I'm planning to get gear soon

[Stingray81888]

I'm a newly certified diver and I want to get some new gear. But, I'm having some problems choosing. So far the things I like are:

BCD:Seaquest Pro Unlimited or QD+, Sherwood Freedom or Avid

Computer: Aeris Atmos ai or Sherwood Wisdom

Regulator: Scubapro Mk25 S550

Wetsuit: No clue

Anyone have any preferences?

[Waterborne]

Congrats on the new cert as well. Stingray, can you tell us a little more about what kind of diving you're planning on doing? Where you plan to dive, climate, ocean or freshwater, also what kind of budget do you have for equipment? The more info you provide, the better suggestions and advice you will get. :D

[Dr. Jay]

Hmmmm.....

BCD: Nah. Once you dive one of these (http://www.halcyon.net/mc/pioneer.shtml), you'll never go back ;)

Computer: I'd vouch for a wrist computer. Less dangly thangies.

Regulator: Yes :D

Wetsuit: Not a huge headache. I have an O'Neill and I'm happy with it. Henderson makes some nice ones too, but there are others.

Hope this helps :boom:

[Stingray81888]

I plan to dive in Southern Ca most of the time because thats where I live. I wanna do OW and some wreck dives and caves. I also wanna do night dives soo..... thats about it.

[ElectricZombie]

Stingray81888 once bubbled...
BCD:Seaquest Pro Unlimited or QD+, Sherwood Freedom or Avid


I will suggest a Halcyon Pioneer Backplate and Wing system. It's the most streamlined, efficient, durable and versatile BC around. You can checkit out at www.halcyon.net
Do a search here on the boards for "Halcyon" or "Pioneer". After that, do a search for "DIR".



Computer: Aeris Atmos ai or Sherwood Wisdom


I would hold off for a while and just keep practicing with the tables.



Regulator: Scubapro Mk25 S550


That's a good one. The Mk25/G250/S600 are great too...they have an adjustment knob the S550 does not. An R380 is a great backup reg.



Wetsuit: No clue


Whatever fits, has adequate thermal protection, is well made and is black.



Anyone have any preferences?


For regs fins and masks, I like ScubaPro.

For BCs, Halcyon is #1.

[cstreu1026]

If you are leaning towards cave diving or wreck penetration you probably should look into a backplate and wing setup though you take a look at OMS, Dive Rite, and Deep Outdoors as well as Halcyon. They all make super stuff. I ended up going deep outdoors on my stuff.

The reg you mentioned is a good choice but I personally like the adjustment the G250 or S600 offers. The 3 regs are very close in price though and all breath well. I have a Mk25/S600/R380 and its a great reg. You may want to also conisder Atomic and Apeks regsas well. I have already decided my next reg will be an Atomic M1.

As mentioned above practice with your tables. The aeris computers are nice but are more on the liberal side. I was set on the Aeris, becuase of their ease of use. However when i looked at the Uwatec Smart Pro changed my mind.

[Arnaud]

Welcome to the board!

Since you're newly certified, you probably know only about jacket-style BC's. That's what most LDS's rent and what most mainstream agencies recommend. If you want to make an inform buy, you need to know and possibly try out the other styles: back-inflate, soft harness and back plate and wing. You must have noticed that the latter is a big favorite on the board. :)

I'll support the recommendation on the reg. I have an MK25/S600 and really like it.

You'll also learn that a lot of members, here, are not big fans of computers. A good buy is Suunto's Mosquito. Do a search on the board. You'll find plenty of information.

Finally, where are you in SoCal? If I were you, I'll hold off on the wet suit. They're easy and cheap to rent, and if you get addicted like most of us, pretty soon, you'll want a dry suit.

One general advice: don't rush. Take your time. Try stuff out. You'll save money.

[ddown]

The last polls I've seen don't refect its a big Favorite Mantra:-) I went back to Dive Rite TP II after 2 sets of plates and wings for me it just works better for recreational diving. Just my 2 cents with over 700 dives. If your comfortable in the water column and develop good skills you can be a good safe diver whatever you dive. To many "DIR" wanna-bees I've dove with buy the toys but dive like boys.

Tom :doctor:

[NetDoc]

Hey Stingray...

As a newly certified diver, I would recommend that you hold off on dreams of caves and wrecks and get a LOT of OW experience first.

Your gear purchases should be reflective of the gear you trained in. Going to a backplate and wings WITHOUT having someone teach you how dive with them (pockets, fit etc) is an invitation to frustration.

With that in mind... I prefer the Seaquest over that Sherwood, but my favorite traditional BC is the Oceanic Chute series. They fit like a glove and the integrated weights solve a lot of comfort issues. Your regulator choice is awesome too, but I would look at Sunnto before you decide on your computer.

As for wetsuit... I love my Henderson Gold core.

Have fun with your diving... don't buy too much gear (the basics you mentioned will suffice). Concentrate on using your gear corrrectly, including buoyancy/trim etc.

[Arnaud]

ddown once bubbled...
The last polls I've seen don't refect its a big Favorite Mantra:-) I went back to Dive Rite TP II after 2 sets of plates and wings for me it just works better for recreational diving. Just my 2 cents with over 700 dives. If your comfortable in the water column and develop good skills you can be a good safe diver whatever you dive.

I'm not sure which poll you're talking about. But it doesn't really matter which one is the favorite on the board. I was just trying to be funny. I guess I failed... What matters is to make and informed decision and dive with the BC that you're the most comfortable with in the water. That's the only thing I was trying to communicate.

For the rest, I've posted before about my own experience on the board (http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24744)

[sotos]

Congratulations for your certification! It is nice to see that you have allready decided your future direction with wreck, cave, night diving as well as OW, which is good and important in selecting equipment.

According to the BCDs you liked you might be interested in the following features:

Good Looking BCD that means high prestige,
Freedom in Diving that means less effort and more fun,
and maybe a compact BCD.

At least this is what the manufacturers are advertising for these models. You are looking to buy also a BCD that is also capable to be upgraded when the time comes to dive deeper and maybe with twins isn't it?

Your BCD is a Zeagle Ranger.

Concerning the computer it is a must for deep diving. Personally I own many Aeris, an Aladin Pro, a VR3, Tusa Imprex. I would strongly suggest Aeris ai.

Regulator: Scubapro Mk25 S550 ? It is a good choice. My personal choice after servicing hundreds of regulators and diving with more than 20 different brands is Zeagle DS-IV / ZX or Flathead. There is no downside to these regulators.

Wetsuit: Not too many zippers, perfect fit, aqua seals, as thin as possible to avoid excessive lead weights in your BCD / weight belt.

:) =-) =-)

[washow88]

Congratulations, and welcome.
Many new divers or student divers ask me about what gear they should buy.

Really there is no junk out there, but some gear has more features than others.

I agree with NetDoc, I recommend practicing OW first until you are comfortable, and then learn what ever you want.

The members of this board covered most of your questions.

It is a good idea to look for these features before you buy a dive computer:

1- Automatic water activation. For some computers, you have to turn them on before you enter the water. You cannot turn them on underwater.
2- User replaceable battery.
3- Can log a lot of dive preferably more than 25 dives.
4- NITROX compatible for the future.

Dive safely and have fun.

[annie]

A thought:
Be safety conscious from the very start and get a knife and/or shears and a safety sausage/SMB.