My Rational For Buying My Own Equipment

After a two year gap between dives, I decided to get my A.O.W, which I just completed (competed with my best friend). Wow, I forgot how much fun this hobby is. Last dive was in St.Thomas, my A.O.W was done in Michigan Lakes. Although visibility was poor, it was still just awesome to be underwater again.

Anyways, I experienced a lot equipment stress in a couple of different ways. Although I did a pool dive to refreash, the first dive of my A.O.W was a night dive. I was using equipment I was unfamiliar with in a lake I never dove in. I was dissapointed in my instructor for doing this. After the other day time dives, I learned much more about the lake and became very comfortable.

I had some frustrations with rental equipment in that I was constantly checking and double checking to make sure everything was okay. I had a heck of a time perfecting bouancy since I was not use to how the BC acted underwater. By the last dive, I was much better.

The BC was in okay condition, the Regs worked fine although they were kinda big compared to today's standards, but the wesuit STUNK. Blah.

My friend and I made a goal of 1-2 dives a month next year, probable staring in Spring, although Lake Michigan is still COLD then. We also plan on getting our drysuit cert and I want to get my Ice Diving cert. I know I will not buy a drysuit next year. I want to see how the year goes because those are EXPENSIVE.

Anyways, with this goal in mind, and the stress from A.O.W, It has me thinking about my own equipment. I've priced and re-priced things online (scuba.com, scubatoys.com) and LDS. I was first leaning towards scubapro because I have a thing for getting the best gear. My conscious is checking me, so I'm now leaning towards the Oceanic Excursion, Oceanic Delta 4 reg and probable a wrist mount computer or a counsel. I'm also not sure to get an Octo or Air X2 thing.

Anways, I came across the sale by Divers-Supply.com that REALLY puts this equipment into my price range. I've tried the BC on and I love the fit and I used the reg for a short period during my A.O.W (very short period) and I loved it, but was also comparing it to the HUGH reg I was using.

Anways, this post is getting long (sorry). This is the rational I'm using, does it make sense or am I jumping into an equipment purchase too fast?

Oh, I am going to Florida too see my parents (Clearwater) in February. I'd like to do some diving there as well. I also see one dive trip a year to mexico or somewhere like that.

Guppie:

I was first leaning towards scubapro because I have a thing for getting the best gear.

Click to expand...

I just wanted to point out that just spending more doesn't automatically get you higher quality. All of the tier 1 manufacturers are producing reliable, quality regulators across the spectrum of price points. While more $$$ will get you more features, spending fewer dollars for an entry-level regulator set by a quality manufacturer is not compromising on safety.

It might be snobby of me, but I will not dive on rental gear, so I'm all for encouraging anyone who is going to stay with the sport to make the leap and buy their own life-support equipment. I think it's money well spent. In my case, I just sold off some of the gear from hobbies I don't enjoy as much as diving.

The other thing I might suggest is looking into a backplate and wing vs. a BC. A quality backplate with a single-tank wing and harness can be more flexible and comfortable than a BC, and often at less expense.

Good luck with your purchases. I think you will be happier with your own gear, happy enough that the $$$ you spend will be a small sacrifice.

Buying my own gear in 1999 was the best thing I did for my infatuation with diving. Each dive got me more comfortable and dialed into things like breathing rate, buoyancy control and general enjoyment of the underwater world. Knowing the gear and being comfortable with locations, etc is key to enjoying the hobby/sport. I do not think it is too early to buy gear. It has been shown that owning your own gear keeps divers diving. As ti should.. with your own gear, you do not have to rent, pass up a dive if the gear is not available, etc.

Also, when you travel out of the area, you can still bring your gear with you and just use your gear instead of x-year old rental equipment.

Bummer to hear your instructor took you on a night dive to a new area with unfamiliar gear for your first dive. When a night dive is used as part of AOW, I usually hear that it is dive 3 in the order. That allows the diver to learn the area for dives 1 & 2. Oh well.. you made it, you learned from it, and now you want to get your own gear.

