Should a Vacation diver own or rent equipment...?

[MikeFerrara]

Well, I golf 2 or 3 times a year, and usually shoot high 70s, low 80s. I score better than many who play everyday. I think the same applies to diving:

- If you at one time were a good diver, doing just 2 or 3 dives a year, while not improving your skills, certainly does not make you unsafe for most vacation-type diving.

- If you took your diving lessons 10 years ago, never dove much, and are looking to dive 1 or 2 times a year, do yourself a favor and take a refresher or check-out dive at the resort you're going to. Dive within your limits...

there are few absolutes in the world, I guess.

If you do a lot of diving and get good, I'm sure that you could lay off for a while and be fine. Maybe if I became a good golfer I could do that too. But the fact is that since I never was any good in the first place, I'm not going to get good golfing one or twice a year.

 

[gj62]

Yeah, renting within the U.S. is probably a lot safer.

don

Possibly. Bottom line, it depends upon the shop. I travel internationally. In the last year I've rented full rigs in Vieques (PR) and Belize that looked brand new. I've had good luck in MX too. I think it comes down to how reputable the shop is - which *may* have some correlation to how popular the shop is. If they do alot of business, you're probably ok. If the gear has dust on it, well, I might look for a different shop...

 

[Damselfish]

Should a Vacation diver own or rent equipment...?

You mean that question?

I think going on at least one real dive trip per year is sufficient justification to own and a person who did that would likely be on top of maintaining things properly. Doesn't pay, but I still think it's worth it.

If someone does a couple dives every few years it's hard to justify the initial cost and ongoing maintenance and more likely they won't be inclined to stay on top of maintenance and things. And at that amount of diving it will practically be new gear to them each time anyway. I'd be inclined to say rent in that case. But if they buy, at least they get the benefit of knowing the gear fits and is properly maintained (assuming it is.) I wouldn't tell them they were wasting money.

If someone is doing a mixed trip that happens to include a little diving I can sure see not wanting to haul gear along for the whole ride.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the occasional vacation rental as long as you do your homework. Find out somehow if the place you'll be renting from has a rep for well maintained gear and enough selection so you'll get stuff that fits. Dive conservatively while getting things in order (I think after a day or 2 with rental gear, you're used to it and it's like "yours" for the duration unless it's just completely wrong.) If you're going someplace where you're not sure of the gear, either don't do it or rent it from someplace you trust locally and take it along. (Unfortunately that's the worst of both worlds, rental gear and you still have to pack it!) If you get someplace and the gear or shop seems suspect - should say no just like you would if conditions were wrong to dive, even though it would suck. The real problem with infrequent vacation divers renting is that they may be the very people that don't know what to watch out for. Appropriate advice from a friend is a good thing here.

 

[cdennyb]

Back in 1976 when I got my c-card, the dive shop gave us a good deal on equipment if we bought it through the store. We (my girlfriend and I) did and along the way when better stuff came along I sold off the used older stuff I had and replaced it with up to date items. Yea, it wasn't cheap but I 've been doing this diving stuff for a lot of years now. I never really thought much about renting gear at the time. Renting was for newbies (LOL ) and if you were a real diver, you owned your own rig. (Tanks excepted) so I suggest getting the best you can afford, keep it stored properly, maintanined yearly and smile, it's your stuff.
Now I have enough gear to outfit a small beach dive shop and my kids drive me nuts with starting the compressor to fill the tanks (8- 80 cuft ones, 2- 30 cuft ones, and a small 13 cuft for argon and dry suits.) But oh well, we know the gear, do our own maintenance now and our own fills. To answer your question in one sentence... yes, get your own stuff and rent tanks when you go far from home.
db

 

[Scubaguy62]

Don, I know you're "Minimum Two Plane Rides to Good Diving." With that in mind, presumably you won't get out to dive as often as some of us who live 30 minutes or less from the ocean, but IMO, it would be better, not to mention more hygenically sound, to own even an inexpensive, but quality set of gear than to rent the same inexpensive set, not knowing how well it is sterilized.

You undoubtedly purchased mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, and weightbelt to start diving. So all there is left to purchase is reg, octo, console and BC. Nearly 100% of the LDSs will give you some sort of discount when purchasing a package, so it's a nice incentive.

Semper Safe,

Rick

 

[Scubaguy62]

Don, I know you're "Minimum Two Plane Rides to Good Diving." With that in mind, presumably you won't get out to dive as often as some of us who live 30 minutes or less from the ocean, but IMO, it would be better, not to mention more hygenically sound, to own even an inexpensive, but quality set of gear than to rent the same inexpensive set, not knowing how well it is sterilized.

You undoubtedly purchased mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, and weightbelt to start diving. So all there is left to purchase is reg, octo, console and BC. Nearly 100% of the LDSs will give you some sort of discount when purchasing a package, so it's a nice incentive.

Semper Safe,

Rick

Hey Don, having read your original post again I realized that you do own your gear, so my post was incorrect in so far as how it was addressed; my apologies.

On the other hand my opinion remains unchanged; it's better for the vacationing diver to own a quality yet inexpensive set of gear, than it would be to rent. Call me MONK (as in the TV series), but I'm funny about rental regs and rental BCs, let alone rental wetsuits, as there are only two type of divers in the world, those who ______ in their wetsuit, and those who lie about it :54:

Semper Safe,

Rick

 

[Web Monkey]

Buy your own stuff.

