Beginner needs gear... suggestions?

[rstofer]

Don't go into debt just so you can dive

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This is really bad advice! Our entire economy, indeed our very way of life, is based on buying things now and paying for them later. The whole problem with the economy today is that people aren't spending money they don't have. The banks won't let them!

Realistically, it is better to rent gear for a while to a) see if you like diving and b) see what equipment you like and can afford. The downside: well, I like to be the only person peeing in my wetsuit. And, frankly, I'm real adamant about being the only person to upchuck in my regulator. But, hey, that's just me!

I did the first pool session with a shop horsecollar BC (required, at the time) but I started with my own regulator and by the second session I was using my own BC. I wanted to learn using the equipment I was going to dive. Sure, it was wrong for all the reasons listed above but I still use the regulator (22 years and counting) and I just retired the jacket style BC (fine for warm water) in favor of a BP/W (better for cold water). I still use the Tekna mask but I broke the Tekna snorkel (my fault!) - no worries, eBay will provide!

I did buy a pair of full heel fins. These are fine for boat dives in warm water or for the pool. They suck for beach entries at low tide. So, my only redundant purchase was buying a pair of open heel fins. Darned if they didn't delaminate after 20 years. Sunlight, I guess. I STILL use the full heel fins in the pool!

My real view on equipment purchase: find someone you can trust, buy what they recommend and get on with the program. The idea that scuba can be done on the cheap is just wrong. Ask any diver how much it would cost to replace their entire single tank setup and see what they say. It won't be cheap!

Richard

 

[k ellis]

If I had to replace my gear today it would probably break the bank twice over! I recently aquired a new Hybrid BCD (The Zeagle Ranger) and it cost about 800 dollars alone. Then with the Octo Z it put it over 1000 dollars!

I do agree with the owning my own gear for knowing exactly how much weight I will need when I dive and how to use the emergency equipment (the weight releases and air dumps) if I do need them. Mask are a must to be personal as I enjoy being the only one with a runny nose in it after the dive. The regulator is a must as I dont like placing my mouth on something hundreds of other people have had in their mouth.

Snorkels are something that has to be balanced out in both cost and use. In other words dont buy the 10 dollar snorkel just to use to pass the test then throw it in the bin. I just recently realized on a dive trip to Cozumel how important they are again. The waves were over 4 to 5 foot swells and many times over the water went over my head at the crest of the waves. The snorkel made breathing simple and painless without burning off precious air from the tank.

I will say it is user preference but I personaly prefer the boots and open fins for the purpose of post and predives they make walking on rocks and sand so much easier!

 

[David Wilson]

You've had plenty of good advice, so I'll limit myself to one issue, the relative merits of open-heel and full-foot fins. I often read messages here and elsewhere explaining away the differences over simplistically, namely open-heel=cold water use, full-foot=warm water use. Personally, I buck that trend when I go snorkelling in the cold North Sea, because I have an absolute preference for full-foot fins, worn over an exposure suit, when I enter the water from my sandy beach on the coast of North East England.

Now, my fin preferences are neither here nor there, but they do represent the solution I have reached after problem-solving fin choice to suit my criteria and needs. When choosing your own gear, it's better to define the problem properly first, then seek a solution that meets YOUR needs and YOUR criteria. The worst thing you could possibly do is to accept somebody else's solution by going for the brands and models others have chosen for themselves. Your needs are different. We live in a diverse world and there's nothing to be served by everybody wearing the same diving gear. So define first what you want your gear to do for you. Try out as many different kinds of masks, snorkels and fins as you can, until you chance upon items that are comfortable and do what you expect them to do. You have already done some warm-water diving, so start with the gear you used then and try and remember which gear assisted you and which hindered you. That will help you narrow down your choices. And the contributors are right when they say that higher prices don't necessarily mean better gear for you. What is best for you is for you to find out for yourself by a process of experimentation and research.

 

[vladimir]

This is really bad advice! Our entire economy, indeed our very way of life, is based on buying things now and paying for them later.

There's a great book on this:

http://consumerist.com/2007/04/snl-skit-dont-buy-stuff-you-cant-afford.html

Also, there is nothing wrong with saving for something that you want for a while.

The book tells you how in chapter 3.

 

[psychocabbage]

Me, my wife and our 3 daughters all dive. We (the parents) are the ones that footed the bill for all the gear as my daughters are now 11,12 and 16 yrs old.

My gear is representative of ME and how I am. Its my style if you will.. I have Apollo Bio Fins (said to be the fastest split fins on the market). I have Tusa booties because I prefered their sole. Its much more like a normal shoe than a neoprene rubber sole. Here, the quarries are very rocky. The neoprene did little to make the walk to the water any better.. Soon after, I got the TUSA booties and life is peachy! I can walk on glass if needed. I went with a back inflate BC with a bunch of steel D rings so I can clip my collection of junk all over it.. (I normally carry an all aluminum reel, safety sausage, flashlight and writing pad as part of my normal kit. I have 4 people usually down there with me, I like to be able to get my point across easily.

My wife is decked out differently. She went through a period of BC purchasing that can only be described as an addiction. She bought 3 in 1 year alone. We had enough BCs in our closet to make it look like its a store. She finally found a BC made for women she likes. Its a jacket style but its what she prefers and she has tried out plenty! She uses some of the cheapest fins available. (I normally sell the same fins she uses for like $20-$30 on ebay) They are TUSA Liberator paddle style fins. In fact, my wife and 2 of my kids use these. My youngest uses higher cost Mares Mako fins (I am pretty sure thats them) to chase any fish that catches her fancy.

