Scubabug1110
New
Hi, my husband and I are newly certified for OW, we were wanting advice on what is the best gear we could purchase for warm water diving and diving in the springs in Florida.
new to diving would like advice on gear
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I would hold off purchasing a set of gear right away. I would join a club local to you (most dive shops have a club attached) and see what other people are diving. Ask them why they dive what they dive, see if you could maybe demo it in a pool. Try a standard jacket BC (different makes and models), back inflates, and bp/w. See what you like. Try different regs out if you can. Regs I own or have owned include: aqualung titan w/ abs octo. It was a decent warm water reg, but was't good for the type of diving i wanted to do (cold water). I'M currently diving a mix of HOG and apeks. I like them both. Can't tell the difference between them.
Take your time researching and testing out gear. I bought my first set of gear shortly after being certified. I no longer use any of it, with the exception of my fins which occasionally see some use in the pool. Most of it was replaced less than a year after i bought it.
Take your time researching and testing out gear. I bought my first set of gear shortly after being certified. I no longer use any of it, with the exception of my fins which occasionally see some use in the pool. Most of it was replaced less than a year after i bought it.
I am not sure there is an answer to what is best. Most likely your answer will be "what I like". As far as what to buy, I would start with the obvious - mask, fins, wetsuit... then add from there - regs, bcd etc. If you are diving locally and want to be able to head out on a moments notice, maybe a tank or two and some weights.
Now as for what I like - I like my atomic regs, fins, mask and computer, most equipment decisons will be based on personal preferences, not one brand being better or worse than another. Try a few brands by renting and see what you are most comfortable with.
And, welcome to the board. I have found a wealth of information here.
Now as for what I like - I like my atomic regs, fins, mask and computer, most equipment decisons will be based on personal preferences, not one brand being better or worse than another. Try a few brands by renting and see what you are most comfortable with.
And, welcome to the board. I have found a wealth of information here.
I agree and disagree with rivers. If you acquire your own gear, it makes going diving SO much easier and, although you had to jump the financial hurdle of buying stuff, you don't have to tell yourself it will cost you $200 every time you go diving . . .
You probably already own your mask, fins and snorkel -- at least all the shops where I live require you to buy them. So really, you are looking at exposure protection, regulators, and a BC. Exposure protection for Florida spring open water basins and salt water will be a wetsuit, but how thick a wetsuit depends on how much of a cold wimp you are. Wetsuits have to fit to work well, so recommending a particular brand is difficult, since they are cut differently.
There really are no bad regulators out there (liability pretty much ensures that) but be aware that you probably don't need the top-of-the-line, most expensive, most bells and whistles reg. Check where you live to see what is sold there, because that will give you an idea of what you can get serviced locally. You can buy a lot of brands on line, and some of the places from which you buy them will provide service, but then you have to budget a couple of weeks to get work done -- which is not prohibitive, just something of which you need to be aware.
BCs are the most controversial and probably the most frustrating thing to look at. First off, unlike other dive equipment, there are some really poorly designed BCs. In particular, integrated weight systems can be either very difficult to load, insecure at holding weights, or difficult to pull weights from. In addition, there are very definite individual preferences in BC design, and some designs work better for certain body types. For example, I am a small-framed woman, and had trouble finding a standard BC that fit me well and held the tank stable on my back, but the first time I dove a backplate and harness, I was SOOOO happy. Other people prefer jacket style BCs, where the air bladder wraps around the body, because they like the effect of sitting in a life ring on the surface. You can read a ton of stories of BCs people have bought and liked on SB . . . and sometimes, if you take a look at that person's subsequent posts, you'll find out that six months later, they changed their mind . . .
If you have some more experienced divers who can give you a hand, buying a used BC can be a very good option. I know that, when we sold the ones we originally bought, we took a HUGE loss on them, and they were still in excellent condition and quite usable. You SHOULD have the inflator on a used BC serviced after you buy it, which will add to the purchase price, but you can still do very well with used gear. (Same with regulators, but the service costs may be quite a bit higher -- in our area, you would need to budget about $125 for service, which will often destroy much of the price advantage of buying used.)
