Buying dive gear

[dstahn236]

Hello Everyone,

I am just finishing up my confined dives and because of the tundra that I live in will not be able to do my open waters until the spring. I am hoping to start looking at equipment in the mean time. I have a few questions though: First should I spend the extra money and buy nicer stuff or should I wait and try some cheaper stuff to start with because I am a beginner? Second many of my friends who dive buy almost exclusively aqua lung and all of them tell me they swear by it... are there any pieces that I should avoid from aqua lung ( I know this maybe a more appropriate question for that forum so I am sorry for having it here). Lastly is there anything that I should wait to buy until I am a little more experienced (i.e. dive computer, knife etc...) I have enough money to buy just about anything I want (thank you college grants) I just want to know if I should wait for some of the equipment.

Thanks for all of your help!!

Dustin

 

[iamjblevine]

Rent a bit at first to get the feel for different gear choices. Once you've experienced the options that are out there then I'd get stuff in this order:
1. Exposure Protection. You're in Fargo. I spent 4 years in Grand Forks. It doesn't get much colder and the water doesn't warm up that fast or for that long. Get a good exposure suit. Dry or 6.5 mm farmer johns.
2. BCD. A close second. Dialing in your buoyancy is a paramount skill. The sooner you have your own BCD, the sooner you can get comfortable with it's responses to changes in depth.
3. Computer (if you have a good LDS to rent a regulator from). Start to use and understand what the computer does for you. Find out what brand/algorithm your buddies typically dive and get one that supports the same algorithm.
4. Regulator. (Unless your LDS has lousy maintenance then bump this up one)

In between all this set aside money to dive and dive and dive. If you can handle the cold low viz waters of inland lakes and dive them regularly, you will be a rock star when you hit the easy warm water unlimited viz dives in the ocean.

 

[fbk]

When I was doing my OW dive course I wanted to buy all my gear straight away too. The owner talked me out of it and said "wait till you know what sort of diving you want to do before you spend all that money" At that stage I didn't know there even were different types of diving but I do now and I probably bought at least 3 or 4 different versions of everything before ending up with what I have now.

My advice would be not to spend a heap of money on your first set of gear. Yes it is nice to have your own equipment rather than renting it but if you are like many on here you will go through lots of it before you work out what it is that really works for you and you settle on.

 

[Colliam7]

First should I spend the extra money and buy nicer stuff or should I wait and try some cheaper stuff to start with because I am a beginner?

You can buy very good equipment at a reasonable price. Don't buy 'cheap' equipment to start just because you are a beginner. Good equipment, properly selected, will last a long time. Do not waste money on 'packages' which seldom provide gear that you will want in the long run, even though that may seem like a convenient way to get everything you need to start diving. But, do not necessarily buy 'top end' gear, either. Generally, the 'top end' gear may have bells and whistles that have little or nothing to do with competent diving or equipment performance. Most manufacturers offer several lines of equipment, defined by performance and price. In virtually every case, the mid-level equipment line represents a decent value proposition, across manufacturers.

Second many of my friends who dive buy almost exclusively aqua lung and all of them tell me they swear by it... are there any pieces that I should avoid from aqua lung ( I know this maybe a more appropriate question for that forum so I am sorry for having it here).

Aqualung is a very good brand, and I cannot say there is anything in their product line to avoid. However, that doesn't mean you should necessarily buy Aqualung because your friends swear by it. I happen to dive a lot of Apeks gear (the close relative of Aqualung) so I am biased in favor of Aqualung. But, you will probably find that buying everything in one manufacturer line doesn't give you what you ultimately want in equipment. I have a mixture of multiple manufacturer's gear because I buy what I want / need for my type of diving.

Lastly is there anything that I should wait to buy until I am a little more experienced (i.e. dive computer, knife etc...)

Wait to but gear until after you complete your certification. Having enough money is not the issue. Rather, you need to have some experience in the water before buying gear. Plus, you really need to ask yourself questions, after certification. Did I really enjoy the OW experience? If so, what kind of diving might I do in the immediate future? In what kind of environment will that diving take place (e.g. warm and tropical, or cold). How often do I (realistically) see myself diving? What gear might be available for rental in the environments that I will probably be diving in.

Instead of buying gear, use the cold winter months to read a lot of the threads on SB that address gear purchases (and there are A LOT, including many from newer divers asking very similar questions. The responses can provide you with a wealth of information. If you do a lot of homework BEFORE your purchase gear, you have a greater likelihood of making informed decisions and acquiring gear that will help you grow and develop as a diver.

 

[dstahn236]

Thanks for everything everyone...

I want to stick with a wet suit to start with if possible. I am used to the cold and having grown up swimming in the Mississippi River in winter I think I can handle it. Would a 6.5 be good enough. Also my wife is getting certified with me. She on the other hand is a complete baby in the cold and is refusing to do our open water dives in May when they start offering them because she thinks it will be too cold. Should she look at maybe doing a dry suit or would the 6.5 be ok for her as well?

-Dustin

 

[Goodtime Adventures]

Hi there,

My advice would be similar to many of the posts above with regards to using rental equipment for a while so you can try out different configurations and work out what's right for you. Its awesome that you are so enthusiastic that you're committing to equipment purchases already, and I'm sure you have many years of pleasurable diving ahead of you. Scuba board is full of knowledgeable folk who can give you good recommendations, but there is simply no substitute for getting out there and trying different gear for yourself - some retails stores even do 'try before you buy' on some equipment.

