caverdave
Contributor
Lots of great advice being given Dante so this is probably just repeating what many others have said (which maybe adds to the there must be a reason everyone is saying it).
There were a few pieces of gear that I bought early and have continued with me for 4 or so years and will hopefully continue to last for several more. And in a few cases they really weren't all that expensive... Though I'm not what I consider a tech diver I deeply enjoy more serious dives.
Of those pieces of gear the Backplate & wing... hard to go wrong. Though that said most of my dives are not salt so in going from single to double I wound up replacing the SS backplate and moving to an aluminum. Worked better with double 130's.
Bottom timer- for me became the Suunto Vyper. With proper training true bottom timer could have saved couple hundred bucks.
Regs. I don't think it was mentioned, probably everyone presumed it/knew it but you may as well start with Din regs. I wound up using Apeks. You can actually find used sets pretty inexpensively and there are a number of places that work on them. Used set was about $250. To each their own experience the few I've met with scuba pro seemed to have great relations with a local shop and could get them adjusted/worked on. I don't have that immediate access and so have found it much more convenient to send off once a year or two.
Drysuit. you hadn't mentioned the drysuit (?) and in Canada... yea gonna be going dry... and good lord the best thing ever was a p-valve.
Steel tanks. If/when buying tanks- buy two at same time. Used is typically fine. One fine day you will probably double them up. That said then buy the size that you expect to double up. Most of the groups I dive with have double 104/130. Aluminum 80's potential nice choice. I didn't do it, but could have easily done 2 as singles, then doubled them, and then eventually broken them up for stages... All that said almost always seems to be someone selling off some steel tanks.
ohh and the other piece of gear that follows just about everywhere. 18W HID cannister light. Light technology quickly changing but a cannister with goodman handle has been pretty standard. You can now buy more light, and if the people you are diving with have better lights then you may have to. But for the most part you should be able to not buy a new light and get something that will last you a long time. Or buy new but not the current newest thing (i.e. a new 21 W isn't that expensive and it really is a lot of light).
My normal mantra is to advise "try before you buy" and to find out why anyone recommends anything. Seems as if every LDS will encourage not buying the competitiors gear so it can become quickly confusing if taking in their advice/sales speak. Likewise seems like many people have only tried one piece of gear and will advise it is the best thing ever. I've tried to avoid the "best thing ever", but will admit that I haven't used too many pieces and things.
It won't be the gear that winds up being expensive. Seems to be the going diving more and taking training along the way to be able to do the "big trip" is where it adds up. That said if a person has a certain amount of money (say $500 or whatever) and needs gear and needs to go diving it is possible to save on parts of the gear (i.e. computer) and dive. Avoid buying enough gear and you get lots of dive time in.
Just some random thoughts. hope helps some.
Dave
There were a few pieces of gear that I bought early and have continued with me for 4 or so years and will hopefully continue to last for several more. And in a few cases they really weren't all that expensive... Though I'm not what I consider a tech diver I deeply enjoy more serious dives.
Of those pieces of gear the Backplate & wing... hard to go wrong. Though that said most of my dives are not salt so in going from single to double I wound up replacing the SS backplate and moving to an aluminum. Worked better with double 130's.
Bottom timer- for me became the Suunto Vyper. With proper training true bottom timer could have saved couple hundred bucks.
Regs. I don't think it was mentioned, probably everyone presumed it/knew it but you may as well start with Din regs. I wound up using Apeks. You can actually find used sets pretty inexpensively and there are a number of places that work on them. Used set was about $250. To each their own experience the few I've met with scuba pro seemed to have great relations with a local shop and could get them adjusted/worked on. I don't have that immediate access and so have found it much more convenient to send off once a year or two.
Drysuit. you hadn't mentioned the drysuit (?) and in Canada... yea gonna be going dry... and good lord the best thing ever was a p-valve.
Steel tanks. If/when buying tanks- buy two at same time. Used is typically fine. One fine day you will probably double them up. That said then buy the size that you expect to double up. Most of the groups I dive with have double 104/130. Aluminum 80's potential nice choice. I didn't do it, but could have easily done 2 as singles, then doubled them, and then eventually broken them up for stages... All that said almost always seems to be someone selling off some steel tanks.
ohh and the other piece of gear that follows just about everywhere. 18W HID cannister light. Light technology quickly changing but a cannister with goodman handle has been pretty standard. You can now buy more light, and if the people you are diving with have better lights then you may have to. But for the most part you should be able to not buy a new light and get something that will last you a long time. Or buy new but not the current newest thing (i.e. a new 21 W isn't that expensive and it really is a lot of light).
My normal mantra is to advise "try before you buy" and to find out why anyone recommends anything. Seems as if every LDS will encourage not buying the competitiors gear so it can become quickly confusing if taking in their advice/sales speak. Likewise seems like many people have only tried one piece of gear and will advise it is the best thing ever. I've tried to avoid the "best thing ever", but will admit that I haven't used too many pieces and things.
It won't be the gear that winds up being expensive. Seems to be the going diving more and taking training along the way to be able to do the "big trip" is where it adds up. That said if a person has a certain amount of money (say $500 or whatever) and needs gear and needs to go diving it is possible to save on parts of the gear (i.e. computer) and dive. Avoid buying enough gear and you get lots of dive time in.
Just some random thoughts. hope helps some.
Dave
!