Accept that, if you turn out to really love this sport, you may well replace a lot of what you buy now, just as anyone who becomes passionate about an activity will generally end up upgrading the equipment they have. But buying gear now will get you in the water, and getting in the water is how you build skill, and diving, like many other things, is much more fun if you are reasonably good at it.
You probably already own your mask, fins and snorkel -- at least all the shops where I live require you to buy them. So really, you are looking at exposure protection, regulators, and a BC. Exposure protection for Florida spring open water basins and salt water will be a wetsuit, but how thick a wetsuit depends on how much of a cold wimp you are. Wetsuits have to fit to work well, so recommending a particular brand is difficult, since they are cut differently.
There really are no bad regulators out there (liability pretty much ensures that) but be aware that you probably don't need the top-of-the-line, most expensive, most bells and whistles reg. Check where you live to see what is sold there, because that will give you an idea of what you can get serviced locally. You can buy a lot of brands on line, and some of the places from which you buy them will provide service, but then you have to budget a couple of weeks to get work done -- which is not prohibitive, just something of which you need to be aware.
BCs are the most controversial and probably the most frustrating thing to look at. First off, unlike other dive equipment, there are some really poorly designed BCs. In particular, integrated weight systems can be either very difficult to load, insecure at holding weights, or difficult to pull weights from. In addition, there are very definite individual preferences in BC design, and some designs work better for certain body types. For example, I am a small-framed woman, and had trouble finding a standard BC that fit me well and held the tank stable on my back, but the first time I dove a backplate and harness, I was SOOOO happy. Other people prefer jacket style BCs, where the air bladder wraps around the body, because they like the effect of sitting in a life ring on the surface. You can read a ton of stories of BCs people have bought and liked on SB . . . and sometimes, if you take a look at that person's subsequent posts, you'll find out that six months later, they changed their mind . . .
If you have some more experienced divers who can give you a hand, buying a used BC can be a very good option. I know that, when we sold the ones we originally bought, we took a HUGE loss on them, and they were still in excellent condition and quite usable. You SHOULD have the inflator on a used BC serviced after you buy it, which will add to the purchase price, but you can still do very well with used gear. (Same with regulators, but the service costs may be quite a bit higher -- in our area, you would need to budget about $125 for service, which will often destroy much of the price advantage of buying used.)
Accept that, if you turn out to really love this sport, you may well replace a lot of what you buy now, just as anyone who becomes passionate about an activity will generally end up upgrading the equipment they have. But buying gear now will get you in the water, and getting in the water is how you build skill, and diving, like many other things, is much more fun if you are reasonably good at it.
Instructor_Tom
Contributor
as a new diver the best investment you can make is to get yourself a good 2 gas NITROX computer and a good backplate and wing configuration BCD. this is gear you must be intimately knowledgable with for safe diving and it is always better to have your own than to rent these.
also if you dive the springs you will eventually be doing some tech transition to cavern or cave and you will be already in the right gear configuration for cavern.
hope this helps.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
BVickery
Contributor
Got to agree with TSandM;
Having my own gear makes me able to dive more than I would without it.
Regulator - Depends if you can get a deal or not used. Sometimes they are a great deal used, other times its easier to just buy new. You can usually find ScubaPro regs for sale either here or fleabay.
BCD - Try and find out what you like and go from there. BP/W can be had used pretty inexpensively and can be customized to fit your dive style and body type. Like TSandM, though on the rather tall side, I find the BP/W trim me better and more importantly fit me a lot better. I do think fit/comfort on a BCD is critical since if it fits nice and comfy your mind isn't bitching to itself how uncomfortable you are, and as such, can enjoy the dive more.
Wetsuit - The new styles are about to be out and can usually get some good deals when this happens at the local LDS.
Tanks - I don't own my own yet, but if I had my own my cost to dive will be even better. This is my next purchase because with a tank I can actually dive enough to make it worth it after I did some basic math.
Finger Spool and SMB - Just good to have as safety Equipment.
Sheers/Trilobyte/Knife - Again, safety equipment in case you get entangled
Dive Light - Doesn't have to be a high end cannister light. Popular dive lights are made by Holis, Dive Right in Scuba, Intova as well as Halycon and Light Monkey (the last 2 higher up on the price list since they are higher end lights).