So you can say we have gone all over, and bought everything from the lower high end to the cheap stuff.. Not one piece is better than the other if you yourself do not like it.

I prefer having a higher denier count on my nylon. I am rough on stuff and need the extra strength. I had Tusa Xpert Zoom fins in black before going to the Apollos and I did feel a difference in the water. My wife, an ex high dive, swimmer and lifequard, can out swim me easily so I needed the extra power and speed of the splits so I can keep up when we start to really get going. I am an avid bicyclist and an ex racer of bikes so I just modify my natural kick underwater to optimize the split fins and achieve a very good propulsion with very little effort on my legs and knees.

So there are tons of choices. because you are a female, you may have some fitment issues around the chest area. It is crucial to make sure you get gear you will enjoy wearing. At stores, when we tried gear on, I would pull firmly on the back as if the bc had a tank and reg on it. You want to feel the BC loaded to see if it is pressing in odd places. I also had my kids inflate them to make sure they didnt feel like they couldnt breathe normally when its fully inflated (vests just were crazy uncomfortable for me.. my kids seem to prefer them over back inflates..)

So take your time.. You can find a perfect mask. My wife went through no less than 5 before finding one. Store fitment seemed good but once at depth, she would find it had too much pressure in one area or leaked (improper fitment).

My mask (a Tusa Visulator) doesnt leak. In fact, after a long dive you can see sweat beads on my face. I lucked out. It was only my 2nd mask purchase.

Snorkles are a fun debate.. When you get one, you dont need it.. Or lose it.. When you dont have one, you are in desperate need of one.. We have a bunch.. but at times would leave them at home thinking we dont need one.. then we get a wild idea to go snorkling or surface swim far out before diving down.. I say get a cheap one and find a good place to stow it in your BC out of the way.. when you need it, it will be there.. when you dont, it will be out of your way.

Good luck whichever way you go. If I were you, I would monitor craigslist and ebay and wait for some killer deals. In the meantime, when you dive, rent the gear to get a good idea of what you want to buy.

 

[H2O 70]

This was touched on by Tammy. Your single most important first piece of gear is going to be your mask. It has to fit. You've had some good advice on how it should fit.

The one thing I would suggest that wasn't really touched on when looking at masks, is ignore the price tag. If the $20 mask fits great, buy it. And then buy a couple of extra. If the $200 mask fits great, but it. If you have a mask that doesn't fit and leaks, you end up spending half your dive clearing it, you end up washing out half you anti-fog and then can't see. You spend your whole dive futzing with your stupid mask. Really spend the time on your mask.

Until you know what mask fits you, don't buy one online. Go to different dive shops and try out different brands. In my market most of the LDS's carry Cressi and I have yet to find a Cressi mask that fits me. In the beginning I went to a lot of different shops to find different brands. In the end it was a 'ladies' mask that fit me the best.

When you go to the dive shops, ignore their their little signs they have posted about how this mask was 'Testers Choice' or 'Best Value'. Those testers didn't have your face.

Finally don't forget anti-fog. You'll hear a lot of folks that swear by spit. One of my buddies spit should be patented, but I'm not going to have him spit in my mask. If you're spit works, lucky for you. You'll hear folks talk about baby shampoo. Personally I haven't tried this one. Avoid the real thin spray anti fogs. Clear your mask once and you wash it all out! I've found that the thicker ones seem to work better, such as 500psi and the SealGold. They are 'expensive' but I had one bottle of the 500psi for over 150 dives. A little goes a long way.

Don't spend a lot of money on a snorkel. You need it for your certification class, but you'll find that a lot of certified divers don't wear one. Key word there, is wear. In open water, I always carry a snorkel, but it is stowed in a pocket. It is just one more thing dangling around and that is why most don't wear one.

 

[GlassBender]

Specifically regarding upgrading, buying adjustable fins is the way to go. I bought full foot fins, and they got used about twice. Then get some Innovative (brand) spring fin straps.

ISC Catalog : Rubber Goods

 

[doc8425]

I have used Leisurepro.com for years and have been impressed by the gear they have, the service they, provide, and the speed in shipping. The have good, competitive prices but also check with Scuba.com. They are both great sources for gear as long as you know what fits. (no I get no kickbacks from either one!)

 

[Token]

With regards to the original question.... I've bought pretty much a full scuba outfit in the last 6 months, and I already regret a few decisions...

My main mistake was buying a BCD online without trying a bunch on and seeing what was right for me. Consequently I got a L size when XL would have been better [although the L is useable]. OTOH, I bought a wetsuit [BARE 3/2 Velocity] that fits me perfectly at a local shop, and while it cost more than online, I could just as easily ordered the wrong size again [at 5'10" and 210lb I wouldn't have thought that an XL Short was anything like right].

Bottom line...I'd recommend buying a good mask to start with, and renting equipment for your first few dives until you have a really good idea of what you need and want. Gradually pick up fins, a wetsuit and then a BCD and regulator as you can afford them. I kinda wish I had done exactly that myself.

 

[diver 85]

On a thin budget I'd buy this and these

Of course it's a crap shoot as to whether it will all fit correctly. Almost every adult mask fits me well. My wife has a much harder time with them. She uses a youth mask that fits her face better. Trying them on will help, but they do tend to be a bit more expensive at the local dive shop. It's all a trade off. Online isn't always cheaper either.
good luck.

For the 'this' one, talk about color coordinated--all it's missing is some green to hit the full spectrum....