'ello from Tacoma!

[Laruuk]

I've been lurking for awhile and though I'd drop in and commence the intro.

I've been certified for a total of two days.
Certification went well, I thought.

Now the hard part.

Picking out my personal gear...

At least it's cheaper than a motorcycle...:scubadive

 

[sarita75]

:colouredsmilies: Welcome to Scubaboard! :colouredsmilies:


As for the gear - take your time and do alot of reading. As well, I recommend buying things like BCs and regs at a store with a pool that you can actually try it all on, see how it feels, swim around, float on the surface, etc. I had originally set out to get a great deal online, but found that my level of "expertise" was such that the hands-on experience of the store and desire to find comfortable and well-fitting gear was more important. So I paid and bit more, but I am REALLY happy with my stuff.

I got gear AND a motorcycle....but my bike is older than the gear!

 

[coachrenz]

Welcome from Auburn. Now the fun begins.

 

[TSandM]

Laruuk, welcome underwater!

There are several of us who hang out around here who really love to dive with new divers. You might want to hook up with some of us for some dives (and borrow some gear) before you make decisions about what to plunk down your cash for. I wish I'd done that!

 

[Matt S.]

Do the research, ask questions, make decisions. And accept now that you will still make some mistakes when you buy gear. The goal is to make those mistakes as small as possible.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Welcome ... I work here in Tacoma, and live in Federal Way. Let me know if you want to get together sometime for a chat about various dive gear options. I'm a local instructor, but not associated with a dive shop, so I can give you advise you're not likely to get from someone who's trying to sell you something ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Laruuk]

Thanks for the welcome! This is a very active board.

Thanks for the offer, Bob -- I'll PM you in a bit.

 

[mdb]

I've been lurking for awhile and though I'd drop in and commence the intro.

I've been certified for a total of two days.
Certification went well, I thought.

Now the hard part.

Picking out my personal gear...

At least it's cheaper than a motorcycle...:scubadive

Welcome to the other 70%+ of the planet. Call Mike @ UWS in Tacoma, Walt @ UWS in Federal Way, take your time, do not buy a lot for awhile. You will have people "in your ear" talking about "tech", "DIR" etc. give them a pass, proceed at your own pace.

Most important, find a good dive instructor/mentor. Dive a lot, rent gear until you feel informed and aware. Puget Sound offers some of the worlds best diving.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Welcome to the other 70%+ of the planet. Call Mike @ UWS in Tacoma, Walt @ UWS in Federal Way, take your time, do not buy a lot for awhile. You will have people "in your ear" talking about "tech", "DIR" etc. give them a pass, proceed at your own pace.

Mike's a stand-up guy, and Walt's a personal friend of mine ... but there are other options besides Underwater Sports to consider. Our area is blessed with a wide variety of dive shops, selling different lines of gear and targeting different types of divers. It's best to see what's available, and consider all the options before deciding what to purchase. UWS might turn out to be the right place to buy ... and it might not.

Most important, find a good dive instructor/mentor. Dive a lot, rent gear until you feel informed and aware. Puget Sound offers some of the worlds best diving.

Now that there's excellent advice ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Laruuk]

I actually took my OW Class thru the Tacoma store.

There are a fair amount of dive shops around, I've hit A2Z Scuba as well as the Adventure Center at Fort Lewis to get an idea of what's out there.

Mostly all I got was overwhelmed with choices...

I'm always on the hunt for good advise from some one wiser than I.