Newbie here - just got C-card - Whoo hoo!!! Now I need some gear.....

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

etoh100

New
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Location
Pennsylvania
# of dives
0 - 24
Hey there, newbie diver just finished-up Advance OW cert dives last weekend and now need some advice on getting some gear; probably gonna start w/a wetsuit 1st. Any advice lemme know.
 
My first piece of gear was a dive computer... just something simple like Mares Puck or Cressi Leonardo. This way, even if you have to rent everything else, you know how your computer works wherever you go.

Then, I bought my wetsuit. Once I figured out where most of my diving would be, I got a 7mm wetsuit since most of my diving is Jersey shore or Dutch Springs.

Then, after trying some other gear, I settled on my BCD and regulators. Take this time to rent different configurations, both back inflate and jacket style (or if you have a mentor that's familiar with backplate/wing setups, try those too). Try to determine if Air2 or a standard octo would work better for you and your dive needs. Since these are your biggest investment, don't rush into buying them.

Once I had the basics down, I bought my own tanks. These were purely for convenience, so I don't have to drive across the state to return them after work on a Monday. These might provide value to you or they might not.

And of course, once I had everything else, I bought my own weights.

This was a logical progression that I took, it might work for you too. But my recommendation above all is to buy a computer (get one that's Nitrox capable, you'll be glad you did) and learn its functions inside and out. If you have to rent all your gear, regs all work the same, BCD's are all pretty similar, but interfaces on computers vary greatly. Buy the thing with the highest learning curve first.
 
Welcome to Scuba Board!

^I 2nd what Timothy said. I recommend getting a good, conservative dive computer first. 2nd item, a comfortable wetsuit. 3rd, your regulator.
 
Congrats!

Welcome to SCUBAboard.
 
The alternative to a dive computer would be to learn your dive tables. Do you intend to do a lot of deep / decompression dives ? Can you reliably rent a good fitting wet suit that is comfortable and keeps you warm ? If not, I would say go with the wet suit. My preference is the farmer john style. As for other gear, unless you already have strong preferences, and if you can, rent a variety of different gear to try. If most of your diving will be air travel instead of local car driving, renting may be easier.
 
Like Glenn08 said, depends. If you are going to dive local, get your exposure suit and dive the tables. Tables may not give you as much time in the water but, if it's local you have the luxury to hang out without screwing up a vacation trip. Just factor the cost of a computer into your first vacation dive trip.

My advice, if you are a local diver, is to first buy what you wear, then the BC, reg, tank(s), and finally the computer. I'm prejudiced because I dove a long time without a computer, granted for quite a bit there were no computers, and did a lot of diving.

I do see the advantage of using one on holiday to maximize ones diving in a limited amount of time, and would put it on the top of the list for holiday divers.



Bob
-----------------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet
 
Like he said..I bought my wetsuit, booties, hood and mask and fins first because I also snorkeled...didn't have computers then. Good advice to research, ask around and try the 'big' purchases unless you're wealthy.
 
Wow, thanks for all the advice. I'll probably be taking 2-3 trips/year to warm/tropical water and then diving the local quarry during the summer. My 12 y/o son and I got certified together, and since he's my buddy, I don't think he can do deco dives, so we probably won't be doing much deep diving. He already has a wetsuit; I wasn't going to get him a BCD/reg until he quit growing due to the cost. We are going to Grand Cayman for a week in November, originally planned as a family vacation, but we would like to do some diving while there.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom