Equipment Help

[scotty921]

I'm going to be getting certified in a few weeks, But I have never scuba dived just snorkeled . It's mostly to impress the upper management that i can get the certification because i work in the storm water division of my work and they do canal dives . I would like to be able to do that when it's ask of me.Here's the problem, I've been reading alot of material about scuba diving and I'm really excited about the whole thing but after calling around and seeing what these ppl are charging for gear versus buying the same equipment online is a pretty big difference,a mater of a few hundred bucks. After reading all the reviews and alot of the forums I'm still no closer to buying the equipment as i was 2 weeks ago, It's almost like walking into a car dealership. I can tell these guys are trying to take advantage of me. So now I pose the question to you guys, What kind of equipment should I get ? What is good for someone who may dive only 6-10 times per year ? I have about $800.00 bucks for equipment and need some good advice. I know that when someone recomends something someone else is gonna shoot it down but that's what I been getting all week. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks alot.

 

[DBailey]

I'm going to be getting certified in a few weeks, But I have never scuba dived just snorkeled. It's mostly to impress the upper management that i can get the certification because i work in the storm water division of my work and they do canal dives.

Hmmm, wrong reason to get certified.

 

[scotty921]

I already do snorkeling , when you get asked if you have a certification to dive and you say no then that extra $18,000 a year for having it tends to increase your interest. I have always wanted to learn but never had that little push like i have now. Where i work , certifications go a long way. I went snorkeling a couple a weeks ago and remembered why I don't go as often as I use to, I hate that I'm limited to only about 15 feet for a few seconds and it's just not as fun as the guys going by waving on their way out to deeper water.

 

[jbd]

I already do snorkeling , when you get asked if you have a certification to dive and you say no then that extra $18,000 a year for having it tends to increase your interest. I have always wanted to learn but never had that little push like i have now. Where i work , certifications go a long way. I went snorkeling a couple a weeks ago and remembered why I don't go as often as I use to, I hate that I'm limited to only about 15 feet for a few seconds and it's just not as fun as the guys going by waving on their way out to deeper water.

What all is involved with the canal diving that your employer does?

 

[scotty921]

for the most part checking bridges for damage ,Large irrigation piping things of that matter. Some repairs need to be done underwater downwards of 30 ft. The job at my work has all the equipment but I want to get my own gear . I want to go lobster diving and to be able to check out wrecks off the east coast of florida.I think lobster season is coming up here in florida and sounds like a blast.

 

[dive]

when you get asked if you have a certification to dive and you say no then that extra $18,000 a year for having it tends to increase your interest.

$18,000 pay increase and you only want to spend $800 for gear plus you are worried about the price between your LDS and the internet. Just remember you get what you pay for. If you are a penny pincher you might want to think about not diving. If you want good gear look at Scuba Pro,Halcyon,Aqua Lung,Apex. Remember if you buy the right gear the first time you won't have to spend more money on gear you should have got the first time around.

 

[scotty921]

I said I had about $800.00 dollars I didn't say that was all I was spending.The point I'm making is that The same exact equipment That they are selling and recomending in the DS is the same as on the internet but it's cheaper on the internet. If I can save $25.00 0r more on the same piece of equipment including shipping then that's $25.00 more I can spend on another piece of equipment. That is the questions I have been asking at the DS I need something thats going to last a few years ,Something I can get use to,before upgrading to better equipment .Here's the thing , I have been looking forgood school to goto and most of them are about $200.00 plus books without a purchase but it's only $99.00 if I buy their equipment and with all the stuff I need to buy from them (they say) is going to run me about $1800.00 total.I see alot of package deals that are around $1000.00 for everything I need , These items I'm looking at are suppose to be in the top ten list. Like I said If I was selling something and wrote my own words saying it's the best out there you can buy and it really isn't then that's a waste of my time and money just to have to go out and buy something else I could have bought in the first place. See what I'm getting at. So If the ppl here are using a particular piece of equipment (even if it's a knife) Then that gives me some Idea about quality and performance that I'm looking to get.for example, when i get BC for $400.00 and have to fight with it all time vs buying one for $400.00 that is better with more ease of use then I'm want the $500 one. I don't want to buy garbage but on the other hand I don't want to buy highest quality available either. I'm a newbie at diving and there is only so much you can do on the internet and in about 2 weeks I got a dive class starting and need the right equipment to get started out with and I can upgrade to better equipment later on down the road when I have more money.You can't tell me that everyone who started out diving had the latest and greatest equipment available, All i need is something that will keep me safe and not have to worry about equipment failure.