The only thing you know for certain about rental gear is that you don't know what it will be, or what shape it's in, or even if they'll have the right size.

I've seen rental gear that looked like it had was bought yesterday as well as rental hear that looked like you would need a trip to the hospital and 6 weeks of antibiotics if you put the reg in your mouth.

There's no way to tell what you're going to get or how it's been maintained.

The pain from buying your own stuff only lasts for a little while.

You can also get great deals on used equipment, which can be just as good as new, once it's been serviced.

It's just like buying a car. You'll be better off buying great equipment used and having it serviced, than buying crappy equipment new, since a properly serviced regulator should as good as the day it was built.

Terry

My standard answers recently changed...

On one hand, it's still true that - for the cost of money that could be tied up in good Scuba equipment, the speed in which equipment can become outdated, and the likelihood that a Vacation diver would know his equipment well and keep it serviced - it just might not be economical and prudent to buy the more expensive pieces, like a BC-Device or Octo-Reg. Besides, if you rent your gear after you arrive at your destination, you won't have to pack and carry it, you won't be responsible for it en route, and if it malfunctions there - it's their problem. Or, would it still be your problem??

It'd only take one drowning to blow that approach apart. Even one trip to the chamber because of a malfunction, or one night in a hospital because of saltwater aspiration. With the rental gear I've seen people using, and the problems I've seen firsthand as well as read about here, my suggestions will be more like:

"If owning your own gear is not for you, Scuba just might not be either...?!?"

Rental gear is probably a lot safer obtained in the U.S. than outside - where U.S. rules and regs don't apply, and perhaps one can even find dependability renting from one's hometown LDS and taking the equipment with them? It'd be best and safest all the way around, though, if the diver would at least buy, own, and maintain his/her own:
(1) BC-Device;
(2) Octo-Reg with Safety Second;
(3) Safety Sausage; and
(4) Storm whistle.

Plus, if your BC is not weight integrated, and you'll use a web belt, at least own and take weight keepers.

A Newbie friend of mine recently told me that he was tired of fighting rental gear and was ready to own his own. I suggested that he might have to go at least 2 or 3 trips a year to make it worthwhile, and to keep up on his gear maintenance; he was good with that. But then, wouldn't you want a dive buddy to be at least that committed...?

don

 

[grazie42]

Anything that comes into direct contact with your body or anything that is critical for diving comfort really should be bought, regardless of how much you dive, IMO.
That means:
*mask & snorkel
*fins and boots
*wet/drysuit
*regs
(*comp)

Now if you´re going to buy all of the above, new, you might as well buy a bc and get a good package deal for everything...you might actually get the bc "free" if you do. The comp really isn´t necessary but if you have the $ this makes sense, I´d actually suggest buying a compass and torch as well as many rental services I´ve dealt with charge a lot for these "inexpensive" pieces of kit...

Some of the wetsuits I´ve seen (and rented in the past) look like you´d need a technis shot after wearing, which makes me not want to think about the regs...

So my advice is buy everything?! Well, what can I say, I´m a diver...
I actually keep telling myself that all of this makes financial sense but I have to use all the tricks of my colleage econ. courses to convince myself (think maximize utility)

 

[DandyDon]

Anything that comes into direct contact with your body or anything that is critical for diving comfort really should be bought, regardless of how much you dive, IMO.
That means:
*mask & snorkel
*fins and boots
*wet/drysuit
*regs
(*comp)

Now if you´re going to buy all of the above, new, you might as well buy a bc and get a good package deal for everything...

I agree - except for making the BC a "maybe". I've seen many near incidents with divers in rental BCs they didn't understand, or just weren't good enough, and BCs are named in a high percentage of DAN accident and fatality reports.

And, if you're not going to own a weight integrated BC, then buy your own weight-belt, either one with non-split pockets, or a web with keepers!

Plus, although I said it before many posts ago, a Storm Whistle and a Safety Sausage - $25 for good signaling.

 

[RiverRat]

I agree - except for making the BC a "maybe". I've seen many near incidents with divers in rental BCs they didn't understand, or just weren't good enough, and BCs are named in a high percentage of DAN accident and fatality reports.

And, if you're not going to own a weight integrated BC, then buy your own weight-belt, either one with non-split pockets, or a web with keepers!

I agree get your own BC and learn it well! I had BIG problems in rental BC's in my OW and AOW dives! It sucks to learn about trapped air bubbles etc. during your checkout dives and have runaway ascents a few times like I did. Even in the 25 ffw depths it was a little scary, considering you can get VERY HURT at these depths. As a new diver trying to learn I was cursing myself at the surface trying to figure out why I could not stop my ascent. It's only now after I bought a BP/W and I'm really starting to learn what's going on that I know why I had those problems. Not entirely the BC at fault but it was a major contributing factor. I'll list below a few issues I could envision with a rental BC:

1. You'll never get the same fit unless you rent the EXACT same BC all the time. I was always uncomfortable and felt "squeezed" in the rentals.

2. I had "air trapping" issues. After I started to figure out where the BC was trapping air it was usually too late.

3. The biggest issue is not being familier with the BC, brand, and any peculier "quirks" it may have. Air trapping, sticky inflators etc. etc.

4. Every time you change a BC you will probably have to adjust your weighting and trim unless you rent the EXACT same BC.

Do your homework and purchase a decent weight integrated BC or a BP/W.