New and have a gear question

[Garth]

Brian Sharpe - dont know if you get american news in Ottaw, Canada but just to let you know the dollar is not looking so good.

On another note. The only problem I see when renting all your gear is this...
has anyone been able to rent a backplate/wing setup? I only say this because my shop doesn't rent them. I bought one and am happy I did.

Good luck Emander.

[Colliam7]

I would like to ask for your assistance in choosing the right gear and I opt to choose aqua lung as my brand..thank you

If you choose Aqualung because A) you have a LDS that 1) carries (and services) Aqualung, and 2) you trust because they have been open and helpful, and B) the Aqualung product line has the gear you want, then fantastic. Aqualung is a very good brand (I own and dive some of their regs, and really like them) and you will not be disappointed with quality. And, while buying a single brand 'package' may appear to afford some savings, you might at least consider whether a slightly broader mix of brands will also meet you needs. But, that deals more with the brand choice, not specific equipment recommendations - as several others have mentioned, what specific questions do you need help with?

Don't forget to factor in that the $2,760 is Canadian $$ which, when converted to US is about $12.50

just to let you know the dollar is not looking so good.

But, have you ever met a Canadian who did not lament the value of the Canadian dollar?

has anyone been able to rent a backplate/wing setup? I only say this because my shop doesn't rent them. I bought one and am happy I did.

While many (? most) shops do not rent backplate rigs, at least in NC there are quite a number of shops with active divers (and dive club members) who own them and are happy to allow others to try them out.
Emander, that may be one option to consider as well. You may be able to try some gear out, by borrowing from local fellow divers, before you buy. That is another advantage of using a LDS initially. They often know who has bought what gear, and may be able to help arrange a loan. However, I don't know anything about the LDS 'landscape' in the Phillipines.
You may wish to send a PM to DevonDiver, who is a regular here on SB, as he is closer to you (he's at Subic Bay) and probably knows more about what options are available to you locally.

[lulubelle]

hello to all...i'm new in scuba and i'm in scuba class right now for open sea diving, i'm planing to purchace my personal gear in scuba..I would like to ask for your assistance in choosing the right gear and I opt to choose aqua lung as my brand..thank you

I'm a newer diver myself emander, I certified in January 2008. Personally, I would recommend renting gear for a while and trying a bunch of different types of equipment and set ups. I rented for a year before I purchase my gear. I ended up learning that I preferred a back inflate BCD.

Now that I have gotten into wreck diving a bit, part of me wishes that I had gotten a Back plate/wing set up, but I found all of the small choices you have to make with this kind of set up to be a bit overwhelming as a newer diver. Perhaps I will get one eventually.

Good luck! And welcome!

[Razorback]

Don't forget to factor in that the $2,760 is Canadian $$ which, when converted to US is about $12.50

haha!

[Brian Sharpe]

Brian Sharpe - dont know if you get american news in Ottaw, Canada but just to let you know the dollar is not looking so good.

Actually I have been watching the exchange rates and that was one of the deciding factors for me to buy my BW/W from Scubatoys but I am more accustomed to the C$ resembling the peso!