Need a gear listing for a newb.
- Thread starter Mark_Lide
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OP
Mark_Lide
Registered
Thanks for all the good advice! I'll be taking my OWC at Anthia's Divers in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
I know them, they have a good reputation and they're on the Hilton Beach Resort compound - which is by far the nicest beach in Sharm El Sheikh. That's actually where I stay when I go diving there although I dive with a different center. You will enjoy it. Best of luck.
P.S. There are also a few dive shops close by so you can go and get fitted for a mask and pick up some fins during your course.
OP
Mark_Lide
Registered
Great, thanks for the heads up!
The only real issue with buying gear immediately is your dive goals may change, your expectations may change. If you're okay with maybe "throwing money away" then buy the basics. A BCD, regs, computer (maybe), mask, fins, snorkel, and exposure protection. If you're worried about "wasting" money on gear you'll replace, then don't buy your own gear just yet.
I bought a used set of gear before I finished OW class. I still have all of it except the BCD, because I found a backplate worked better for me than the vest style BCDs. A lot of people end up replacing all of the gear they bought early when their diving style changes or someone convinces them the gear isn't good enough or they "outgrow" it or whatever.
Let me make clear ANY regs you buy will be sufficient for all but the most extreme (ice) diving so don't worry about buying the $1000 reg set when the $300 set is equivalent in the water. Don't buy $150 fins when $50 fins work just as well (unless you want to spend the $150 for some reason other than "performance").
Educate yourself about the marketing BS before you let any shop part you from your money. There are a lot of good shops out there but they are all businesses and they all have significant markups well beyond reasonable on most things you need to dive. A $100 mask is a rip-off in my opinion but some people believe they will fit better. I have an apparently easy fit face because I've never tried a mask that didn't fit well enough to dive with. As a result I buy used masks or $5-$10 masks or I buy the "snorkel kits" you find at Costco and they work great for me. $30 for mask fins and snorkel out the door. Hard to beat.
The reality is what you "need" will change depending upon where and how you dive. The basics are the regs, exposure suit (as appropriate for where you plan to dive), mask, fins, snorkel (for some people this isn't a "need" but it's required for the course, typically), BCD (also not a real requirement but it makes diving "easier" and some operators do require them), bottom timer of some sort, and of course tanks. Every dive I've been on with a shop provided tanks so those aren't a requirement to purchase, obviously.
Beyond those things, it's all preference and marketing.
A lot of folks also carry an SMB (surface marker buoy) for safety and some sort of cutting tool or two like trauma sheers or a small knife. Again, not requirements but a cheap way to add another layer of safety to your dive kit.
I bought a used set of gear before I finished OW class. I still have all of it except the BCD, because I found a backplate worked better for me than the vest style BCDs. A lot of people end up replacing all of the gear they bought early when their diving style changes or someone convinces them the gear isn't good enough or they "outgrow" it or whatever.
Let me make clear ANY regs you buy will be sufficient for all but the most extreme (ice) diving so don't worry about buying the $1000 reg set when the $300 set is equivalent in the water. Don't buy $150 fins when $50 fins work just as well (unless you want to spend the $150 for some reason other than "performance").
Educate yourself about the marketing BS before you let any shop part you from your money. There are a lot of good shops out there but they are all businesses and they all have significant markups well beyond reasonable on most things you need to dive. A $100 mask is a rip-off in my opinion but some people believe they will fit better. I have an apparently easy fit face because I've never tried a mask that didn't fit well enough to dive with. As a result I buy used masks or $5-$10 masks or I buy the "snorkel kits" you find at Costco and they work great for me. $30 for mask fins and snorkel out the door. Hard to beat.
The reality is what you "need" will change depending upon where and how you dive. The basics are the regs, exposure suit (as appropriate for where you plan to dive), mask, fins, snorkel (for some people this isn't a "need" but it's required for the course, typically), BCD (also not a real requirement but it makes diving "easier" and some operators do require them), bottom timer of some sort, and of course tanks. Every dive I've been on with a shop provided tanks so those aren't a requirement to purchase, obviously.
Beyond those things, it's all preference and marketing.
A lot of folks also carry an SMB (surface marker buoy) for safety and some sort of cutting tool or two like trauma sheers or a small knife. Again, not requirements but a cheap way to add another layer of safety to your dive kit.
OP
Mark_Lide
Registered
Great, I'll keep all that in mind.
I'll disagree with the recommendation to get the cheapest snorkel you can find. I use my snorkel, regularly, to save gas when swimming at the surface, and for watching other divers descend or ascend to the flag. I like a comfortable, dry snorkel, and cheap snorkels are not dry. Also, snorkeling is a good way to burn off nitrogen, between dives. You gotta do something during your surface intervals, and you can't drink tequila, right?
I haven't been to the Red Sea, but I wonder how much of a resort area is this? What I'm getting at, what are the chances that the previous user of the regulator you will be using threw up in it? An acquaintance of mine ran into that situation when it wasn't sufficiently cleaned. Motivation for at least getting your own reg (or borrowing for your trip). I'll admit, I get a little queasy typing this out.
Yeah and that water thing? Yack! Never touch the stuff myself: fish beep in it. And beep. And beep, too... :shudder:
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