Order of importance

[PerroneFord]

My personal order of precedence is:

Wet/Dry Suit
B/C
Regs

the K

That's the order I did it in, I'd do it this way again. Your LDS is probably recommending Posieden because they supposedly work well in cold water. I won't argue that but they are also very expensive, and hard to find service and parts for in some places. I'd go with Apeks to be honest.

Also forget the wetsuit. In your area, I'd go with a drysuit. No question.

As far as the BP/W thing, lots of us prefer them. Nearly ALL of us who do, have used other things first. Try both, see what you like.

In terms of buying used, not much to go wrong with a BP/W. If you buy used regs, have them serviced after purchase. Buy your suit new if you can. Drysuits aren't too bad used, but wetsuits.. no thanks.

Best of luck!

 

[CompuDude]

Personally...I think the bcd is top on the list. And the reason why is bcds differ greatly. You need to get very familiar with where things are clipped...hanging...whatever. If you keep changing bcds it is never the same. You dont want to be flailing around feeling for something if an emergency pops up. Know where everything is.

I would say get the bcd first....a bp and wing...(like how i worked that in??) then get the regs or whatever.

I agree that a BC or bp/w should probably be your next purchase. As was said, a reg is a reg, some breathe easier than others, but renting is a good route when you have to rent other stuff anyway. A BC or bp/w, on the other hand, will allow you to get a lot more comfortable with YOUR gear configuration, and dial in how much weight you need, rather than having to re-figure the weight needed, where the adjustment points are, etc., for each new rental BC. A regulator, owned or rented, doesn't affect your gear configuration much from one to the next, whereas a different BC changes things considerably.

After you have your BC (and I also recommend trying a bp/w configuration... even if your diving does not REQUIRE it, and mine does not (yet), I found it to be the most comfortable buoyancy control device I have ever had the pleasure to wear underwater.) then consider either regs or a drysuit next.

 

[jennasnyder1980]

CompuDude,
I am not sure what you mean by bp and wings. Is that backplate??? I have heard this with GUE or something like that but don't know what it looks like. Are these very expensive?
How much would a descent bp and wings cost??? Any suggestions for companies? Do you need special training to use one (like a dry suit)??? More or less than a reg??

Thanks so much?
Jen

 

[jennasnyder1980]

CompuDude
I looked at wing bcds and saw what I think you were referring to. By just looking at it, it looks like when inflated, it would tend to put you face down in the water. Do you know anything about this???

Thanks
Jen

 

[RICHinNC]

Jenna....if you read the info book that comes with ALL bcd's...or the box they come in....somewhere it will tell you the following....this device is not intended as a life preserver...or words to that effect. What it means is...ALL bcds will put you face down in rough water. Life preservers and bcds have entirely different design and purpose.

I too heard about being pushed face down when surfacing with a bp and wing. I found that if you dont max inflate the wing....that effect is negated significantly. You only need to have your head above water...not walk on it!!

Some people put tank weights at the bottom of their tanks for even more stability. I am not wild about that idea....but I do push my integrated belt weights as far back against the plate as they will go.

Not to turn this into a bp and wing advertisement, I too started out with the standard vest and I still have it. But I never use it as my bp and wing is just leaps and bounds better.

Good luck.

 

[loosebits]

With AL tanks, they do tend to put you face down in the water if unconscious (conscious divers just rest comfortably on their backs). With more negative steel tanks, not as much. This has been covered extensively on this board but here are my general thoughts. If you are in a situation where you make it to the surface unconscious, you're probably dead anyway. Of all the deaths that have occured when diving, I imagine most of them had nothing to do with how the victim floated at the surface. On the list of things to consider when purchasing a BC, I would put list trim on the surface last in my order or priorities.

 

[dsteding]

Getting back to order of buying equipment-I'd agree with the advice regarding getting into a drysuit first. Reason being is that it is (1) the biggest ticket item you may be buying; (2) critical in terms of comfort in cold water (meaning you will dive more) and (3) something that takes a few dives to get used to (so start now, get the pain of re-learning your buoyancy over with). Plus, it is likely to be the rental item that you'd have the most difficulty finding (and if you do, it may not fit well), and if you opt to rent a wetsuit instead (and say, buy regs first) you'll probably be wearing something that has less than optimal fit/comfort. Less comfort equals less enjoyment, which equals less dives.

Then I'd buy a BCD (either a BP/W or a jacket-type, if you can, try out both before you buy), then regs. I did this route, ended up diving a BP/W setup, and am happy with it. I dive steel tanks, and haven't even come close to ever floating face-down.

Then buy everything else. Including plane tickets to take your gear to someplace warm and dive without that drysuit.