As for gear recommendations, whatever product line you go with, I would suggest you make sure it can be serviced somewhere near home. Some places allow you to mail in the reg for example, but then you have to go without it for the shipping periods back and forth. If you are diving 1-2 times a month, you would be bummed if you missed a dive trip because of this.

I have never used Oceanic regs, but their computers are solid. I have used Aqualung, Apex and Sherwood and have been happy with all three. Congrats on your impending purchases.

You are looking at buying your own gear for all the RIGHT reasons.
Don't buy purely based on price though, check out warrantees and repair costs as well as recomendations per testing organizations. Buy the best you can afford, you won't be sorry. Remember it is your life support system! Especially when you consider the fact you will be using it mostly in cold water, get a good reg that is recommended for cold and warm water.
Having used crappy equipment up to top-of-the-line stuff, I can tell you there can be a huge difference in quality and comfort. Sometimes it isn't as obvious until you are underwater with it, so make sure where you buy everything allows exchanges if you don't like any gear. Fit and comfort change underwater as well as breathing on a reg.

It has been shown that owning your own gear keeps divers diving

Click to expand...

.

Exactly. I already own M/S/F, but never dove because they were out of sigh / out of mind. I have NO idea what made me think of getting my A.O.W. Especially in October (although it turned out to be beautiful weather). I have two Oceanic dealers by me so that is good.

I know what you mean with ScubaPro. I did read in my log book that I did a dive in Ohau that had a Scubapro reg. I wrote down that the bubbles caused issues with my mask. Then last night, i read in Scuba Diving Magazine Online that they had the same issue with SP during their test.

During the night dive, I am embarrased to say I did have a panic moment where I spit my reg out and splashed around on the surface. I regained control of myslef. The instructor was 15 below me. The light I had did nothing since the silt reduced visibility to zero.

I will say that during the day dives, the instructor was REALLY good. I just think he made a judgement error by doing the night dive first. I did share my concern with him.

You will be a lot more comfortable diving in your own equipment. Most rental gear is designed for the masses, on the low end and many shops encourage you to buy by putting crappy gear into their rental.

I would suggest that if you like your LDS, work with them to find good equipment that is compatible for diving in cold water at home, and it will be fine for diving on vacation. The BCD you chose is a good one, but if you are going to do ice diving, you will want to spend more on a regulator that designed for cold temps. Otherwise, you are going to have problems and breathing in extremely cold water will be difficult. Atomic ST1, Scuba Pro Mk 25, and Mares Proton Ice are 3 suggestions.

If money is really tight, talk with your LDS about a payment plan or layaway program. They may also match the price you saw at Diver Supply. They may not, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Your LDS will also assemble everything for you and check to make sure everything is working properly.

Good luck with your puchase and congrats for completing your AOW.

I love your term "equipment stress"! That's the very reason I bought my own gear- renting from my LDS would have been okay, but renting in Florida, once, was enough to make me want to buy my own. Plus, my best friend and I flew to Cozumel for a dive trip and my gear didn't make it for a day. I had rental gear that first day and my depth gauge was off by 10 feet!

If you dive a lot, having to go to the store for rental gear can be a pain. I still have to get tanks, by I can call my LDS and they'll even set it out for me if they're not open (my LDS is a one- man show, and he has swim lessons and Seal Team that he does, too). So tanks are a lot easier than all the gear!

Plus, imo, owning your own gear is good incentive to dive more- and, as you've just recently, re-found out, diving is a GREAT activity!

Anyway- fwiw, I bought almost all my gear used through my LDS, so that's how gear got into MY price range!

Best cliche I've ever heard in regards to diving:

Buy it nice, or buy it twice.

Netsloth:

Best cliche I've ever heard in regards to diving:

Buy it nice, or buy it twice.

Click to expand...

LOL

I have considered the ice diving situation and I'm not really sure why I'm doing the dive. I am just curious to what it's like under ice. I'll check of some of the other regs you mentioned.

I just called oceanic and he did confirm that the Delta 4 is rated to 52 degrees, however my A.O.W deep dive did drop to 47, but I was using the rental reg. I may need to wait on the ice diving. Those other regs are crazy expensive.