Starting Equipment Question

[samnewsom]

how are you started ow this weekend i purchased my equipment from visibility unlimited http://www.oceanicrealm.com/ talk with cathy very good prices and customer service the best i have ever recieved hope you have fun me and fiance both bought equipment there and love it i went with the oceanic excursion and she went with the hera and she loved it

 

[samnewsom]

just wanted to add she is a oceanic authorized dealer very food shipping cost bought to sets of gear bc, reg, and dive computer arrived two days later perfect deal will colntinue to use her very good

 

[*Floater*]

First question:

1. I found a starter set on leisurepro.com with everything we need according to the dive center: http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/CategoryID_1904/Context_948/Sort_Stock/DescSort_0/PCKDS19.html?Hit=1

Good price? Good starting equipment? I'll be buying two sets for her and I. I'm a little hesitant on buying from a non-authorized dealer. Will anybody do a price match?

$200 for all that stuff is excellent value if it happens to be what you want. Those X-pert zoom fins usually sell for $130 alone. But I'd rather see if you could find a used pair for cheap first off ebay or over here. (Lots of people end up selling their split fins when they switch to frog kick).

About the zooms, they are among the top split fins. Very comfortable. I had a pair and loved them until I learned about alternative kicks such as frog- and back kick. Split fins are best for flutter, but not so good for the other styles so I switched to scubapro jetfins. (You can probably find used jetfins on ebay for about $40 shipped, give or take).

Most people I know don't bother with anti-fog liquids, we just use spit, some use toothpaste.

The mask looks fine, but it has to fit. A leaky mask can ruin your dives.

The snorkel looks fine too, though most people don't use it much after OW training, so my preference (if buying again) would be to buy a basic J folding snorkel so I could leave it in the pocket (in case of emergencies, mouth-to-snorkel-to-mouth breathing, etc). If you have it clipped on the mask it'll just get in the way underwater.

The gloves look different from the usual gloves people use, but as long as they fit I guess...

As for buying from leisurepro, I've never had a problem with them. They have a good reputation and with things like fins, boots, snorkel you don't need a warranty, though it would of course be nice to be able to change them for something else if they don't fit... Not sure if leisurepro would let you do that...