Dive Gear

[KevinNM]

I see it somewhat like snow skiing and first choice of skis...there are some people that will start with novice skis...good for the bunny slope and green runs...but not really good for much progression...but you don't need to do much right for them to get you down the hill. Then you toss the novice skis, and get performance skis you can actually learn high skill levels with, and get to be a good skier with.
Bp/wings allow you to get perfect trim and low drag, in your very first ow class. While not impossible for you to get perfect trim in a jacket, they keep more divers kind of sloppy in trim, and are harder to tune for ideal trim....in fairness, a really good diver can get perfect trim in a jacket....but the jacket was never designed for perfect trim and low drag....

The main drawback with this comparison is that a novice skier using expert-type skis really can get themselves in very serious trouble, as it allows them to ski much faster then they can probably handle.

There really isn't any issue like this for a novice diver. Unless you get some nutcase trying to sell you a closed circuit rebreather, the gear used by really skilled divers is perfectly usable by a novice.

 

[danvolker]

The main drawback with this comparison is that a novice skier using expert-type skis really can get themselves in very serious trouble, as it allows them to ski much faster then they can probably handle.

There really isn't any issue like this for a novice diver. Unless you get some nutcase trying to sell you a closed circuit rebreather, the gear used by really skilled divers is perfectly usable by a novice.

Actually....eeven the best racing skis for GS or Slalom, are not going to make much of a difference in the top speeds that a novice skier would be capable of attaining...its not about racing skiis sliding downhill faster...its about how with good technique, a pair of racing skis is going to carve a turn far more effectively than would be possible with a set of novice skis...the key differences are response to good tecnique.... When you do somwthing right with racing skis , they react fast...do something wrong, you may quckly faceplant.....novice skis dont do much for the correct technique, or the mistakes...much like a sloppy jacket bc

Personally, I think it is much better to teach a well coordinated brand new skiier with good boots and racing skis....so they do a bit of extra falling in the first few hours...but they learn what works and what does not...and they learn much faster than they could with the novice skis ( I used to be a ski racer, and taught plenty of school friends how to ski in a couple days)...

 

[KevinNM]

Really? I remember the length of skis and the bindings being very different for the same sized novice and semi-pro racer. But I've been out of it after shattering my shoulder skiing >10 years ago.

Anyhow, other then rebreathers, the same basic gear used by an experienced diver doing very advanced dives is perfectly usable for training in a pool or open water class or for your initial diving.

 

[danvolker]

Really? I remember the length of skis and the bindings being very different for the same sized novice and semi-pro racer. But I've been out of it after shattering my shoulder skiing >10 years ago.

point a pair of 185 cm novice skis down a well groomed and steep double diamond run, do the same with some 220s....if you go straight with no turns, either pair could get you over 50 mph or faster....tthe real difference happens when you try to turn

 

[DaleC]

I think the ski analogy fits a bit but for a different reason.

Most people go skiing once in a while, maybe a couple of times per season, just like diving. A few really get into it, buy seasons passes and go almost every weekend, just like diving.
Someone who only goes skiing once or twice a season will never develop the skillset needed to make maximum use of performance skis and, you guessed it, the occasional diver will not maximize performance dive gear. But why are you guys skiing? Snowboarding is far more fun

Use rental gear for a while, see if you actually like diving and then start to look at gear. For the course, as others have suggested, a mask that fits is the best mask. The cheapest snorkel is the best snorkel. And the most basic blade fin is the best fin. I bought my Jets in a thrift store for $10 and they replaced my $5 Technisubs which I then gave to another diver. Try not to buy a $50 snorkel and $200 fins if you can help it. Mask is worth the money for a good fit.

 

[stuartv]

I'm a pretty new diver, but I'll add a couple of things here that I don't think have been mentioned.

When trying on masks, spend $5 or whatever to buy a regulator mouthpiece and put that in your mouth when you try on masks. I did not do that when I bought my first mask. In the shop, it was the most comfortable and sealed the best of everything I tried on. And it was one of the most expensive they stocked ($130!). In the water, it has always leaked on me. I now have developed a strong suspicion that the leak is due to the smile lines that form on my face when I have a regulator in my mouth. Fortunately, I tried a buddy's mask last week and it didn't leak on me so I have now ordered one to replace my really expensive first mask.

