What should I buy next?

[Aqua-Andy]

It all depends where you are from. If you have local diving near you I would suggest purchasing your own gear. The fact of the mater is you will dive more if you have your own gear. Most dive shops around my area charge around $100 a day for rental gear. You will be more apt to go diving if you don't have to shell out $100 every time you go. There is nothing like getting that call after work from a buddy and all you have to do is throw your gear in the car and go. I went out yesterday and before I go to bed tonight all my gear will be repacked and ready to go for the next time I get the last minute call. I would start with a simple BP/W rig. Why a BP/W you ask? Well just do a search here and you will see. One more nice part about a BP/W is if you don't like it the resale value is much better than a traditional BC. Regs, any middle of the road reg will do you good for many years to come, I prefer the HOG brand but that is just me. computer, Leisure pro has the Oceanic Veo180 or the Hollis DG02 for $180 from time to time. If someone tells you you need more computer than these offerings, they are full of it. For a compass DGE has an unbranded Suunto with DSS boot for $59. As for cutting tools, cutoff steak knife, EMT sheers, or a Trilibite cutter will do more good than any of the high priced SCUBA branded products. SPG, simple brass and glass. All this can be purchased for probably 1/3 the price of the "package" the dive shop will try to sell you and will perform as good or better. As far as exposure protection. Don't skimp!!!! This does not mean purchase the most expensive, just the warmest or warmer than you think you will need. There is nothing more miserable than being cold on a dive and just praying for the time it will end. You need to be comfortable/warm in the water or you will not want to dive. My last suggestion is to join a club or try to form a large group of dive buddies. From what I have gathered from all the divers that don't dive anymore is they stopped due to lack of buddies. Diving is a HUGE pain in the butt! You have to get up really early in the morning, drive for god knows how long just to lug around all this heavy gear just so you can spend the afternoon rinsing the salt water off all that heavy gear. Oh did I mention you will have to get up at some ungodly hour on your day off to go diving? You will need those buddies as moral support, trust me. Once all the work is done and you are floating weightless just above the bottom all the worries you thought you had will go away. Some people go to a church that is in a building, mine is under the surface of the ocean. This is probably more than you wanted to know but it is raining out and I am too beat from work to do anything else anyway.

 

[jt83]

I was under the impression that most dive stores won't even sell you gear unless you're certified.

 

[Mikko Ilari Laakkonen]

I was under the impression that most dive stores won't even sell you gear unless you're certified.

"dear customer, i refuse to take your money you wish to give me in exchange of the items which sales are not regulated just because you can't show me a piece of plastic issued by another company because in my good heart i sincerely care about your well being more than i care about my financial benefits" yeah right

 

[mrdre]

I was under the impression that most dive stores won't even sell you gear unless you're certified.

Hell they will )) Even better if you are not c'd, they can sell you something you don't really know you don't need. I walked up the store when I wasn't c'd and they tried to sell me a rebreather

---------- Post added July 30th, 2014 at 11:50 AM ----------

They are not suppose to fill your tanks though.. if you are not c'd.

 

[wolflegresley]

I fully agree with the advise you have been given,

I unfortuntley went out and bought a ton of gear immeadtley...I did get lucky and am thoroughly enjoying my purchases, but my dive buddy is hating what he picked up.

I'd recommend if you have to buy now:
Reg (I love the apek regs...killer warranty with parts for life)
BCD (I went with a zeagle stiletto) - The wing style improved my diving greatly, and more so the enjoyment I have from diving.

Have fun!

 

[Skyflyer]

I know that I'm a rank rookie on this but here are my thoughts:
I am a researcher. I would never buy a diving product without extensive research and support for buying what I buy.
I get great enjoyment using equipment I've purchased because I come to understand it intimately by using it, not using some generic bcd or worn out neoprene wet suit that's
been peed in (yes, all or most rental wet suits have been peed in). Using my own equipment during training allows me to tweak it under the guidance of a very qualified dive instructor, allowing me to leave my OWC feeling confident in the gear I owned and trained in. By renting and then buying, I am paying way more than I would if I just made correct and informed buying decisions up front.

I realize that not everyone is a researcher. Not everyone gets enjoyment purchasing equipment and using their own gear. Not everyone knows the kind of diving they want to
do to even make the right choices.

I worked very hard to buy exactly what I needed based on the input of many with a lot of experience and I feel confident my choices will be a wise move and will give me
many, many great dives and I'll know exactly how it performs and how to use it.

For me, that means a lot. The only thing I may hold off on purchasing is a computer and a dry suit. I will be diving in warm and cold water and I feel I need some experience before spending a wad of money on a dry suit. I do plan to rent a few to get the feel of their use prior to making a choice, pee or no pee.