Newbie needs basic equip. advice...

[goofygirl]

Hello everyone!
My fiance and I are about to start our PADI OW certification. We'll be doing the class and pool time here in NY, and our OW referral on our honeymoon in Aruba. we hope to do a nice bit of diving once we've completed our OW certification.

Our instructor strongly encouraged us to buy simple basic equipment (mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit.) If we will really only be diving in warm climates do we need more than a "shortie" (is this the proper term for a knee lenth, short sleeved wet suit?) Ahould we get a full suit, or do we need even a wetsuit at all?

Also, our instructor recommends booties and strap backed fins (probably not the right term.) I'm only used to full foot fins from my snorkelling days. Again, if we'll only be diving in warm climates on orgainzed dives through certified reputable dive centers could we use full foot fins, or does the instructor have a good reason for recommending the other kind?

Thanks!

 

[scubasean]

Welcome to the sport!

Most divers recommend at least a shortie, if only to protect you from injuries from coming into contact with things...

I'd go with your instructor recommendations on booties and fins...

Sean

 

[clan_wong]

I guess it would be nice to have gear that you can call your own. You become more familiar with it and the stuff gets more comfy each time you use it, so your instructor's advice is right on the $$.

Diving in waters with temp around 24-28 degrees Celsius you probably only need a Lycra skin that's about 0.5mm in thickness. It'll keep you warm enuff and provides you with some protection against stingers but not very useful against stuff that can cut you.

A shortie usually has a min. thickness of bout' 2.5mm and naturally keeps you warm & toasty in addition to protecting the bulk of the body minus the hands and feet of coz' I find this to be a smart buy if you're gonna be in sub tropical to tropical type of conditions. Fullsuits (thickness 3mm and above) max out warmth, protection etc but they're really clumsy to don and remove.....mebbe after a thousand dives they'll become more manageable but most of us don't reach that number!

Here's another good reason to get your own suit....divers love to pee in their wetsuits......lotsa' pee and rental gear.....think about it

My take on strap-fins is that they're more comfortable esp. on days when you might be doing 3 or 4 dives....Full-foot fins have a slight advantage in that they feel MORE like an extension of your legs......thus giving relatively more control and power. I would go with strappies though you can make up for whatever slight loss in control/ power by adopting a good finning technique!

Cheers!

 

[scuubaadoo]

....if you do a lot of diving on trips you will find a full suit will keep your body core warmer on the 3rd and 4th day, if your warm you can open your suit to cool down ,if your cold then divings over. Open heel fins will give you the option to dive colder waters as your experience grows.

 

[Wendy]

Get a 2 piece wetsuit and a skin. I have a 3mm 2 piece suit, which consists of a 'farmer john' (looks like a jumpsuit with tank top straps) and then there is long sleeve shortie that goes on over it. So it can be worn as a full suit or you can wear just a shorty. The skin is good cuz you can wear it under your suit to get it on easier or you can just wear it alone in really warm water. I always wear something to protect myself from things that could sting me in the water. If you wanna see what I'm talking about you can go to www.diversdirect.com. That's where I got mine. I'm not saying you have to get it there, I just wanted to show you what I was talking about.

Go with the booties and open heel fins.

Oh and don't forget no diving 24 hours before your flight home.

Welcome to the board and good luck with your ow class and your marriage.

 

[scywin]

I suggest minimizing purchases until you get through your certification. Strange as it may seem, you might not stay with diving.

Diving in the Caribbean I see people with varying thickness suits, from a swimsuit and T shirt to thick wetsuits. I think the most common thing I see is a 0.5 mm skin, but some individuals seem to want, or need something thicker.

If you can rent or borrow something to try it first, your purchase is more likely to be something that you are comfortable with.

As for the fins/booties, I agree with the use of this combination, but in the NY area they tend to sell 7mm booties unless you ask for something else. Request a 3mm bootie thickness for warm climate diving.

If you buy a wetsuit or shorty, rather than a skin, check out Henderson Goldcore.

 

[Charlie99]

scywin once bubbled...
I suggest minimizing purchases until you get through your certification. Strange as it may seem, you might not stay with diving.

Diving in the Caribbean I see people with varying thickness suits, from a swimsuit and T shirt to thick wetsuits. I think the most common thing I see is a 0.5 mm skin, but some individuals seem to want, or need something thicker.

If you can rent or borrow something to try it first, your purchase is more likely to be something that you are comfortable with.

I wholeheartedly agree with your comments about waiting a bit, so goffygirl will know if she will continue to dive, and also to better know her needs for thermal protection.

If your local shops don't carry a lot of tropical weight gear, that might be a good excuse to do another trip in a few months. Key Largo, FL is a great place to get warm water gear.

I've found a 3/2 suit a nice alternative to either a full 3mm or just a shorty. That's 3mm on the torso, thinner 2mm on the lower arms and legs. Most of the warmth of a full 3mm but with less buoyancy and therefore less lead weight needed.

Either 3mm or 5mm boots work well for tropical diving. 5mm is a bit more rugged. Cheap 3mm boots quickly wear through at my big toe, but a bike tire patch easily repairs that.

 

[scywin]

Sizes run funny on some gear. Either try it on before you buy it, or make sure you can return it if it doesn't fit.

Also, if you happen to be one of the many Americans who are currently boycotting France, note that certain brands of scuba gear are French. There are plenty of made in the US brands, so it is easy to buy American.

 

[ScoobyDave]

Definitely a bootie with strap fin. I use a tropic bootie, even if I'm diving with my 7mm wetsuit in cold water. I find the strap fin a lot easier to put on and remove than the full-foot fins I've used, and simply fit and feel better.

For the small investment in the basic gear (mask/snorkel/fins/wetsuit), I see no reason to wait at all - in fact most ow courses require your own basic gear. For bc, regs, etc, I'd wait until you have a chance to rent a variety of gear to see what you like. And, rent from more than one shop to get a good spectrum of options.

Get wet!

 

[jhelmuth]

Many good sugestions. May I also offer one. Please don't limit your diving to warm water only if it also means you'll not keep diving at least 4 dives a month. As a newbie, you can loose your newly aquired skill all too quickly (and there is still much to be learned). I hate being out on a vacation spot and have divers there who are out of control and just wreaking havoc on the dive. It's too often this happens because of a lack of practice (just keep reading about thexamples on this board).
This is reason enough to consider many wet suits of varying degrees of warmth and use.