Hello From Eugene Oregon

[H2O Photo Pros]

One word of advice when it comes to getting some gear is get to know your local dive shops, establish a relationship and when its time to get some gear, support your LDS. They will provide you with all the help you need, make sure you are safe and comfortable in the water...and hopefully get you in the water with them. A quality relationship with your LDS is very important in my opinion for any diver.

 

[Strapman]

Hi there!

I'm currently living in Fairbanks, Alaska, but my wife and I are moving back home to the Eugene area in early May.

I'm sure you've heard of Eugene Skin Divers. Great shop, great training, and likely who you'll want to get started with.

As far as exposure protection, I've dove the Oregon Coast in a 7mm two piece, but a drysuit is much, much more comfortable.

If you can afford it, go dry. Larry at Scubatoys, or the Divetank crew can get you set up in a Bare drysuit (or wetsuit) for a very good price.

-Brandon.

I was there just yesterday. I spoke with several of the guys. and they also said a dry suit is the way to go. I didn't think alot about comfort after the dive.

Any suggestions on mask, snorkle, fins and booties? I've seen a few different styles in fins, masks, and snorkels, but I don't know what the differences are or if they make any difference. They said I should have these before class starts. I have been looking at scubatoys, but i'm just not sure what the best bang for my buck will be.

 

[Zak OHara]

Strapman,
Great to hear we are getting another OR diver. I am the district sales manager for Mares. ESDS is one of my accts, and I highly recommend them! They are extremely professional, knowledgeable, fiiendly, and very helpful. They also have the capacity to repair not only regulators, but do a great job on tailoring neoprene and drysuits. They will be a great asset to you as you go forward with your new sport/adventure. As stated before it is great to establish the relationship with your local store for many reasons. They will not only be able to help you choose which products are best for you, but also support a great network of people to dive and travel with. ESDS puts together alot of trips, both locally and internationally. Last year they received an award for being one of the best dive stores in the nation! They also have a great club that gets together once a month, with very nice people. I have given talks at several of their meetings. Hope to see you there some time.

Zak

 

[Strapman]

I strongly agree with you that ESDS is awesome, we just had a conversation with them about supplying them with webbing and hardware. Very nice people. very sharp operation.

 

[Divedoggie]

Strapman,
The mask must fit your face, you won't know till you try it on. I have the Mares X-Vision, and it is excellent.
If you decide to go with a drysuit, the size of your fins will be affected. You will most likely need a size XL to go with the bigger boots of a drysuit.
A split fin makes flutter kicking EZ and fast. A paddle fin gives you more control in currents and when using different kicking styles such as skulling and frog kick.
The kind of snorkel doesn't matter. Get one that you think looks cool!

The instructors and DiveMasters at my LDS will always let students take a lap in the pool with their personal fins and mask. Buy a mask and snorkel. Take the course, then ask more questions on this forum if you still can't decide!

 

[DiveMaven]

I'd really recommend that you try different fins before buying. I've found that they are as different as masks for different people. It appears that many LDS's in the PacNW strongly recommend the split fins, so I tried them. After 20 minutes in a pool trying out 4 different types of splits, I knew there was no way I could stand them. For me they feel floppy and there's a total lack of control...or at least that's how it feels. So I tried on no less than 10 different paddle fins. It wasn't until I tried the Jet Fins in the pool and swam around for about 25 minutes that I knew I had found my perfect fin. Contrast that with folks who say that Jets give them leg cramps before they reach the other end of the pool.

Try as many different fins as you can in the water. Once you've narrowed it down, do some laps and swim for 5-10 minutes with each fin, then decide which one works and fits best for you.

 

[HarryWhisman]

Hey, welcome to the pond!!

I'm a new diver as well, got certified here in Medford last August, and I started buying stuff about 30 days after I was certified. My wife tried to tell me I should rent gear for a while but no, I wanted my own brand new, much better than rental stuff, and I wanted it right then!! I researched on this and other forums until the wee hours of the morning, many times. I got counsel from my instructor, I got recommendations from my friends, I roamed the LDSs and searched on-line vendors until it became a life style. I gradually accumulated what I thought was the best gear for the best price ever.

I wish I had listened to my wife.

Rent for a while. Give it time. One thing I've learned is that no one can tell you what's best for you to buy. No one. You will have to figure all that out for yourself and that takes time.

 

[Strapman]

thanks guys for the suggestions, it all sounds like very good advice.

 

[Skeeter1097]

Hello and welcome to the board. I think you should not bye to much intell you have tryed some out. But you need a good wet suit, Fines, mask, snorkel, glves and boots. Brands are not inpertent [fet is]. Any and all LDS have good stuff and you donot need the most $$$$$. Thin as you dive you can get the rest.

 

[Scottri]

Welcome to another Oregon diver! The Oregon Coast has some great dive sites but most shops take their students to Hood Canal in Washington for their checkout dives because it's a lot easier than surf entries on the Oregon Coast. I used a 7mm wetsuit for years and it served me well. I finally stepped up to a drysuit and I love it but you can get by with a wetsuit for a long time if the cost of the drysuit is too much. Good luck and have fun! I would suggest you try as many types of gear as you can before you decide what works best for you. It would suck to by a $100 set of fins only to find out later they don't really work for you.