Time to sell the car, the house, any valuable pets, and hunt around in the couch and start collecting change. This isn't a cheap activity, but it sure is fun. It helps to call up your credit card company and tell them you are getting into diving-a credit line increase will be right around the corner . . .

 

[lowwall]

Buying equipment is tough, there are so many choices and no Consumer Reports to help you out.

But there are some general observations.

First, every manufacturers mid to high end regulators work extremely well, so there are no truly wrong choices. Narrow it down by price and any features you feel you need and then search this site and see if you can find it reviewed on scubadiving.com. This should give you a short list that you can ask about here.

BCs are trickier, at minimum you should try it on and you'd be a lot better off diving with one before you buy. There are three main types, standard jackets where the air cells are all around you, back inflates (looks like a jacket, but the air cell is only on your back) and backplate systems that use a metal plate as a place to attach the air cell, straps and everything else. Each of these feels different and fit is vital (less so for a backplate system since the straps are completely adjustable) so a trip to an LDS or scuba show is in order, unless you've rented/borrowed something that you really loved.

Drysuits are like BCs in that fit is vital, but they cost a lot more and if you aren't a stock size you have no real chance of trying them out. So you are going to have to trust your dive shop and/or the folks on this board. I just bought a drysuit based in large part on feedback here. I got it from a dive shop's website to save money, but hedged my bets by going with a custom suit (I had a tailor measure make the 20+ measurements required for a custom suit and faxed them in).

FWIW, my take on Poseidons is that they are impressively engineered, but needlessly expensive and their relative rarity could make minor problems a real pain to get fixed if you are on the road. Sort of the Porsche 911 of regs.

If you can live with a Honda Accord, for around $300 you can get a decent reg with octo from one of the reputable online dive shops that will do great for 99% of non-tech dives. If you ever do get into tech or that 1% of dives where you'd need a Poseidon or equivalent, at least you'll have a back-up set for your warm water vacations.

For the DIN versus yoke question, it depends on where and what kind of diving you'll be doing. Very broadly, most rental tanks in the US and pretty much all in the Carribbean use a yoke, while europeans and tech divers prefer DIN. Another thing to keep in mind is that yoke adapters are a suboptimal solution: something else to lose/break, makes it more likely you'll bang your head on your first stage. Unless you were absolutely sure you were going to be getting into tech diving or were going to do all your diving locally with your own tanks or could easily rent DIN tanks, I'd go with a yoke.

Finally, I'd be a little concerned about the motives of a dive shop owner that automatically directs divers with questions to the most expensive stuff in the shop.

 

[halocline]

CompuDude
I looked at wing bcds and saw what I think you were referring to. By just looking at it, it looks like when inflated, it would tend to put you face down in the water. Do you know anything about this???

Thanks
Jen

If you really want to ruffle a few feathers, post this on the BC forum where the vicious BP/W zealots hang out....BTW, how did this thread get turned into a BP/W discussion?
(I say this as a BP/W diver, but I would not recommend you buy any BC until you've had a chance to dive with different types)

I'd get the wetsuit first; it will make the most noticable difference in your diving of any gear. Fit is everything, so get an idea of what water temp you'll be diving in, and find one that fits perfectly. You'll be amazed at how much more comfy you are. The BC (or BP/W, whatever) also makes a big difference but you're going to need some experience and good buoyancy control to appreciate it and to really evaluate the differences between various styles of BCs. IMO, less is more with a BC and this can seem a little counterintuitive to a new diver looking at all the fancy gear in a dive shop. As far as a reg goes, believe me, any decent reg from a reputable company will work fine; sure there are differences in the way they breathe, but most are way better than we actually need for rec diving. A used reg, if you can find a good service tech, is a great idea. Personally I'd hunt around ebay for a scubapro MK10/G250, the old style with the metal air barrel, or if you want to go a little more retro, get the all metal "balanced adjustable" 2nd stage. These are classic regs that have been used on countless dives in all sorts of conditions and are still working great 25-30 years down the road. But, anything by aqualung, apeks, SP, zeagle, etc will work fine. Oddly enough, the poseidon is probably not a great idea for the simple reason that it takes a fairly specialized tech to work on it; good luck finding this person (and parts!) should you need an emergency repair in an out of the way place.

BTW, I'm originally from upstate NY as well; I kind of miss it this time of year.

 

[dl348]

I would recommend buying a regulator and computer as your next purchase. You don't want to trust your life to a rental unit with a questionable service history.
Don't know too much about Poseidon, but Apeks/Aqualung, Zeagle, and DiveRite all make a good product. Just my .02