Equipment for my son (Padi Seal Team Soon 2 Be Member!)

[MDJ1016]

Hello everyone:

Another question from a newbie here-

I was informed about PADI’s Seal Team this weekend, and signed my son up for lessons. (As it is called.) The question is equipment for him. By chance LP sent an email flyer Friday with gear for younger children. At the minimum I want to get him mask/snorkel, fins and neoprene boots. I found a combination of Deep See (pls excuse spelling) for MFS. Is this brand a decent “scuba” quality or is it something equal or close to what you buy for $30 from a local big box store?

I have ScubaPro items personally, but with his age and growth, if existent I can’t see spending that kind of money for a season or less usage. (His little brother can’t dive ever due to being deaf so sharing it won’t work…) So, can anyone point me in the correct direction? I want him to have nice quality items to use, but also looking at to a degree at most a season of usage.

Thanks in advance for the help.

(I told him once he gets certified @ ten I would purchase him middle to high end complete set-up to keep him going. So in 2 years I’ll be posting comments for that….)

[Mattleycrue76]

I have had several deep sea masks. Their quality has been fine. Of course fit is the most important thing with a mask but I'm sure you know that already. IIRC They're part of the Aqualung family of brands.

BTW unless you other son's lack of hearing would soemehow prevent him from equalizing I don't see how that would even be a handicap when diving much less make it impossible for him to dive. For practical purposes we're all deaf underwater.

[RJP]

BTW unless you other son's lack of hearing would soemehow prevent him from equalizing I don't see how that would even be a handicap when diving much less make it impossible for him to dive. For practical purposes we're all deaf underwater.



+1 on that. The deaf divers I know are actually BETTER at communicating underwater than those of us who CAN hear.

[RJP]

Hello everyone:

Another question from a newbie here-

I was informed about PADI’s Seal Team this weekend, and signed my son up for lessons. (As it is called.) The question is equipment for him. By chance LP sent an email flyer Friday with gear for younger children. At the minimum I want to get him mask/snorkel, fins and neoprene boots. I found a combination of Deep See (pls excuse spelling) for MFS. Is this brand a decent “scuba” quality or is it something equal or close to what you buy for $30 from a local big box store?

I have ScubaPro items personally, but with his age and growth, if existent I can’t see spending that kind of money for a season or less usage. (His little brother can’t dive ever due to being deaf so sharing it won’t work…) So, can anyone point me in the correct direction? I want him to have nice quality items to use, but also looking at to a degree at most a season of usage.

Thanks in advance for the help.

(I told him once he gets certified @ ten I would purchase him middle to high end complete set-up to keep him going. So in 2 years I’ll be posting comments for that….)

At the risk of stirring the pot...

Any particular reason why you're not considering getting the gear properly fitted and purchased from the shop where you son will be training?

[MDJ1016]

Thanks for the reply, good to know the brand I found (haven’t bought yet) is a decent one. My exposure to new gear has been scoped to a few brands. I am waiting for the rep from LP to get back with me on availability; once he does I think I place the order

As to my son not diving because he is deaf, it struck me as odd also. When he gets of age, and assuming he shows the same interest in scuba as my oldest does I plan to take him to the dive training shop and get him enrolled. His hearing has been corrected electronically so in class there should be an issue. Time will tell.

[MDJ1016]

Cost is the biggest factor. I understand the basic concept of having the store help you and then make a profit on it. However on most items the difference is so great, it hurts. I have a great explanation here-

I am in the 'research' process of buying a new reg set-up. (I have narrowed it down to the MK17 and MK25 with with GV250). To close the point, I can ge the MK17 set from LP for about $350 with shipping. My LDS is $600 plus tax. Sure the warranty is through LP however I could buy another new one and have it shipped overnight for the most part if the primary failed. I don't mind buying from the LDS but when they are charging 2x the price how can that be justified. I have ordered a fair share from LP and had great luck.

Don't get me wrong, I do support my three "Local" shops. (They are all with-in an hour of me.) In the last month I poured about $1,000 into the local economy here :)

[Jim Lapenta]

As long as he does not have holes that would allow water into the ear a cochlear implant (I'm guessing that's what you mean) would not disqualify him outright. You would need to check with your son's Dr to be sure. My sister inlaw has implants on both sides. Does not dive but swims and showers with them and needs no special precautions as far as I know. And yes Deep Sea is a brand that would be suitable. Not top of the line but for a young one who will likley outgrow it in a short time, as long as everything fits , will work fine.

