Am I good?

[Jakestg]

Thank you guys so much for the help, I appreciate it greatly. It is really hard to come by money at my age but I guess I'm better off renting gear for a bit until I again additional knowledge like requested.

One more thing.. Will I ever have to worry about buying a certain piece of scuba equipment from a dive shop and it being some Chinese junk or used that puts my life on the line? I mean.. I see some stuff go cheap for the type of item that it is but I just want to know if I will be safe in the near future.

Sincerly,

Jake

 

[Token]

One more thing.. Will I ever have to worry about buying a certain piece of scuba equipment from a dive shop and it being some Chinese junk or used that puts my life on the line? I mean.. I see some stuff go cheap for the type of item that it is but I just want to know if I will be safe in the near future.

Hi Jake -- Generally speaking, you are very unlikely to find 'junk' equipment on sale. For casual warm-water diving, pretty much any name-brand equipment will work acceptably [although you'll find people with pretty strong opinions on what the 'best' equipment is]. Try not to buy the cheapest thing you can find, and if you buy used, definitely get it serviced and inspected before depending on it. You're right, rental is the way to go for a while, until you know what suits you best.

 

[NC Wreck Diver]

Hi Jake -- Generally speaking, you are very unlikely to find 'junk' equipment on sale. For casual warm-water diving, pretty much any name-brand equipment will work acceptably [although you'll find people with pretty strong opinions on what the 'best' equipment is]. Try not to buy the cheapest thing you can find, and if you buy used, definitely get it serviced and inspected before depending on it. You're right, rental is the way to go for a while, until you know what suits you best.

I agree with Token, Jake. Most life support gear is pretty quality stuff. Now, you have some choices when you buy your regulator and BCD, but it normally it's good gear. I remember when I was your age and money was an object (well, at 49, money is still an object!), but spend the bulk of your budget on your life support gear. If you take care of it (especially rinse your regulator and gear well after salt water exposure), it will last for years. I have one quality reg that is 20 years old. I have always cleaned it, and did the yearly service it requires, but it breaths as good as the day I bought it. I did upgrade this reg and bought the latest model, but I still use the older one each time I dive as my back up octopus. This will all make sense to you as you go to your LDS and work with a quality instructor.

Listen to the experienced divers here on SB, and I suggest taking a basic open water course that will take a series of classes and pool time sessions. I'm not a fan of the accelerated courses. Don't be in a rush, ask questions if you don't understand something. Any quality instructor (and most are) will help you until you and your family are totally comfortable as you dive.

Safe diving to you.

 

[RJP]

and what is the best start kit for a guy like me? I just want some suggestions for later on down the road.

If your shop is offering free rental gear for 60 days that's a great deal, as it will let you get some experience in BEFORE you go ahead and plunk your money down on gear.

Get certified, get some experience, and then you'll be in much better position to determine what you like/want.

Welcome!

 

[CamG]

Greetings Jake and welcome to Scuba Board! It sounds like you enjoy the water and would like to broaden you horizons into scuba.
It is totally amazing and life transforming! Divers are the funniest bunch of people I have ever come to know.
The entire diving community is incredibly diverse which makes it so easy to find great dive buddies.

I am going to say, LISTEN TO TSandM she is dead on for advice!
Contact DIVE-A-HOLIC, Rob Neto and follow his recommendations. He is a very active instructor who is familiar with instructors in your area. Getting started right makes the world of difference.
Take the instructors advice on gear and how to proceed with your training.
At your age the diving world is totally wide open. There are endless possibilities so to speak for your diving future.
You are in one of the greatest places in the world to dive! Various environments and endless opportunities access speaking to the springs and ocean.

Take your time and seek out the right instructor and let him or her direct your path to best suit you and your diving goals.
Jake it is great to have you aboard and please keep us posted on your progress.
If we can help by all means just ask!
Good luck and welcome to the dive community!

CamG keep diving....Keep training....keep learning!

 

[vladimir]

.....

 

[Straegen]

Good instructor trumps price any day. While diving is a very safe activity a good foundation is nearly priceless. The difference between one on one or small group instruction with a true master versus many LDS big class instruction is night and day. IMO, you want an instructor that will not pass a diver until they are considered good divers by the community. Many dive ops that are inexpensive rush divers through to get the business (not saying the one you are speaking about is like this). My OW instructor still checks in on me from time to time (The Kraken) and really took the time to make sure we knew what we were doing no matter how long it took.

 

[PatW]

Jake,

Something to remember, you are young and you are male. If you look at any kind of recreational activity men, tend to kill themselves off about 10 times as much as women. Also you are young and the young tend to not really appreciate risks as well.

The thing about diving is that being stupid or taking risks can kill you really quickly.

I would strongly suggest that you plan to take the Open Water certification but also the Advanced Open Water certification.

Also from the set up you described, it sounds as if you would be diving off the family boat. At your age in that situation, I would have been very tempted to dive solo. Diving solo can be done safely. But solo diving takes redundant equipment, care and planning, and experience to do safely. Even with that, it only takes one mistake to kill you. I would very strongly suggest that you not dive solo. Find a friend or two or three who is interested in diving also who can be your buddy when you dive.

 

[NAUI AL]

I am about 6'3'' and 250lb's. I am a pretty big guy. I have no medical problem history in the past.

...Do you think that I am ok to scuba?

First of all, we cannot tell you. Your doctor needs to okay that. I've seen guys that thought they were in perfect shape get banned for eardrum issues they forgot about when they were a kid. The bottom line is your doctor should know all the right questions and what to look for in your medical history.

Jumping ahead, good luck with your training. Sounds like you need to ask how much the check out dives are though.

 

[Jakestg]

Also from the set up you described, it sounds as if you would be diving off the family boat. At your age in that situation, I would have been very tempted to dive solo. Diving solo can be done safely. But solo diving takes redundant equipment, care and planning, and experience to do safely. Even with that, it only takes one mistake to kill you. I would very strongly suggest that you not dive solo. Find a friend or two or three who is interested in diving also who can be your buddy when you dive.

I forgot to mention that my father and brother are also being certified so pretty much every time I go out to dive they will be with me.