Yet ANOTHER newbie equipment question

[jnethery]

You guys never get tired of these newbie questions, do you?

Anyway, I got open water certified in Hawaii a couple of months ago. I am reasonably serious about this hobby and would like to start acquiring my own equipment (the thought of breathing through a regulator that someone has barfed in does not really appeal to me).

Anyway, I thought I would start with the more "personal" gear (for tropical / warm weather diving):

a ScubaPro MK20 / G250 first stage / regulator
a shorty wet suit
a pair of gloves

What I don't quite understand is the first stage / regulator setup. Do I need to get a separate BC inflator hose, or do they come with the first stage? What about an alternate air source and console / computer? Is that stuff separate? Any opinions as to whether a wrist computer / console computer is the way to go?

I figure that the BC purchase can wait a while.

Finally, can anyone recommend a good shorty wet suit for a 6'4" 200lb guy like me?

 

[Dee]

When you buy your 'regulator set-up', the first stage and second stage (regulator) is sold together. You need to purchase an octo second stage and gauges seperately. If you aren't going to buy a BC for awhile and don't know if you'll be using an integrated inflator, Octo+/Air II, the purchase of a 'regular' octopus second stage is your best bet. Your choice of computer... air-integrated or not air-integrated, hoseless or not, wrist mounted or not...will guide your choice of gauges.

A low pressure inflator hose is usually included with the BC when you purchase it. Some BC's, Zeagle for instance, have a different sized connection for the inflator.

For tropical diving, gloves aren't necessary for warmth but lightweight ones are handy for holding onto decent lines, when diving around, not into, wrecks and for rig dives.

My husband is just a bit bigger than you are, 6'7", 250lbs. and he wears size 2X shorties off the rack, since length isn't an issue. His best fitting one is an O'neill but your body type and shape may be different. Just try on as many as you can!

 

[Iguana Don]

Dee has give you some very solid advice and I might add that your choice in reg. (IMHO) is outstanding. Looks like you are headed in the right direction. Welcome to diving and to the board.

:devilish:

BTW, no we never get tired of "newbie" questions, that's why we are here.

 

[Mario S Caner]

Looks like your questions have been answered already, but I do have one bit of advice I can add here. If you can manage, try to pick up all of your gear at one location. Often times you can save $500-600 or more by buying a package. Most shops will have several packages that they can walk you through. Shop all of the shops in your area, or ask here and we may be able to find something for you!

 

[Green_Manelishi]

Your choice of regulator is excellent, however I am going to approach this from the why-you-should-NOT-buy (yet)

I would recommend AGAINST buying the 'big pieces' of gear until you are sure you will remain involved. Then take
your time and study the issues and gear available. Gear (even the 'cheap' brands) is expensive and if you decide you do NOT like to dive, or that a different model/brand
is more to your liking 3 weeks after purchasing 'x' you will likely not recover much $$$ if/when you sell.

Those of us who HAVE stayed involved, unless we were
fortunate from the start, have LOTS of gear that cost
us some serious coin but we 'replaced' with gear we
liked more. Take a look at the "want ads" and such and
you'll see beaucoup gear being sold because it was 'not
right' or the owner decided that diving is too much
effort.

 

[Scubaguy62]

It's a matter of taste, but even in warm water, it would behoove you to go with a full suit instead of a shorty. It's more for protection than for insulation; you never know when you're going to inadvertently rub against some fire coral, or when you're going to surface in the midst of sea lice or jelly fish. Besides, when the water starts to cool off, the full suit can extend your dive time.

Semper Safe,


Rick

 

[theskull]

Agree with all above advice except (just my opinion) the one advising you to delay investing in your hobby. (I believe) it is best to get your own gear as soon as possible (bought mine before the OW class dives) so you can get comfortable with it, take care of it, and KNOW how it has been cared for.

2 more opinions for you: Buy the BC (back-inflate) before the computer, since the BC is another fit/comfort piece of equipment that will last forever. When ready for a computer, buy the wrist mount--why? because most (surely not all) divers I meet prefer the wrist mount, and if you turn out not to be one of them it is very easy to re-sell a wrist mount to another diver and then buy one to mount on the console. There are even some models that can be mounted either way, so if you coordinated this with the shop that sells you the console you could get a console that will fit your future computer and later the computer that will fit your console if you don't want to wear it on your wrist. Besides, you can always strap a wrist mount computer onto your console--I regularly see this done.

theskull

p.s. My opinions are mine and are opinions, but they also reflect the preferences of dozens of divers with whom I have dived.

 

[ScubaRon]

Together with the reg also buy an octopus. Some dive centers will not let you dive without one. The reg you picked is a great one for warm water.

I agree with Theskull that a BC should be your next item. The reg and the BC are your life support system and fit (for the BC) and intimate familiarity with them is important. Computers are "nice-to-have", but can wait a while, especially since you should not be going to deep anyway.

I do not like non-air integrated wrist computers. You still need a pressure gauge and now you need to check 2 locations: the SPG for your air and the wrist for your depth/time.

 

[IndigoBlue]

You guys never get tired of these newbie questions, do you?

Anyway, I got open water certified in Hawaii a couple of months ago. I am reasonably serious about this hobby and would like to start acquiring my own equipment (the thought of breathing through a regulator that someone has barfed in does not really appeal to me).

Anyway, I thought I would start with the more "personal" gear (for tropical / warm weather diving):

a ScubaPro MK20 / G250 first stage / regulator
a shorty wet suit
a pair of gloves

What I don't quite understand is the first stage / regulator setup. Do I need to get a separate BC inflator hose, or do they come with the first stage? What about an alternate air source and console / computer? Is that stuff separate? Any opinions as to whether a wrist computer / console computer is the way to go?

I figure that the BC purchase can wait a while.

Finally, can anyone recommend a good shorty wet suit for a 6'4" 200lb guy like me?

Back in the olden days of scuba, before most people who post on this board were born, we normally bought our regulator first, like you are doing.

Since you are choosing a ScubaPro Mk20 you cannot go wrong with that choice.

You will either need two 2nd stages or else an octo to go along with your regulator. An "octo" is a cheap 2nd stage, around $150 or so, that you can donate to a buddy if the need arises.

If you are diving in Hawaii, then a shorty should be fine. Another alternative would be a full suit, in 3mms, to protect your legs and arms from scratches from the coral, or stings etc. I would recommend against a shorty.

Today, in modern times, people often first buy an exposure suit. Alternatively, a computer is also often one of their first purchases. However if you always keep your diving depth shallower than 50 ft, then you probably do not need a computer, and any depth gauge, analog or digital, would be fine.

Don't forget that you will need some kind of depth gauge.

And then, after that, there is always something more that you will want, ultimately an underwater video unit, or else even a dive scooter. Welcome to scuba diving!

 

[UWSojourner]

It's a matter of taste, but even in warm water, it would behoove you to go with a full suit instead of a shorty.

Ditto. I used a 3mm full wetsuit in the Caymans and was glad to be using it.