[MDJ1016]

Everything minus the unit that goes on the "outside" is ok to get wet. (Well he gets baths and hair washes now, and we are good!) When the time comes I will certainly check with the DOC, and then on the way back from the appt. stop and sign him up :)

On a non Scuba basis- how has your sister in law toelrated the implant? My son has done fine, but I have also ready stories (again stories I stress) that some people can't stand the device. Not sure how someone couldn't "stand it" to hear.....???

[mkutyna]

How excited is your son about taking the class? If he's not absolutely thrilled I'd suggest just renting gear for now. If it turns out that he doesn't like it or can't do it then it could be a waste of money and he may feel bad about you spending the money on something that he doesn't enjoy.

[offthewall1]

BTW unless you other son's lack of hearing would soemehow prevent him from equalizing I don't see how that would even be a handicap when diving much less make it impossible for him to dive. For practical purposes we're all deaf underwater.

Yes & No

Correct that deafness alone is not a contraindication for diving and deaf divers are certainly more in touch with communication by hand signals than their hearing counterparts... but

Deafness is a major concern and deaf divers should not dive alone and should consider their limitations in seeking be solo certification.

Deaf divers for instance could not hear a recall order from the boat and they most likely could not hear (or sense) a boat on the surface, making surfacing alone quite dangerous. Deaf divers also require direct line of site for communication - so their buddy must understand this. Audible alerts - should their buddy be in trouble would go unheard.

So lets not just make it sound simple - because it is not...

[offthewall1]

Hello everyone:

Another question from a newbie here-

At the minimum I want to get him mask/snorkel, fins and neoprene boots. I found a combination of Deep See (pls excuse spelling) for MFS. Is this brand a decent “scuba” quality or is it something equal or close to what you buy for $30 from a local big box store?

So, can anyone point me in the correct direction? I want him to have nice quality items to use, but also looking at to a degree at most a season of usage.

Thanks in advance for the help.

(I told him once he gets certified @ ten I would purchase him middle to high end complete set-up to keep him going. So in 2 years I’ll be posting comments for that….)

Check this out
Cressi Sirena Mask
Cressi Delta 1 Snorkel
Cressi Palau Fins
Cressi Aquapro 5R BCD XS or XXS depending on size
Cressi MC5 Black Regulator
Cressi Stretch Gloves
Cressi Otter 5mm or 7mm Boots
Cressi 3 Gauge Analog Console

Cressi has been around since 1946 and is one of the biggest names in Scuba Worldwide.

If you want something less... Deep See will work fine... but when shopping and comparing prices... have a look at Cressi... you won't be disappointed. We routinely use this gear with kids we work with. They love it...

[Lone Wolf]

I have been associated with several deaf individuals over the years. I feel they are great partners , because they are use to dealing with eye to eye communication. Also, I feel that being deaf should not disqualify them from solo diving. A friend of mine, who was deaf could tell more from the change in vibration, than I could from actually hearing everything that was being said! Everyone must be judged on their own abilities, not by generalizations!!

[oreocookie]

My son has done fine, but I have also ready stories (again stories I stress) that some people can't stand the device. Not sure how someone couldn't "stand it" to hear.....???

I can't really help with the gear question, but as for the above comment, I'll heard that the change from not hearing to hearing can be somewhat traumatic, they've gone from silence to a huge amount of unknown sounds that you or I just take for granted and ignore because we know what's making the sounds (like the sound of a dryer or washing machine). Imagine a bunch of people yelling at you or speaking urgently in several different languages, none of which you understand, probably pretty scary, especially if you can't see that most of them are talking on their cellphones handsfree. It's probably fairly similar to that.

[Mattleycrue76]

Yes & No



So lets not just make it sound simple - because it is not...


Let's not make this sound more difficult than it is - because it isn't

Virtually ALL of the communication I have with my buddy/team is via hand and light signals. The notion that audible communication is somehow vital to diving safely is laughable.

[offthewall1]

Your diving knowledge...


is laughable.

Lets all hope no one is listening to your advice.

