Basic Buying Tips For New Divers

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All good advice. I found craigs list to be great as long as you are patient and of course there are divers/ex-divers in the general area you live. My plan as a new diver was to find some decent used gear to start out on then over time purchase individual upgrades as my proficiency and tastes developed. Ebay would work also but you don’t get to physically see the gear until it shows up at your door. So be careful with ebay especially for used stuff.

As it turned out, I found a middle of road Aqualung (Titan LX) reg, octo, tank, BCD, and suunto computer up for grabs on CL for $600. When I went to look at it the stuff it still had the price tags and stickers on it. It had never been in the water, was bought as a set and never used. I'll probably sell the BCD (not a great fit) but everything else I'm using to get experience with. So far everything is pretty sweet (especially the computer) but I'm new. If I eventually want to upgrade I'll give these to my son/daughter who recently got certified. For now, they are renting gear so we are all trying different gear out. Plus, they are leaving for college in a few years, no need to buy them gear that I’ll end up storing!!
 
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Great artical, hope you found the gear you were looking for.
 
Where are some places you find good deals? I've seen Craigs list had a few but do you have any other place to look?

Depends on how old you are. If you're 20-something, ask your parents to ask their friends. If you're 40-something. Ask your friends.

A lot of people take up SCUBA in their 40s and 50s when free time and extra money seem to align.

Also, check out the bulletin board at your local dive shop. Some of the nicer shops let customers post ads for their used stuff.

eBay used to be nice, but crazy people keep bidding it up. Sometimes used stuff goes for the same price as new.
 

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