Equipment Advice

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kyleterry

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Location
Columbus, OH


I was certified this summer and have done a half dozen dives. I have no equipment. Where should I start. I live in Ohio and hit the quarries around here. I can get to the Keys or Bahamas a couple of times a year. I have 2 sons getting certified and 2 more sons waiting to get old enough, so I plan on doing this a while. Cost is not as much a concern, but I do not want to waiste any money. What should I buy and what should I rent? I leave the end of January to dive for a week in Cancun. My wife is giving me a gift certificate to a dive shop for Christmas to get what I need.

Also, what about my growing boys. What should they buy vs. rent?

Kyle
 
Kyle,
In all honesty, the less you rent the better off you are. No matter how reputable a shop or a charter boat is, things can indeed fall through the cracks. Can you be 100% sure, absolutely positive enough that someone hasn't made a mistake with a peice of gear that can't be life-threatening to either yourself or a loved-one?

The smart choice is the start with the life support equipement. The computer choice is very important as it makes the biggest impakt on how you dive. The user-friendliness and feature's of the computer are very important. It'll not make mistakes, not lie, nor forget and be very honest with you. If you do something wrong, it won't be shy, it'll let you know you screwed up. A computer will accurately track multilevel diving giving you more bottom time because it gives you credit for fractions of times spent through the water column. It'll know what the water temp is and whether you have been breathing harder than normal, and adjust your No-Deco limit according to your new resperation rate. Let's face it Kyle, computer's are much smarter than we are...

The regulator's make a huge impact in your comfort level. Even in recreational depths an easy breathing regulator with a nice flexible hose, comfortable mouthpeice and a diver adjustable valve is key in diving comfortably.

The way a B.C. fit's properly and supports the hardware that it's supposed to can't be ignored. Less impakt on your back and your hips means less pain after the dive. More attachment points means more accessory options that will allow you to take more things such as safety devices with you. The package won't be intrusive and will add to your level of comfort because you know it's there.

Thermal protection. A proper fitting wetsuit, will insulate you many times more than one that doesn't. Knowing that your inner thigh(amongst other things) isn't rubbing up against a part of the suit someone Pee'd in yesterday... or it could be worse, but we won't go there.

The right size and type of cylinder that's right for you. Often times you can't rent a high quality cylinder from a shop. Most of the time they only offer Aluminum(yuck!) A good steel cylinder will have better buoyancy and balance characteristics, be in a smaller & lighter package than a comparable Al cylinder... how could you go wrong? If you had the option of taking more air with you, have it be in a smaller package and therefore more hydrodynamic, have it weigh about 5lbs less than what you lugged around before, and at the same time it allowed you to put less weight in your B.C. or weight belt... wouldn't you do it? Wouldn't anyone?

This could go on and on... it's one of my strong points as I have a background in Teaching, retail store management and the manufacturing end of the industry. Let me know if you have any specific gear or brand related questions and I'll help you out... till then,

Sea you in the Deep Blue,
Mario :D
 
Best thing to do is rent as many different brands of regs, BCs, and etc as you can and determine what's best for you and go with it. You'll most likely get the best deal if you buy a complete package or in your case several complete packages. Might even help if you let the dive shop know you are going to be buying sevral complete sets in the near future, if your only buying yours now. But if I was buying separate, I'd buy mask, fins, wetsuit, reg and computer, BC, and then tank/s in that order. And add other items such as a knife, safety sausage, gloves, lights, and etc somewhere in between. If you buy quality gear it should last you and your kids a long time. Accept for things that don't grow with your kids, like wetsuits. Brands? Well that's where you need to do some research and renting. Most all gear on the market now will do the average diver just fine, but if you plan on getting into tech diving, deep diving and such, then you can save a bundle if you buy gear suited for that or gear that can be upgraded, like a BC that can be used with doubles for instance. Ohio you said? Planning on any cold water drysuit diving? Buy a reg designed for cold water. What's the best? The one that best suits you and your diving. If you have any specific gear questions, I sure the guys/gals here can help with that too. Just remember though, what's best for someone else might not be the best for you.
 
Kyle,
Spend the big $'s on your computer & regulator, don't scrimp here. Buy the best there is. You can ask here. But it's like buying a car. We all have our favorites, but you can bet one thing they are all the best of their brand. Don't trust your life on 2nd best.

