I have no gear at all

Kemo Racer · May 11, 2003

Hey I am 15 and have been scuba diving for four years. I have an Advanced Open Water Diver. I am planning to go to Virgin Islands this summer to get my rescue diver certification and was planning to buy my own equiptment because I don't even have fins or a mask. I would like some recomendations because I have no clue what I'm doin. I don't need the best equiptment but I would like something good because I will propably keep it for like the next 5 or more years. And the sweet thing is that my mom will pay for it all

steeldiver · May 11, 2003

This is a problem you'll have all of your diving life
Theres always another piece of equipment to aquire.
follow the ADVICE
Buy the best gear you can afford.
Todays savings are tommorows
shortfalls.
look at dive gear ,then ask someone on that particular brand
and item.
THE BIG BRAND names are the best
in that they have service centres,spares readily available
Personaly i use MARES and SPIRO and TUSA
Go for fit and what you like.
I have gone through 5 sets of fins untill i found the fin that
really suits me all of them the best at the time.
MARES volo is a flexible fin with plenty of thrust.
But then a stiffer fin blade might suit you.
Howard.

SwimJim · May 11, 2003

Your just going to have to go diving. Rent equipment your interested in and dive with it. Thats the best way to find out if its for you or not. Bear in mind that most divers are extremely brand consious. They will tell you that X brand sucks for whatever reason. Take this with a grain of salt as the equipment on the market today is generaly very good. Listen to your LDS as they are the ones that will service the product they sell. Thats as, if not more important then the brand name you buy.
By the way, think your mom would adopt me? Sound like a great deal.

Jim

scuba-punk · May 11, 2003

If you haven't "topped out" yet and are still growing, this may be an option for you. They only do the free parts exchange until you're 16, but it might be worth looking into. Saves from having to rebuy the bc as you grow...

http://www.diverite.com/kids/dvegear.htm

-Frank

Tekkie · May 11, 2003

Hey,
I reciently just got my gear too. I went to my LDS asked them many questions about which company is better, which product is better ect... I also went onto www.scubadiving.com/ and www.divernet.com/ to look at their gear reviews. Basically I choose the best gear for my money. Just if you wanted to know I went with Scubapro regs because their one of the highest rated regulators on the market and right now their prices are cheep. Also another good regulator company is Apeks they were just a little more expensive at my LDS so I went with Scubapro.
For the Bc I went with Halcyon. I choose Halcyon because of their good reviews and their Bc's are one size fits all. The only problem with them is that their a little pricey. Here are some web sites if they help:
www.scubapro.com/
www.halcyon.net/
www.apeks.co.uk/
Have fun.
Tekkie

victoriawtx · May 11, 2003

I spent a lot of time here on the board, reading what other divers liked for their gear, and then I also talked to experienced divers that had suggestions for me. In addition, I tried to do as much research on the net as I could, into products that interested me.

I agree with the others, that it is a good idea to see if you can test/try out some stuff first, and see what might work best for you. It may take you awhile to find something that you really like.

The other comment about buying the best gear you can afford is important and very true. Don't by no-name brand BCs off of ebay, for example, that may fall apart on you the first time you use it. Your safety is a top priority. Try to stick with reputable companies.

Another website to look at, that has decent prices on gear is LeisurePro.com. For me, their prices have been much more reasonable than my LDS.

Good luck to you!

scuubaadoo · May 11, 2003

... and decent everything else. at 15 you will outgrow your gear and by the time your ready for new gear you may have changed your style of diving. Don't worry what ppl say is good now that changes every few years ( I remember when posidens and the orca edge where THE things to have).

jonnythan · May 11, 2003

scuubaadoo once bubbled...
I remember when posidens and the orca edge where THE things to have).

That was before Kemo was born

clockradio · May 11, 2003

when i was in the islands,i was in st.croix.that's where i got my rescue diver,at the canebay dive shop. while your getting your certification,you can use any dive gear that you want to try. they also give you a 10%discount on any dive gear you might want to purchase.plus i think gear is a little cheaper over there.that would make your mom happy. they have a web site. canebayscuba.com
good luck.

PhotoTJ · May 14, 2003

...shop, shop!

A reputable Dive Shop will let you try on everything, all day, because they know you'll be buying.

Get the best you can afford, but go with what feels best to you, not what feels best to the Dive Magazines.

I have no gear at all

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