Supporting my local dive shop(s) is frustrating

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The problem i have with this thread is that the OP asked for advice, and now says "ok, i don't like your advice, but i like the advice my instuctor/shop gave to me" and yet, not being certified or with any experience, the OP, realistically, cannot actually decide which advice is better!

I did not ask for advice. (But that hasn't stopped everyone from offering it.)
 
I did not ask for advice. (But that hasn't stopped everyone from offering it.)
so what was the point of your post then?....just to complain like some karen about the business practices of an industry you havent any experience in?

much of the industry is pretty laid back and 'Island time' is the norm....whether you agree with it or not....do not always expect instant gratification.

you claim to want to support local businesses, but dont want to deal with the quirks of dealing with local businesses?

especially with Covid, shipping times and order procurement is not always exact.....frankly ide rather have my dive shop tell me "were not sure when itll come in"...rather than have them feed me some BS and have it be wrong.



as to the advice everyone is giving you....its all spot on......i get wanting to train in the gear you are going to be using.....but dropping $10K before youve even gotten in the water is frankly stupid.

there are plenty of people who try scuba, and for one reason or another decide its not for them......its either not what they were expecting....its uncomfortable....they cant equalize properly...ect.

and $10K is a lot of equipment for 2 people.....i have 3 tanks, 2 reg sets, 4-5 masks, 2 BC's, a wet suit, drysuit and 2 computers personally and its not even $3K......

rather than claiming the industry is "wrong"....maybe relax a bit eh?
 
I don't see any dive shops renting out a wide spectrum of high end gear, and if they do have any, it's typically confined to a single manufacturer.

This statement alone sums up this thread. It's apparent that you want to know what you need to know to make informed decisions about your gear. But you just don't have the experience yet.

Dive gear is like cars: suggesting that rental gear isn't viable because it doesn't cost a fortune is like rejecting the inventory at a car rental lot because it's not all Ferraris and Bentleys. Basic gear does the job you need it to do. Expensive gear isn't necessarily better (exception: it's usually better for the LDS's bottom line.)

You really should take the time to listen to the advice provided in this thread by experienced divers. If not, you're welcome to learn the hard way (which is usually also the unnecessarily expensive way.)

Either way, be sure to enjoy your diving.
 
Welcome to SB!

I don’t think it is reasonable to expect your local shop to have everything you want in stock, even if it is a major internet player.

My shop has a philosophy of diving what it sells. The selection in house is deliberately limited so that it can keep the stock available and prices competitive (lower than online) due to the larger volumes they sell. They will normally suggest a Backplate and Wing setup for anyone buying gear unless of course your requirements don’t suggest so. There won’t be every brand of BCD or regulator on the market, but there will be stock on their go-to Apeks regs. It would be the least I’d expect, and would be surprised if they were out.

I don’t care if you bought your gear beforehand. I did buy my entire set after less than a dozen dives and in cold water, that is definitely a $5K+ investment. However, I got lots of good advice on what I needed locally, hence I ended up with a BP/W that I’ve gotten huge benefit from. I wouldn’t necessarily have even known about them if I hadn’t talked to the shop.

I do have to ask whether you had made a list of items you wanted to purchase that they weren’t able to fulfill (and hence your rant here), or if they steered you towards the brands they stocked (e.g, towards the Air 2 inflator)? It seems like you bought some items online as well? How did you create that list as an unexperienced diver?

My point is really for you to understand your shop’s motivations and what sort of relationship they build with customers. Are they just there to sell you stuff, or to meet your long term needs? With experience as a diver, fellow dive buddies, and the collective wisdom online, you’ll start to refine your BS radar. As others have harped on the Air 2, it to me isn’t pointing to a concern with the device itself, but the shop’s intentions and philosophy (for both gear and training).

As to high-end gear, I consider a shop that rents out BP/W systems to do high-end gear. Not ones that have jacket BCDs with tons of pockets, D-rings, and other crap. A good BP/W setup that’s a pleasure to dive with is often less than a high-end jacket BCD.

