The Slippery Slope...

[shadragon]

Soon after getting your OW qual, you eagerly go out and buy a wet suit, BC and AL 80 with Octo and show up at your local dive spot eager and ready to dive.

"Yeah, that's OK gear, but you really should have a steel tank for extra gas. You know... Safety first."

So you buy a steel tank and head back out...

"Better,... but you really should have a redundant Pony as well... You know... Just in case."

So you buy a Pony and a second reg...

"What, you are still diving tables?"

Computer purchase through the LDS...

"Looking good, but don't you think a dry suit would be more appropriate for these conditions."

You pick up a dry suit...

"Man you are looking great, but not with that BC... You really need a wing and backplate system."

More money for those items...

"Cool, but if you are diving with a Pony, you would be much better off with doubles..."

You pick up doubles and a manifold...

"Doubles, with those regs...!?"

One high-efficiency "name" reg purchase later...

"That isn't how you rig that... You are going to have to change your whole configuration if you want to look like a pro."

Several clips, bands, hoses, lights and harnesses later...

"Dude, why have the doubles if you don't put NITROX in them?"

A bit later...

"Hey... Slick looking rig. You are in on the basic DECO course next weekend, right? You only need to pick up 4 stage bottles and a multi-gas computer..."

Cha-ching...

"NITROX? We use Trimix for all the really cool wrecks..."

(Let's fast forward a few more thousand dollars...)

"OK, now before we do our second CCR dive on the Doria..."

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Sad but true... :shakehead

 

[TSandM]

You forgot to add the fifteen hundred dollar flashlight in there . . .

This would be funny if it were funny.

 

[Trever]

You are spying on me, and tracking my debit card purchases aren't you?

 

[letterboy]

Don't you mean funny if not true ?

 

[Steve50]

Now you can open a dive shop and really go broke.

 

[ClayJar]

Hehe, I thought hiking and GPS-related expenses were pricey.

Then I thought cameras and photography-related expenses were pricey.

Now, I think diving and gear-related expenses are pricey.

I suppose next I'll get into yachting, perhaps?

 

[letterboy]

I'll take care of your dive gear when you get into Yachting

 

[superstar]

all that wasted gear for a 28' deep reef dive off a cattle boat when all you needed was a cheap un-balanced reg, a jacket BC, and a speedo.

 

[bigmak]

Where was this post before I started down that slope last October?

I skipped the tank purchase (rent for now), the computer is all ready to go but I am going to look for a dry suit sometime this year if I can come up with some good ideas to convince the better half to letting me spent the money.

And I thought taking up golf was expensive!