Beginner looking for advice for new gear and dive buddy

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Hi mate,

This is a perspective of a Melbourne diver.

If you join a dive shop club and build a relationship with them you will get a much better deal on gear.

Buying gear online from the US can cause problems with parts and warranty.

There is a Facebook group called used scuba diving gear in Australia worth looking at.

Gear type and brands are a personal choice. There are pros and cons for all and most shops will try to sell you what the have on the floor rather than what you need. Which is hard for a new diver to work out.

This is what I would recommend.

First get mask, boots and fins and go dive for a while. Hire gear until winter comes unless you find exceptional deals. I know it is a pain at times to get hire gear and it is not cheap but I will save you money long term as rush in a getting the rest of the gear leads to selling it on eBay for a quarter of purchase cost.

Unless you intend to boat dive don't buy a computer get a waterproof watch for starters.

Wet suits are about fit and warmth in Melbourne some can getaway with 3mm whilst others are in drysuit.
So you need to work out your needs before buying one.

Regs purchase is the next big thing. It depends on what you want sort of diving you want to do and what support you can get when there is a problem. Mid range common brand will give most people the flexibility they need.

Bcd's are the next thing to get and there are zealots that will tell you that there choice is best but may not be what you need. So before you go down the path of a type think about where you want to go with diving in the future.

I will try and work out how to pm you my number, a mate and I will be diving on Saturday morning you are welcome to join us.

Paul




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Going with what you have written, here's my take on it.

Prescription mask--I own one, and dive regularly with it. Prior to that, dove with soft contact lenses with no difficulties, but went to the other when taking lens solutions with me traveling became a hassle. If you currently wear contacts, try those first with the mask that seems to work best for you.

Dive computer--you may want to go with a pretty basic computer until you determine what your long-range goals are in diving. The Cressi Sub Leonardo Wrist Dive Computer , Genesis ReSource Pro Wrist Computer, and the Mares Puck Pro Wrist Dive Computer would be good picks at a good price. (Contact the shop directly at Scubatoys.com and they may be able to deal even better if you are buying a package.)

BCD--Backplate and wings are the way to go here, but it really is a matter of personal comfort and preference. Without knowing more about your build, I'm not sure about what to recommend otherwise.

Wetsuit--Men's or women's? Take look at the LINK and see what you think.

Regulator--Personally, I would get this and the computer together as a package. There are several at Scubatoys that would fit the task, depending on your needs. Message me and I can advise you on this and BCDs we have.
 
^^^ I buy gear from ScubaToys as well, but please be aware that it is US based, and if anything goes wrong under warranty, then you will have to ship it back to the US for the warranty work at your own expense. If you want gear that can have the warranty work done locally in Australia, then you actually have to buy it in Australia.

It should not be a deal breaker, as many of us do buy online from overseas, but it's something you need to be very much aware of, especially as a new diver buying your first set of gear.
 
I can't tell if you're male or female from your profile, but I actually wear surfing wetsuits 90% of the time, not diving wetsuits. Why? I'm female, and I find the design of the surfing wetsuits to be more flexible and more manouverable than the diving wetsuits. You can easily pick up 3mm to 5mm surfing wetsuits in Australia just about anywhere, but a 7mm would probably have to be custom made, which puts you back to needing to buy a diving wetsuit at that thickness. I do actually have a 5mm Mares flexi wetsuit which is a great fit for me. If I'm diving in cold water, I actually just throw my 3mm West (surfing) wetsuit over the top of the 5mm. I did own a 7mm Scubapro semi-dry at one point, and while it technically fit me size wise, I was so uncomfortable diving in it due to restricted movement because of its design, that I sold it on Gumtree after about 4 dives. T-zips are a pain in the arse in my experience, as you require someone else to zip you up. I prefer the standard back zip so that I can do it myself. Personal opinion of course! Pockets help, but again, that's a personal preference, and I don't especially like them. I prefer to have things attached to my bcd as it's easier to access.

I think you will struggle to find a bcd in any colour but black. They're all black as far as I've ever seen, but some have a coloured trim on them, which is probably about as colourful as you'll get :)

Thank you.i am currently think i would go with Seatec wetsuit, i did surfing and imo there no diffrence in flexibility between the scuba wetsuit and the surf wetsuit. I do think pocket is a geat idea.
please feel free to give your personal reference as i'm new i need to try manything untill i know which one suit me.

---------- Post added December 3rd, 2015 at 09:18 PM ----------

Thank you guys for all the advice.
Im currently think that i will just buy a wetsuit ( seatec) for now. I dive with contact len for the time being. And then i would go bcd.
On that note. Could i get some opinion about seatec? Should i go measure to fit or pick a size that fit me? They have all measure in there but just want know from experiences. And there are so many type of semi dry i.e. Viper,stinger,professionals, etc. which one is good value for money?
My build is a bit chubby, 100kg,177cm, i did quite a bit of weight so my thigh and chest is big as well as tummy i thin the 3 size is all 100 , the last time my gf checked lmao

I got myself a fin from gumtree for 70$ full foot, vortex v6 split fin. Feel so much different compare with the snorkeling fin, no more struggling.

my budget is 1k but it will be spread around a few months not in one go so....

I do agree with Wetpup that i would love to get things in Aus rather than us. As a new diver i need to touch things, feel thing as i dont know what suit me, what size,etc

please feel free to pm me so we can go dive together if you dont mind draging a beginner.
 
