First time buying equipment

[tlow]

Hey Guys,

Sorry for this generic post, but Im feeling a bit overwhelmed in looking into buying gear for the first time for my wife and I, so I though I would throw a post up of what Im looking for and see what you guys thought. I've been searching through forums, review sites, etc, but still not totally sure on what to do.

General History:

-My wife and I both love diving but don't go very often. Total dives about 40 for me, 20 or so for wife. I've been diving for 12-14 years, wife about 3-4. We always rent gear when we go on vacation...rent everything from the mask to the tank.
-We live in San Diego and really dont take advantage from a diving standpoint...want to change that with our own gear.
-Both Nitrox (enriched air) certified.
-Take 1 vacation or so per year, usually to somewhere tropical to dive...going to Australia later in the year, go to the Caribbean a lot, interested in a trip to the the South Pacific as well as South America.
-No interest in diving in cold water IE Alaska especially the wife
-Not currently interested in Cave Diving
-Definitely interested in getting wreck certified.
-Uncertain about the Deep water dive cert. We went to the Cayman islands a couple years ago and had a bunch of dives at 90-100 feet, not sure if we need any deeper than that? Seemed like any deeper things get a little dark
-Probably not interested in night diving (wife is not interested at all)

For Gear:
-Plan on using the gear on a monthly basis in San Diego and then say 7-10 days per year on vacation somewhere in the (tropical world).
-Don't mind spending money if I need to but don't want to fork over for top of the line gear since we don't dive all that much.
-I am mechanically inclined, but don't really want to service my own gear unless it is hugely advantageous.
-Would like to have gear that is serviceable with somewhat ease no matter where we travel to. ( willing to carry spares or rebuild kits)
-Obviously prefer Nitrox ready gear.

im assuming to be cost effective I should look for used stuff at a LCD shop that has been serviced? I don't really know what Im looking at when it comes to gear other than I know what an old corroded hose/oring/etc look like. I think I would like to buy at a discounted rate and/or used since 1.) we dont go a whole lot 2.) it seems like there are always deals to be found on gear and Im not in any rush to buy.

So what are your opinions...I guess Regulator, BCD, and dive computer are the big question marks...but if you have any opinion on masks, fins, etc as well, would love the input.


Thanks for the help! Let me know if you guys need any other info.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I'm not 100% convinced that it makes economic sense for you to purchase your own gear based on your level of usage. However, I'll admit that there are other compelling reasons to own gear rather than rent it (e.g., known servicing/maintenance record, familiarity of buttons/pockets/knobs/clips, can have regs tuned to your preference, etc.).

If you ascertain that you do want to purchase your own scuba gear, based on your preferences, it sounds like you're looking for a "value" setup.

Reg: HOG regulators purchased online are an excellent value; send them in to get serviced at Scubatoys.com (located in Dallas, TX).
BCD: Purchase a used one made by a major manufacturer in good condition (pay to have it checked out by a pro if you don't know how to do a comprehensive BC check); my buddies have had very good luck with Scubapro, Zeagle, Seaquest, and BP/W rigs (Deep Sea Supply, Halcyon).
Computer: Any nitrox-capable computer will do; Sport Chalet was recently selling the Suunto Zoop (wrist-mount style) for $225.
Mask: whatever fits, not necessarily the most expensive one on the market
Fins: highly personal preference (check out the entertaining split fin vs. paddle fin debates here on Scubaboard); local San Diego diving means that you'll be wearing wetsuit booties with soles, so the fin needs to be the open-heeled variety.
Wetsuit: whatever fits; for San Diego diving, you'll need at least a 7mm wetsuit + a hood + 3mm or thicker gloves

While you figure out what you want to buy, I'd recommend renting your gear from Sport Chalet. If you pick the gear up on a Friday afternoon, I believe you can return it before closing on a Sunday evening and only get charged for "one" rental day. Call ahead to verify this policy.

In the San Diego area, Sport Chalet tends to have fairly good prices on gear.
Expect to pay more at Ocean Enterprises. OE has a twice a year "tent sale" that has quite good deals. Do your pricing homework ahead of time, though.
House of Scuba is mainly an internet-based retailer, but you can purchase items at their brick-and-mortar shop by the railroad tracks in Pacific Beach.
I wouldn't recommend walking into a local shop without having a good idea about what you want and why the gear is a good match for your needs. At some shops, the employees are working on commission and may try to steer you toward higher margin gear that yields a better sales commission.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions about scuba gear or local diving. I'd be happy to show you the gear I have, and why I chose it. I've purchased a fair amount of used and new gear over the years. Most of my dives nowadays are night dives at La Jolla Shores.

