwear is more expensive than lots of wetsuits, *used* sets of doubles start at about $400, classes $300-600 apiece (and there are 4 class steps to be a cave diver), tech computers $800-1700...the list is endless and makes me nervous.

*but* - you don't need all that yet. maybe you never will - perhaps you'll fall in love with photography and spend stupid bucks on a big camera system but be totally happy with your recreational dive gear. so...look to the future but live in the now.

what does that really mean for you?? ok, my recommendations. grain of salt applies, as always.
1) the above mentioned group of like minded individuals, who dive every week. you go too, dive dive dive, ask questions, have drinks after & ask questions, laugh & learn.

2) scubapro jet fins. ebay is fine, used is great, make sure they have the lightning bolt as part of the logo. spring straps to hold them on are highly recommended.

3) a good-fitting wetsuit. see what thickness and styles local divers are using, because i agree nothing can be more miserable than being constantly cold. you'll avoid diving because of it.

4) brass-and-glass spg with 100psi increments

5) the cheapest snorkle in the universe. don't fall for gimmicks here.

6) a bc of some type. this is another place to avoid gimmicks. don't fall for how comfy it is on land - that don't mean bubkus in the water, and cushy padding means more lead needed to sink it.

7) regs. don't worry about highest end, and yoke is fine. if you do go tech, they can be your deco bottle regs. but *do* consider getting both the same. a cheaper octo is not a great idea, because 7a) you should seriously consider a long hose. there are a million threads on them, but a 5 ft hose would be worth thinking about if you're serious.

there are LOTS of great threads right here on sb about cave, deep, wreck, deco, mix...all kinds of advanced dives. i've invested many many hours on reading them & came away richer for sure, so please thumb through some & see what sounds interesting.