WANNA SCUBA:
Hello Everyone. I am looking to get certified and dive this year. I am totally new to this and don't know squat.
I want to be able to dive in my spare time and on vacations I'm not looking to become a pro.
What certification would accomplish this?
What gear do I need to start collecting? What's the best place to get em?
Any other info is also welcome.
Thanks and Happy Diving!!
Opinions vary considerably as the order of gear purchases or when. All can be rented (at least as far as Ive seen) for the class and you would do better to have some idea what seems important to you personally and make choices with a bit of experience diving in a variety of styles. My needs changed considerably from snorkeling into diving for just the basic mask, fin and snorkel.
For gear I say first is a mask that fits correctly. Try a few salesmen before deciding in case you have a difficult to fit face to be certain the person helping you knows how. This in particular is a personal fit issue and the right one may be a more expensive one and most likely you cant tell what fits, and what fits correctly.
Then I suggest scouting around the shops asking to see the rental gear for a variety of styles to try and allow you something to go on for what suits you better. Try as many as you can. Perhaps there are places to just snorkel and try fins and wetsuit to get started. Just plan to be at a colder temperature for an hour.
Another suggestion as youre still looking to get the class; take the time to pursue the
gear threads (third chunk down) so you can see the opinions. Particularly important should you run across a steal of a deal, there may be a reason youd be wise to pass it up.
And once you know what you want, aside from finding it on sale locally,
scubatoys offers a discount to board members and is very helpful in general.