Im currently think that i will just buy a wetsuit (seatec) for now.

On that note. Could i get some opinion about seatec? Should i go measure to fit or pick a size that fit me? They have all measure in there but just want know from experiences. And there are so many type of semi dry i.e. Viper,stinger,professionals, etc. which one is good value for money?

The best value wetsuit is the one that fits best. You may not be able to pick a size that fits you depending on the match of the suit cat to your body shape.

I recently bought a new 7mm suit, after diving the same suit since 1985!

I only wanted suit with flexibility and that fitted well, I tried:

- Scubapro Everflex 7mm/5mm, nice suit but not a good fit, pulled my shoulders back.

- Probe idry and iFlex 7mm, again not great fits

- Aqua Lung 'Aquaflex' 7mm , this was a great fit

My preference before trying the suits would have been in the order I tried them if the Aqua Lung wasn't a good fit I would have tried more.


 
The best value wetsuit is the one that fits best. You may not be able to pick a size that fits you depending on the match of the suit cat to your body shape.

I recently bought a new 7mm suit, after diving the same suit since 1985!

I only wanted suit with flexibility and that fitted well, I tried:

- Scubapro Everflex 7mm/5mm, nice suit but not a good fit, pulled my shoulders back.

- Probe idry and iFlex 7mm, again not great fits

- Aqua Lung 'Aquaflex' 7mm , this was a great fit

My preference before trying the suits would have been in the order I tried them if the Aqua Lung wasn't a good fit I would have tried more.



This.

Our advice on wetsuits is useless, because it's based entirely on what fits us as individuals. The only way you're going to figure out what to buy is to actually go and try them all on for yourself.
 
This.

Our advice on wetsuits is useless, because it's based entirely on what fits us as individuals. The only way you're going to figure out what to buy is to actually go and try them all on for yourself.

Hi, that's the reason that i go with Seatec. They offer a made to measure wetsuit ( extra 100$ on top of the price). any one experiences with Seatec would be great to hear some of their opinion :) i go with this by the way : SEATEC | Vortex Super Stretch 7 mm Semi-Dry Wetsuit | DrySuits with extra zip thigh pocket.
next is BCD, any recommend for a weight integrated BCD?
 
I would suggest a few things...

1) post your questions in the appropriate forums and you will get more readers and comments, have a look thought these: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/the-equipment-of-scuba-diving/
2) consider a computer before the BCD
3) try some wetsuits on, if you are going the custom then get a 'professional' recommended by Seatec to do the measuring I know many people who have had custom suits and they don't fit well as the measuring was not quite right.
 
Hi all,

Just got my OW last month and now i'm looking to buy some gears.
the way i dive is just for fun, exploring, will be frequently dive - at least 1-2 /month, will stop at 30m depth ( that what i think at the moment)

I have been looking for Dive shop ( Extreme water, scubadoctor) but all the gear are really really expensive.
i have a list in my mind but not sure about the brand, or the order of gear that i should buy. Could you please help me out, i kind of confuse at the moment.
Any comments /advice would be greatly appreciated.
1 - Prescription mask - Apollo SV2 - it the only 1 that come with a prescription lens( i got Asian nose, so it been hard for me to find a mask that let me easily squeeze my nose. Last resort i have to try and plug the nose from under)
2 - Dive computer - i know i want a wrist type ( doesn't matter about size)- i just want a basic type that can help me planning, depth, safety stop, compass. i was looking at Cressi leonardo but it does not have safety stop. any idea for the same price and have safety stop?
3 - BCD - I know i want a wing type BCD and a colour one ( not black). that's all i know
4 - Wetsuit - Scubadoctor was telling me that Probe idry 7mm is the best selling - cost 555$ ( IMO, i'm not sure about the brand, but isnt 555$ a bit expensive? and the brand is not as good as Cressi or Scubapro or Mares? please correct if i'm wrong ) there also some one suggest Seatec but there are so many variety as well as options within each suit. Can you please advice which one is worth ?
5 - Regulator and tank : for these 2 i really not keen to buy any time soon. would probably leave for later.

my budget around 1k or bit less if i can help.
My plan is to buy mask, computer in this month. then BCD next 2 months, Wet suit next 2 months, and so on.

Also i am very keen to go to dive ( i can only do weekend), anyone interested for a beginner buddy, please feel free to in box.
i also keen to dive deep, but would need some experiences to show me the rope.

Thank you for reading such a long post and please pardon my English.
Thank you you all again.

For a bcd i would look at a backplate and wing (google it if you dont know what onwle is). For a well priced, decent new one I would try:

DiveTub - Australian Online Dive Store (look at the hog bcd's, you can get one in red too!) About $450 -$550 you can also get well priced regulstors from here too.

Watsuit - All About Scuba in Mafra st, Campbellfeild are selling a range of 7mm semi dry wetsuits starting at $150 it think atey are at All About SCUBA - Welcome to All About Scuba

If you decide to buy a scuba tank/ cylinder go to DiveImports.com (Powered by CubeCart) ive never found them cheaper then there.
They also sell fins pretty cheap $50 -100. And a decend SMB for $50. And their regs are also inexpensive.

If you want a really cheap (but decent) computer, there is one on Facebook "buy swap and sell scuba gear" page (an oceanic veo 1.0) for $70, and they'll post to Melb for $10 (i know because i nearly bought it). That page also has heaps of good bargains of you knownwhat your looking for.
 

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