In my experience the biggest mistake people make with first time equipment purchases is not doing their research - remember most scuba stores only sell a selected few brands, so make sure you check out as many stores as possible to ensure you a fully informed on all options. Settling for something that's not exactly what you want as it saves a few dollars is also a no no. This will result in less enjoyable diving and probably more purchases which otherwise could have been avoided. Buy cheap = buy twice! Get the best gear you can afford and I'm sure you'l have no regrets.

With regards to brands we use mainly Aqualung products, and as a diver myself nearly all of my personal equipment is aqualung (and was even before the business became an aqualung partner centre). Their service and warranty is excellent and I/we have never had any problems. But for sure, check out some other brands too so you are confident and happy in your final decision.

Good luck and happy diving

 

[freewillie]

I'll second the motion that you should get in several dives before you buy equipment. If you are truly hooked on diving then I'd highly recommend getting your gear sooner rather than later. But you should also keep in mind your long term diving plans. If you will be doing a lot of local diving then buying your own gear sooner rather than later would be wise since you could start applying the cost of rentals to your own gear right away. If you are going to do a majority of your diving while on vacation you have to consider the luggage cost of taking your own gear versus the convenience of just renting when you need the gear.

I divide dive gear into two groups, personal fit gear like wetsuits and BC's where a good fit is very important; and standard gear like computers and regulators that fit doesn't matter.

I'd recommend starting with things wetsuits and BC's since you will notice an improvement in not only comfort but skills as well. My daughter is petite and even some XS BC's didn't always fit snug. I bought her a BC that fit well and on the first dive she noticed an improvement in her comfort and buoyancy. Since regulators don't need to be fitted and she usually dives only on vacation she is still renting her regulators. That being said, I've rented for her so many times now I'm looking into buying her a set since the cost is starting to add up.

Aqualung brand is a very good and very reliable brand. Their wetsuits however tend to run long in the sleeves and legs and personally they never fit me very well. I do much better in other brands. You need to try different brands of wetsuits and BC's since they all have size and fit variations.

I dive Atomic regulators but that is the brand my preferred LDS carries. They also have Atomics in their rentals but I've used Aqualung in the past. They all breath well. Keep in mind equipment service as well. You might get a good deal on Scubapro online but if you don't have a convenient LDS nearby to service the gear then you will incur additional cost having to mail it somewhere. Also, there is a recurrent cost for service and some brands are more expensive to service than others. Atomic Aquatics have an every other year service interval. If you spent the same $500 for a regulator but only serviced it every 2 years you start saving money right away compared to having it serviced every year.

 

[KEdiver]

I rented everything except the usual mask fins and snorkel during the class. After the class I took a few months to research and asked a lot of questions. Then I bought my kit. So far no regrets I did my classes a tear ago and bought my gear in June. I have used it all summer and don't think I would change anything at this point. I did buy good gear no internet specials at www.cheapscuba.com I went to my LDS and got Scubapro equipment and I really do like it. Have fun making your decision.

 

[LowDrag]

I am with the buy right the first time crowd. I made the mistake of not researching enough and listened to my LDS that I was diving with at the time and bought gear that was not nearly as good as I ended up wanting. I bought lesser expensive gear because I bought for my myself and my wife. I recently bought a DeepOutdoors Matrix LTD SS BP&W but until I found it I was looking at this BC:

http://www.aqualung.com/us/content/view/626

It is an Apeks Black Ice. From what I have seen of it so far it is a very sturdy BC and one that I would have definitely gone with if I had not found an extremely good deal on the Matrix LTD BP&W.

Another good AquaLung BC is this one:

http://www.aqualung.com/us/content/view/529

My wife has the ladies version of this BC with the i3 controller on it. She loves it and her buoyancy just keeps getting better and better with each dive we go on. At first I was not a fan of any back inflate BC but a friend of mine got me to try his Hollis BP&W and I found out I actually like the back inflate set up. You don't have to go with a BP&W to get a good back inflate BC. There are plenty of good back inflate BC's to choose from.

Good luck in researching your gear and remember...

 

[Dive-aholic]

Hello Everyone,

I am just finishing up my confined dives and because of the tundra that I live in will not be able to do my open waters until the spring. I am hoping to start looking at equipment in the mean time. I have a few questions though: First should I spend the extra money and buy nicer stuff or should I wait and try some cheaper stuff to start with because I am a beginner?

Just because you're a beginner doesn't mean you should go cheap. But keep in mind that inexpensive and cheap are not the same thing. Just as really expensive and good are not either. You can find some great scuba gear for decent prices if you do your research and shop around.

Second many of my friends who dive buy almost exclusively aqua lung and all of them tell me they swear by it... are there any pieces that I should avoid from aqua lung ( I know this maybe a more appropriate question for that forum so I am sorry for having it here).

Aqua Lung makes decent gear. Until recently my primary regulators were Aqua Lung Legends. They are great regulators, if not a little expensive. I happen to come by a great deal years ago and bought them then.

Lastly is there anything that I should wait to buy until I am a little more experienced (i.e. dive computer, knife etc...) I have enough money to buy just about anything I want (thank you college grants) I just want to know if I should wait for some of the equipment.

Basic gear you'll need is BC, regulators, cutting tool (avoid the really big knives, small is all you really need), surface marker buoy if you plan on doing any diving off boats, mask and fins if you haven't already bought those. A computer is nice but not necessary. It would be nice to get some experience planning dives with just your tables and depth gauge first.

Thanks for all of your help!!

Dustin

Don't write off the dry suit just yet. Swimming on the surface is much different than being completely submerged. While you may have been able to tolerate cold water temps in the Mississippi, when your head is under water it's completely different. I would definitely consider a dry suit. And not all dry suits will break the bank. You can easily get a couple of dry suits, one each for you and your wife, for quite a bit less than $1000 each. You'll be happy you made that investment.