"bang head x100" what to choose what to choose :( "masks"

[MeanGuy]

well, im sure most of you guys were confused about which one to get . im banging my head 100 times against the wall for each gear, this 100 goes for the mask, then suit,fins. oh boy, fins, probably i'd bang my head 1000 times for those!! -.-

i've almost read all the posts around here about finding a new equipment "taking a look at the banner, scuba.com giving away free dive gears, i want them all" ..... "shrugs -.-"

in my country, there are only 3 places that sell diving equipment. to be honest, i wasn't impressed. i couldn't find a 5 mm wetsuit for myself , couldn't find a 3 mm hooded vest -.- , one of the places had a very small range of fins. while the other one had a lot. the masks were just 10 to choose from . thats not the point, i remember seeing "scuba pro" "twin jet?" fins as we as many others this is where i felt like a big air tank fell on my head "omg what to choose what to choose" i ended up choosing nothing.

i know you guys can't tell me which brands i should use / get . and i should rent as many as i can before i decide, sadly in my country there isnt' alot of places to rent from "couldn't find one actually"

im sure there are also alot of factors in choosing fins. what i look for is, fins for relatively warm water , 28-23 c , alot of people recommend split fins over power fins.
power fins are the ones that look like duck's? short and wide? .
they say one thrust with the split fins, it'll take u along for a nice distance.

i came across this this
The Truth About Dive Fins

is it true? or just a scam? i saw my diving instructor using them , sadly i didn't ask them when i was with her "she's from another country"

anyways. the reason why i really like beliving in that site i just posted , that when i dived for a week, total of 10 dives , i had pain in my back ankle? "achilles area"
the pain is still here even after a whole month, going away little by little. people say that it was because of my way of thrusting , or because i tightened the straps too much. enough of that boring story. "hope u guys didn't sleep" :P

what im looking for is , best fins for air consumption , slow movement, wide thrust (dont like the frog thrust) , help you stay bouyant in the water.

what about the masks? any good ones? i was reading alot of good reviews about the atomic ones around here. but what else is there? that give you a wide range of vision? do they come with ear protection?

what about the suit? i might look for one in dubai if i travel next month.
if u guys can pin out like the top equipment around so i can have a good idea
thanx

[OldNSalty]

Force Fins? They may be good (maybe not) but they engage in very clever advertising (to put it nicely) and I no more believe anything they say then I believe most politicians.

Try stuff out-buy what you like-have fun diving.

[deich]

Aqualung Sling shots... Adjustable thrust

[deich]

Masks.. In the last year i have tried 4 different masks and keep returning to the Hollis M1

[Michael_Lambert]

What kind of diving do you plan on doing?

Fins - You want something that is going to give you the power when you need it, yet the agility to move about with in a wreck and not be too cumbersome. For this I dive both the OMS Slipstreams and Turtles. My preference is the Slipstreams nice and light, ridged and lots of power when i need it. My personal preference is to avoid the marketing BS of split fins.

Mask - This is something that will come to personal preference. Currently i love my H2O Odessy mask was used once due to a failure with my much more expensive tusa which ended up becoming now my backup mask in my DS pocket.

Suit - Again comes down to preference... I currently dive a Bare HD Tech and never had an issue with it... Not the greatest fit and flexibility.. My next suit will be a DUI.

[MeanGuy]

thank you people for the reply. yeah i know the advertising is kinda smart.
and Michael_Lambert , well, i do plan on wreck diving from time to time. "not very often" but i do like the idea of giving u power when needed, but give you agility most of the time underwater.

tomorrow my friend is introducing me to two instructors, hopefully they'll give me an idea about which fins / masks are better to choose , maybe i'll ask them to test them out in a swimming pool

so the masks are all the same? except for the fitting and water leackage?
isn't there one with wider visibility? or super clear lens? or maginifiying ? do they come with ear protection? or do i have to add that with it?

thanx guys for mentioning the brands, keep them coming, i googled them all

[Michael_Lambert]

Honestly pretty much every mask does the same thing.. lol Now you have Low profile and high profile masks, and then you have Silicone and rubber.

I prefer Silicone fits nicer, and prefer Low profile ( Close to the face ) I find it easier to clear when need be and diving in higher currents or scooters i don't get to get it ripped off my face when i turn my head.

[MeanGuy]

i c ic , thanx for clearing that up. cuz when i took looks at the masks in diving shops in googles, the difference is just the design. or so it seems.

[Michael_Lambert]

Pretty much, they come in all different shapes... just like our heads... its a matter of finding one that works for you. What would work great is if you could find a Dive shop with its own poool that you can test drive a bunch of their mask in. I know we have a local shop like that which works well for many around here.

[RJP]

Aqualung Sling shots... Adjustable thrust