In the end, it’s just money. Many (all?) of us have bought items that we quickly outgrew and regret the purchase of, even if it seemed like a good idea, was recommended by others, and thoroughly researched beforehand. Luckily, stuff generally works fine and won’t try to kill you. But getting to that place of equipment bliss and diving pleasure can be smooth or twisted. Best wishes in your training, enjoy your purchases, and make sure they make you want to keep diving.
 
On not asking for all this advice: You expressed frustration with your dive shops gear pre OW class, and we offered solutions in our view.

I asked about plans to see if you can get two 'bites' at the instructional apple with your new gear. Like getting in the water with some gear, getting some experience with how it works for you, then getting instructor feedback on some alterations you think you would like. Water sessions and diving with 'the one true gear vision v1', then adjustments, and then a water session with an instructor with 'gear vision v2'.

But it seems you're leaving next month for the Caribbean.

When you get back, the club diving, from each of the shops, should expose you to various other styles of gear and more divers to talk with about gear choices.

Have a good trip. I'm sure you'll enjoy looking at pretty fish underwater, as the rest of us do.
 
I never asked for anyone's opinion on whether or not I should purchase gear. I never asked for anyone's opinion on what gear I should buy, or whether it is more economical to purchase or rent.

My original post was an observation on local dive shop operations and how they seem to have challenges maintaining adequate stock and fulfilling customer needs. The thread has devolved into something else entirely.

All the unsolicited advice on this thread that I've received regarding how stupid it is to throw away my money on purchasing my own gear was just that, unsolicited. I guess It's nice that so many people have jumped in and warned me that I am wasting my money buying my own gear, but I never asked for an opinion on that subject. If I'd been interested on hearing everyone's thoughts on that subject, I would have asked. I didn't ask.

I'm certain I could save money if I rented gear for a long time. It's likely that some of the gear I've purchased will get replaced because I don't like it as well as something else. I don't care. I like to have my own gear. Every ski resort and heli-ski operation in the world has rental gear available. I don't use it, even though (in contrast to dive shops,) you can demo pretty much any high end ski gear you want. I prefer to ski on my own gear. I know how it performs. I know how it's been maintained. I know the release characteristics of the bindings. I take the same approach to all of the gear intensive activities I participate in. Intimate familiarity with the gear I am using is important to me, particularly in activities where the gear is crucial to my safety.


I think you should take the 10k you are hell bent on throwing away and buy a bunch of these:

Official Bag of Dicks Pranks And Gag Gifts from BagOfDicks.com
 
I did not ask for advice. (But that hasn't stopped everyone from offering it.)
Posting on Scubaboard, or most message boards for that matter, you are bound to get advice and opinions even if you didn’t think you asked for them. Often because you didn’t know enough yet to ask the right questions and people are trying to be helpful.

FWIW I agree with the pretty much unanimous advice you’re getting. No one is saying not to buy your own gear, or to wait for years. They’re saying wait until you know a bit more. It’s can be hard enough to find the right gear when you have some experience.
 
I buy gear from where ever gets me the best deal and often these are online suppliers.
Never had an issue with them. I don't have a local dive shop to support.

No one is beholden to their instructor or the dive center they get certified at. As a business if they cannot supply what you need look elsewhere.
 
Posting on Scubaboard, or most message boards for that matter, you are bound to get advice and opinions even if you didn’t think you asked for them. Often because you didn’t know enough yet to ask the right questions and people are trying to be helpful.

FWIW I agree with the pretty much unanimous advice you’re getting. No one is saying not to buy your own gear, or to wait for years. They’re saying wait until you know a bit more. It’s can be hard enough to find the right gear when you have some experience.
Right about the opinions. Like my very first question joining in 2007 "Where is the best Caribbean place to collect shells"?......
 

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