 

[jbd]

I said I had about $800.00 dollars I didn't say that was all I was spending.The point I'm making is that The same exact equipment That they are selling and recomending in the DS is the same as on the internet but it's cheaper on the internet. If I can save $25.00 0r more on the same piece of equipment including shipping then that's $25.00 more I can spend on another piece of equipment. That is the questions I have been asking at the DS I need something thats going to last a few years ,Something I can get use to,before upgrading to better equipment .Here's the thing , I have been looking forgood school to goto and most of them are about $200.00 plus books without a purchase but it's only $99.00 if I buy their equipment and with all the stuff I need to buy from them (they say) is going to run me about $1800.00 total.I see alot of package deals that are around $1000.00 for everything I need , These items I'm looking at are suppose to be in the top ten list. Like I said If I was selling something and wrote my own words saying it's the best out there you can buy and it really isn't then that's a waste of my time and money just to have to go out and buy something else I could have bought in the first place. See what I'm getting at. So If the ppl here are using a particular piece of equipment (even if it's a knife) Then that gives me some Idea about quality and performance that I'm looking to get.for example, when i get BCD for $300.00 and have to fight with it all time vs buying one for $400.00 that is better with more ease of use then I'm want the $400 one. I don't want to buy garbage but on the other hand I don't want to buy highest quality available either. I'm a newbie at diving and there is only so much you can do on the internet and in about 2 weeks I got a dive class starting and need the right equipment to get started out with and I can upgrade to better equipment later on down the road when I have more money.You can't tell me that everyone who started out diving had the latest and greatest equipment available, All i need is something that will keep me safe and not have to worry about equipment failure.

Simple basic gear that will be reasonably safe and last easily 5 years can be had for $800 to $1,000 for the complete set up in Florida. For safety, you can be thankful for the desire of the American public to file a law suit at the drop of a hat. For reasonable prices in Florida you can be thankful all the competition. What you need to realize is that low priced, wham, bam thank you ma'am diving classes increase your risk of being injured or killed while diving.

BTW, don't most dive classes provide the gear except for mask, fins and snorkle :06:

 

[scotty921]

Simple basic gear that will be reasonably safe and last easily 5 years can be had for $800 to $1,000 for the complete set up in Florida. For safety, you can be thankful for the desire of the American public to file a law suit at the drop of a hat. For reasonable prices in Florida you can be thankful all the competition. What you need to realize is that low priced, wham, bam thank you ma'am diving classes increase your risk of being injured or killed while diving.

BTW, don't most dive classes provide the gear except for mask, fins and snorkle :06:

I have called 6 DS and everyone of them told me that I need to purchase all the gear.
I have the basic stuff like a mask,snorkel and fins but apparently that's not enough around here. I thought I could rent the other gear that I would need but that doesn't seem to be the way they do things here. Unless they are just trying to take advantage of my inexperience.I'm leaving in a few minutes over to fort lauderdale beach to look at some dive gear and get more info face to face other than on the phone to see how things really are. I'm not looking to do a quickie course ,The course I'm taking takes 2 weeks and hopefully hook up with more experienced divers who could help me out. I want the better equipment seeing as I'll be underwater and that's the only thing keeping me alive down there but like I said If they have the same product online as the DS for $50.00 less then that's $50.00 more I can spend on a regulator. Know what I mean.

 

[jbd]

I have called 6 DS and everyone of them told me that I need to purchase all the gear.

This must be the LDS response to internet sales of gear. Sure glad I didn't have to buy a new airplane when I took flight lessons.