This is just a heads up...
When you start a thread like this on Scubaboard, you're bound to get posts by various people saying that brand XXX is the "best thing since sliced bread." When trying to figure out how much weight to give the glowing endorsement, I generally take into consideration how many dives that person has conducted using the gear in question, whether the gear has really been put through its paces, and whether the poster has actually used comparable gear made by other manufacturers. I tend to gravitate toward gear that works great, doesn't malfunction very easily, and is easy to repair/maintain. That being said, no gear is perfect. Even conscientious manufacturers with adequate QC turn out a couple of lemons every now and then. Hopefully, the customer service arm of the company will make things right with the customer in those few cases.

 

[tlow]

Bubbletrubble,

Thanks for the quick and detailed reply. Ya I know threads such as this are havens for major opinions both good and bad so that is why I try to avoid it but at this point I need to at least be guided in some direction so I can do my own research.

So the whole buy vs rent argument, I guess what Im thinking is we wind up spending upwards of $200-$300 each for equipment rentals per year so i guess I would rather put that towards our own gear. Also, I guess I really want to start diving more in San Diego and I have a tendency to make excuses to not do stuff, ie Im lazy. so I want to have my own equipment ready to go and not have to walk down to the LCD to pick up some rental gear...I guess I could start with just buying the mask, fins, and snorkel since we like to snorkel as well and then just rent the rest of the gear till we figure out if we actually will start diving more in San Diego.

I guess another question, how often do you guys replace equipment? For us, if it won't last at least 4 years before and upgrade/replacement, then i think buying is probably not a good idea since we are not super heavy users.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Convenient access to gear is a legitimate reason to want to purchase your own scuba gear.

Of the major scuba equipment (drysuit, wetsuit, reg, BCD, tank, etc.) that I own, I can't think of one item that's ever required total replacement. I've only been diving for about 12 years, though. In my opinion, you're far more likely to want to upgrade a piece of gear. Once you start putting several hundreds of dives on gear, then something might require replacement. For example, dive computers are not meant to last forever. If the depth sensor dies, you'll need to get a new/replacement computer. Similarly, a wetsuit will have a limited lifespan. Neoprene gets crushed at depth and over time (100-300 dives?, depending on the quality of the neoprene) loses its insulating capacity. In contrast, a well-built reg that is maintained/stored properly and serviced when necessary will probably be dive-able long after you give up on the sport.

Buying mask/snorkel/fins/booties/gloves now is a reasonable strategy. You won't need the gloves for snorkeling, but local shops typically don't include them as part of their rental gear packages.

There's a program called the 3R's (Rocks, Rips, and Reefs) that is run by the San Diego Council of Divers in conjunction with the San Diego Lifeguards and has the aim of teaching divers to enter/exit safely at various local dive sites. The program is free, refreshments are provided by one of the local dive clubs, and the folks associated with it are fantastic people. It takes place once a month on Saturday mornings. Here's a link to information about the program. The Goldfish Point outing on July 9 is a really fun event. If you're lucky one of the lifeguards will take you into one of the nearby caves. Cook's Crack is pretty darn cool. You'll need wetsuit, mask, snorkel, booties, and fins.

I'd recommend the following avenues to get hooked into the local diving community:

• Join the Divebums.com email list. Divers submit daily dive reports at local sites. You can also send out a call for dive buddies if you feel so inclined.
• The Power Scuba Meetup.com group is a fairly active dive club. I believe they're doing weekly night dives at La Jolla Shores on Thursdays. They also have offer good deals on local charters for boat diving.
• Dive Animals is a local club that grants access for a nominal fee to their club boats. It's the cheapest way to dive Wreck Alley and the Point Loma Kelp beds. The club does several excellent out-of-town trips in the SoCal area. I've been on their La Bufadora and Catalina Island Two Harbors trips. Had a fantastic time on all of those trips.

By joining one or more local dive clubs, you'll expand your circle of potential dive buddies and increase your opportunities to dive.

Hope this helps...

 

[tlow]

Good stuff! Thanks for the links! Im going to have to think more about some of the buy vs rental stuff. Another note, for wetsuits, I have loads of surfing stuff laying around including booties, nothing over 4mm though. Any known problems, other than being a bit chilly, with using surfing gear?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Surfing wetsuits (4mm and thinner) would be OK for snorkeling. Unfortunately, that level of exposure protection is insufficient for our local water conditions. Expect the temperature at depth (approx. 60 fsw) to be in the mid-50s°F. At those temps, you'll be happy you're wearing a 7mm. You might be able to get away with 4mm booties. I'd recommend spending a few bucks and getting some 7mm booties, if you can.

The surfing wetsuit would be perfectly fine for any of the 3R events, since you're just going to be snorkeling anyway.