Divers need to hear recall signals and divers need to hear boats and divers need to hear audible devices such as rattles and shakers and tank bangers when their buddies or possibly even other divers near them - who are not their buddies are in trouble.

Your attitude will one day make you a statistic... Mr. Junior Diver.

I hope and pray not... but I'd check yourself before you wreck yourself...

[DiveNav]

.....His little brother can’t dive ever due to being deaf so sharing it won’t work…

I am sorry for your little baby.

Tell him to play with our eDiving scuba diving simulator .... it is the closest thing to diving except being in the water for real.
With our simulator he can explore real dive sites and equip the diver with real gear.

And if you have 2 PCs, the 2 brothers can virtually dive together ;)

Alberto (aka eDiver)

[Mattleycrue76]

Your diving knowledge...



Lets all hope no one is listening to your advice.

Divers need to hear recall signals and divers need to hear boats and divers need to hear audible devices such as rattles and shakers and tank bangers when their buddies or possibly even other divers near them - who are not their buddies are in trouble.

Your attitude will one day make you a statistic... Mr. Junior Diver.

I hope and pray not... but I'd check yourself before you wreck yourself...


I can't believe you acually make posts like this and at the same time reference your business in your sig line:rofl3::rofl3:

The last time I saw or even heard of an actual diver using rattles or tank bangers was um leeme see - never!

Oh and I'm pretty sure you can FEEL a nearby boat motor in your gut, hearing or no.

[pensacolaracer]

Your diving knowledge...



Lets all hope no one is listening to your advice.

Divers need to hear recall signals and divers need to hear boats and divers need to hear audible devices such as rattles and shakers and tank bangers when their buddies or possibly even other divers near them - who are not their buddies are in trouble.

Your attitude will one day make you a statistic... Mr. Junior Diver.

I hope and pray not... but I'd check yourself before you wreck yourself...

Rattles, shakers, and tank bangers huh. Sounds like a big old party where you dive.

[offthewall1]

Rattles, shakers, and tank bangers huh. Sounds like a big old party where you dive.

I forgot to mention our Party Hats!

[GrandpaScuba]

...I am in the 'research' process of buying a new reg set-up. (I have narrowed it down to the MK17 and MK25 with with GV250). To close the point, I can ge the MK17 set from LP for about $350 with shipping. My LDS is $600 plus tax. Sure the warranty is through LP however I could buy another new one and have it shipped overnight for the most part if the primary failed. I don't mind buying from the LDS but when they are charging 2x the price how can that be justified. I have ordered a fair share from LP and had great luck.

Scubapro is one of the brands that is very adamant about not allowing online sales. So, this scubapro gear is surely grey market. I'm not against LP as such. I've bought stuff there as well as other online retailers. But Scubapro is soooo against online sales that they now put serial numbers on everything they make, including masks, fins and snorkels, just so they can keep track of where stuff got diverted to the grey market. If you want Scubapro, I'd suggest going to your LDS.

[CapeUW]

I had a conversation with a gentleman a while back who was an instructor and advocate for divers with physical challenges. I remember him discussing deaf divers and making the point that a concern in training deaf divers was the lack of ability to hear signals from other divers, recall devices, and hazards such as boats moving through the water. He did not say these excluded deaf individuals from diving, but he did say that these things where considerations for those individuals when in the open water environment. One of the strategies he mentioned was to always pair the deaf diver with a non-deaf buddy, who acted as the ears of the buddy team. I beleive the group this gentleman was associated with was the Handicap Scuba Association (Handicap Scuba Association (http://www.hsascuba.com/)). They would be a good source of information to get an accurate picture of the needs and potential limitations for your son.


Greg M.
Aqua Center
Sandwich, MA.

[offthewall1]

Scubapro is one of the brands that is very adamant about not allowing online sales. So, this scubapro gear is surely grey market. I'm not against LP as such. I've bought stuff there as well as other online retailers. But Scubapro is soooo against online sales that they now put serial numbers on everything they make, including masks, fins and snorkels, just so they can keep track of where stuff got diverted to the grey market. If you want Scubapro, I'd suggest going to your LDS.

I hate to inform you... but SP sells direct to LP...

There is no such thing as "grey market" scuba goods... from any brand.

Welcome to the new world...