Fins: I have read here numerous times that split fins do not work very well for frog kicks and helicopter kicks (and, presumably, back kicks). I have also read that they are not as fatiguing or as likely to cause cramps. All of those things have left me wondering, if I'm somewhere where I don't need much propulsion, like a dive with no current, then I'm going to be kicking very gently, in which case blade fins should be totally fine. And if I'm somewhere where I do need serious propulsion, then I definitely want blades. Given all that, it only makes sense to me for anyone to buy blades. When I bought my fins, I went into my local shop planning to buy split fins. I had read all the marketing blurbs on them and was also inclined to think that, being a newer design, they must be better. Fortunately, the sales guy at the shop steered me away from splits and into blades and I am very happy with mine.

Lastly on fins, be aware that you can buy fins with rubber straps and then change them to spring straps later. But also be aware that Atomic brand fins use a different size post for strap attachment so, AFAIK, they will only accept (expensive) Atomic brand spring straps. Other brands of fins seem to use a somewhat standard size strap post, so you can get aftermarket spring straps for them for much less money. I bought Atomic fins and now face spending $70 for spring straps. My g/f bought Tusa fins and I got her some Blue Reef spring straps on a pre-Christmas sale for around $17 and they fit her fins perfectly. They actually look 100% OEM.

 

[KenGordon]

It is extremely easy to over analyse dive gear. Try to buy as little as possible and try lots out. The most likely thing is that you will buy some to a lot of wrong gear. Keep this in mind when being up sold from something from eBay to the latest and greatest. The buy once, buy right and buy for ten years is a great sales tactic.

I have bought stuff for a particular feature having convinced myself I need it and then found that I never use it. On the other hand where I dive environmentally sealed regulators are important, but it can take a while to discover and understand information like that.

Do buy a mask. Then when you start going on holiday diving buy a computer.

Do not take general Internet advice about stuff like fins. I have two current pairs of fins, one I use if the rest of my kit makes me head heavy and one if I am otherwise foot heavy. What you need is an appropriate pair for the rest of your gear and your body shape.

If you can find a quality instructor who is not working for a shop selling gear you may get good advice.

Ken

 

[stuartv]

Lastly on fins, be aware that you can buy fins with rubber straps and then change them to spring straps later. But also be aware that Atomic brand fins use a different size post for strap attachment so, AFAIK, they will only accept (expensive) Atomic brand spring straps. Other brands of fins seem to use a somewhat standard size strap post, so you can get aftermarket spring straps for them for much less money. I bought Atomic fins and now face spending $70 for spring straps. My g/f bought Tusa fins and I got her some Blue Reef spring straps on a pre-Christmas sale for around $17 and they fit her fins perfectly. They actually look 100% OEM.

Update on this: I noticed last night that Dive Gear Express has a spring strap kit that says it includes a piece to fit the posts on Atomic fins. That kit is $30. Just FYI for anyone that cares.

 

[NWA395]

Hey yall, what's the best gear to get for beginners that will be good and dependable....?

I'll add my two cents: I originally got certified circa 1980. Eventually life got in the way and I took a hiatus. Fast forward many years and decided to re-cert and get active in diving again.

After taking OW again, I rented different gear from different dive shops, (brands, bcd types, (back inflate, jacket etc.).. I looked at what type of diving I was planning on doing and during what seasons, water temps etc.

I determined the majority of my diving would be local between May and Nov (3mm to 7 mm) and warm travel year round. I then bought equipment based on MY DIVING NEEDS.

 

[Wojo]

I became OW certified just last year. I was highly tempted to run right out and buy gear before even completing the class. I've been free diving for years, so I already had a good low volume mask and fins...but I was all fired up to get the rest of my gear. Fortunately for me, my wife...aka The CFO...was the voice of reason. "Why don't you rent for a while, to try out different gear and to make sure this is something you're going to continue doing?"

She was absolutely right. I waited until the end of the season before thinking about buying. By waiting I was able to score a great deal on very lightly used gear from my dive shop. A local sheriff's office had disbanded their dive team, and the shop's offer to buy the entire lot of dive gear was accepted. I snagged a dry suit, BCD, two tanks, regs, console, gloves, hood, and weights for just slightly more than I would have paid for the dry suit new. I am SO VERY GLAD that I listened to my wife and waited.

The only exception I made was to talk The CFO into freeing up the funds for a dive computer. I got a good price on a unit one of the dive shop owners was "testing". It had gotten wet just twice, and they sold it to me for the price of used gear.