A couple gear questions.

[Nik Wills]

Hi Capnhook, if you are staying at the rented villas in Akumal are you in the ones behind the Akumal Dive Centre? If you are email them and try and get in touch with Jesus Rangel, he is a very good instructor and you will learn a lot from him. I did over 20 dives with them during a 2 week stay in 2008, and I am hoping to visit him again next year. Tell him Nik from the UK recommended him to you through this forum, you will have a great time if you go with Jesus.

As for kit I use a Buddy BCD made in the UK which I have had for 7 years, the most important thing with a BCD is the fit, if it is not comfortable you will blow a lot of air constantly fiddling with it and you will not be properly relaxed. As for Regs I use Apex in open water, but I have an old Scubapro mk17 set with mk25 internals that I use in the pool with students. I believe the Scubapro are an American make they are quite robust and last a long time if looked after, don't forget you should get them serviced once a year so ask how much the servicing costs are?

Enjoy Akumel, I am well jealous!!

 

[Capnhook]

Hi Capnhook, if you are staying at the rented villas in Akumal are you in the ones behind the Akumal Dive Centre? If you are email them and try and get in touch with Jesus Rangel, he is a very good instructor and you will learn a lot from him. I did over 20 dives with them during a 2 week stay in 2008, and I am hoping to visit him again next year. Tell him Nik from the UK recommended him to you through this forum, you will have a great time if you go with Jesus.

As for kit I use a Buddy BCD made in the UK which I have had for 7 years, the most important thing with a BCD is the fit, if it is not comfortable you will blow a lot of air constantly fiddling with it and you will not be properly relaxed. As for Regs I use Apex in open water, but I have an old Scubapro mk17 set with mk25 internals that I use in the pool with students. I believe the Scubapro are an American make they are quite robust and last a long time if looked after, don't forget you should get them serviced once a year so ask how much the servicing costs are?

Enjoy Akumel, I am well jealous!!

Actually I have rented a villa in Akumal Sur, about a mile south of town. I prefer to be a tad removed from the action and love having the water only 50 feet from where I sleep. It's been a long, cold Winnipeg winter and it's only 16 days til we get to thaw out.

 

[Rampantmarine]

CapnHook,

I am pretty sure we frequent the same LDS. Positive actually. I purchased the SR-1's after researching a significant amount. I had three main critera when I went looking:
1) Local support mandatory from a shop that was established.
2) Had to appeal to me visually - I have to like something I am spending that much money on.
3) Recognized Manufacturer with a good reputation.

I was interested in ScubaPro but no dealer local and in the end it was between the SR-1 and Aqualung Lx. In the end the support and service attitude of the LDS made my decision for me. The shops reputation for standing behind their products, a long term local business, and the reputation he has locally outweighs any doubt on the SR-1 that was in my mind. Sometimes it is just a people thing and you either trust who you deal with or you don't. Everyone will be different.

To use your golf clubs as an example, you seldom give a learner blades to start, you give them cavity back. Do you start golfing at a club with slick greens - no you start at the public courses where it is 15 bucks a round not 45 and you can wear jeans. You get out and have fun with good gear, and if you specialize you change to suit what type of golf you do. Would I like a dry suit - yeah. Going to buy a 7mm wet suit first however.

Do I think that I could have done better on gear from another manufacturer? Maybe. Is the design a problem, Maybe. Will I be pushing the gear in cold water, really deep, solo. Not likely. Did I get the cheapest deal - no, but I felt it was a fair deal for both the LDS and me.

I think our LDS keeps old gear to encourage you to buy your own. Not a bad strategy I suppose. Sure liked mine over the rentals. Although it was harder to do the ditch and don excercise in a wetsuit with integrated weights and the rest of the class had weight belts. That was fun - don't let go of the BC!

Sure I will see you around west hawk - but thought I would toss in my two cents - or is that five cents now that the penny is dead.

RampantMarine