Dive Comptuer - Get Nitrox capable computer. Suunto, Oceanic and Aries are popular brands. You can sometimes find great steals in the classifieds here for various ones. IF you do get one do take time to familiarize yourself with it. DiveNAV has online classes to teach you to get the most out of your Dive Computer (and if you buy one new you can normally get a free course).
Having my own gear makes me able to dive more than I would without it.
Regulator - Depends if you can get a deal or not used. Sometimes they are a great deal used, other times its easier to just buy new. You can usually find ScubaPro regs for sale either here or fleabay.
BCD - Try and find out what you like and go from there. BP/W can be had used pretty inexpensively and can be customized to fit your dive style and body type. Like TSandM, though on the rather tall side, I find the BP/W trim me better and more importantly fit me a lot better. I do think fit/comfort on a BCD is critical since if it fits nice and comfy your mind isn't bitching to itself how uncomfortable you are, and as such, can enjoy the dive more.
Wetsuit - The new styles are about to be out and can usually get some good deals when this happens at the local LDS.
Tanks - I don't own my own yet, but if I had my own my cost to dive will be even better. This is my next purchase because with a tank I can actually dive enough to make it worth it after I did some basic math.
Finger Spool and SMB - Just good to have as safety Equipment.
Sheers/Trilobyte/Knife - Again, safety equipment in case you get entangled
Dive Light - Doesn't have to be a high end cannister light. Popular dive lights are made by Holis, Dive Right in Scuba, Intova as well as Halycon and Light Monkey (the last 2 higher up on the price list since they are higher end lights).
Dive Comptuer - Get Nitrox capable computer. Suunto, Oceanic and Aries are popular brands. You can sometimes find great steals in the classifieds here for various ones. IF you do get one do take time to familiarize yourself with it. DiveNAV has online classes to teach you to get the most out of your Dive Computer (and if you buy one new you can normally get a free course).
LowDrag
Contributor
Being one of the ones that is selling his previously purchased gear to upgrade I would have to go along with what TSandM is saying. The advantage you have is that you live in tech country. With all the cave diving around you, I would bet there is a shop where to can rent and test drive a good BP&W setup and see if you like it. For me and my wife we are diving dry suits and wings are definitely the way to go. They are much easier to get into and out of and getting in trim for me was a snap. As for ScubaPro, I would not recommend it personally, I recently dove an Atomic B2 and loved it. That reg was so easy to breathe off of compared to my ScubaPro. Anyway...good luck in deciding what works best for you. Keep reading and gleen all the info you can from divers here and you will be miles ahead.
LIke has been mentioned, rent different kinds of gear and find what works best for you. Then once you have an idea look for used gear. I picked up 3 AL tanks for $50 total for all 3 got them doing vis and hydro now, 1 Catalina tank and 2 Sherwood. I bought a reg set MK10 with g200 and D300 with oceanic gauges for $70, I got my sons 2 sets of scubapro regs both are MK16 with upgrade, R190's and 380's, 2 BCD's, 80lbs of weight with belts, 3 masks, 2 more tanks, and a crap load of other stuff for $400.
All of it in working order, serviced now, and will last me and them a long time. You don't really need to buy new, save money look around and spend what you save for air fills, dive fees, more training(nitrox, AOW) and a nice computer.
Best of all your not going to be out of a lot of money if you decide to sell.
All of it in working order, serviced now, and will last me and them a long time. You don't really need to buy new, save money look around and spend what you save for air fills, dive fees, more training(nitrox, AOW) and a nice computer.
Best of all your not going to be out of a lot of money if you decide to sell.
OP
Scubabug1110
New
I really appreciate all the advice from everyone, I don't think we want to go out and rent a ton of equipment because of the money part of it, although buying our own will be expensive. Once we have it we will have it, but all I've heard so far from people I have spoke too is scuba pro scuba pro. When we got certified we used scuba pro equipment and it was very nice, its just soooo expensive
That is why I bought used. Other manufactures are good too, so just keep that in mind. It would open them up to a world of liability if it was crap gear. Take a look at Oceanic gear, I found a new package price (BCD, regs, octo, gauges, and gear bag) for $499 new. Granted it was on the lower end but still a good starter set. I see more used Scubapro because of places to service and people getting out of diving that they bought SP to start with. I have just a few places that will service SP regs, That is another reason that I started learning how to service my own, with the great help from this forum I might add!
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