This ya need to know

BTW, I'll be selling garlic necklaces, e-mail me for a price. This has nothing to do with the above message.

Don
 
Kyle,
Were you certified locally? If so, I'd start with my instructor (unless you have reason not to). With your family as a package, any dive store should be elated with the prospect of taking really good care of you, advising you professionally and competently - especially if you introduce yourself as someone looking for a dive "home" for you and your family. If you haven't already tied yourself to a particular dive shop, and your town's big enough to give you a choice, take a little tour of each one, spend enough time to meet a few of the "shop rats" (non-employees who frequent the place)... you'll get a feel for where you want to be pretty quickly.
There is a positively staggering array of good equipment available to you, so use the expertise of the dive professionals at the shop you choose. It is much, much better to buy equipment that you can have maintained (or fixed in a hurry) locally than to have a specific "hot" brand or model. (I still use my original Conshelf regulator that I bought in 1970) Listen to the shop rats, but verify anything you read or hear with the pros.
And, oh, yeah, don't believe everything you read in Scuba magazines.
Rick
 
One thing I can guarantee you, no matter what you buy you'll want something else very soon. The more you dive, the more you see what others are using, the more you think about what you got and what you'd like to improve, the more "stuff" you're going to want, acquire, and eventually get.

This may sound like a joke, but I tell you....I speak the truth.

I say start with what you, and I mean YOU, think is right. Of course, as I said above, it won't take long for you to second guess yourself. But that's OK...it is what it is!

Therefore, I say buy in moderation....not top of the line in anything, but not the bottom either, but definitely buy. Look for reasonable quality, as may be expressed by a few folks you respect but don't exactly bow down to, and buy in a way that you'll never feel "trapped" by the expense and always will feel willing to upgrade to what you, and I emphasize YOU, think is what is right for you and/or your kids.

The kids issue....they'll know what is right for them too, eventually. My best buddy is my son, and believe me....we dive totally different rigs.

My advice?.....to each his own. I know that I could never tell you what's right for you. But I do know that I'm comfortable with what I've chosen for me, and I don't want to start talking about how many times that has changed over the years. To use a pun, you have to jump in the water to know what it's like, and what you like!

Wish I could be more helpful, but it just ain't possible.
 
The best kit I ever bought first was my own reg, then my computer, I think it is important as a newbie diver that you can use the wheel or tables inside and out first then go for the computer, we all rely on our computers too much it also throws a new diver when he looks at his PADI tables and realises there is just no way he can work this one out as he is according to the tables bent to hell or dead.

A regulator, I feel was important to me, I threw up in mine at 100' it is a horrible thought thinking If it was a load reg I wonder whose mouth has been on here, also hired regs and all rental equipment come to think of it is too frequently used for my liking, I dont like too many services on things either things do start to go wrong.

If you want a computer though go for the SUUNTO Vyper, what a great piece of kit.
 
Heya peeps ...

Nobody believes and trusts in computers as much as I do, sometimes I think I am surgically graphed to them (and I hear jokes like "Yo Momma was a Borg" all the time) but I am going to have to disagree with you guys one the "buying the computer first" part ...

Yes, I do have and use a computer (about a 5 year old Dacor Omni Pro) but if I get in a group of divers and they ALL are using computers I will seriously take mine off and slap my old console back in ... I would have to say that I would tend to lean towards the statement "wait on getting the computer until you are confident and relaxed with using the ol Dive Tables and mechanical guages..."

Ya know, computers aren't really smart ... They just THINK they are ... hehe


=-)


 
King_Nep dont be scared

DIVING IS FUN PADI SAYS SO!!!!!


NARC
 
Looks like plenty of people have their own $.02 to contribute around here. That's what makes this site so great, you can hop on board and ask for as well as give advice on just about everything. Gotta Love it!

Narcosis,
I wait until divers start to turn green on a dive boat, headed out to a site in rough water, then I whip out a Carne Asada Burrito and start munchin' before I pull this one out: Don't forget to chew well while eating before you dive because if you puke in the water during a dive, and the chunks are too big to fit through the regulators exhaust you'll have to chew on it then! :D Hehe! LOL Works like a charm every time! :D

Mario :D
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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