gear help

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sploosh21

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bothell washington
ok for my 16th birthday (may 13) my parents are gonna get me a good ammount of dive gear. what do you reccomend for moderetly priced gear. info info plz :06:
 
My reccommendations...?

Don't ever use the words "moderately priced" again. Investigate what you need, then if you can afford it. Compromise is not as good as waiting for the right thing.

You and your folks meeting with your Instructor and Dive Shop. They'll offer you a package discount bid, which could well be your best bet - as the local service is worth a lot.

Minimum gear to own - beyond the Mask, Fins, Snorkel most require you own to take the class:
Reg with Octo - which you will know well and service right;
BC - also very important to knowing and trusting;
Your own weight belt & several keepers;
Safety sausage & Storm whistle.

And don't ever buy a Shorty Wetsuit, even for a warm water trip. Always buy longs, in 1 mil, 3, 7, whatever...?
 
my uncle is giving me private lessons. he is a certified dive instructor. ok i will never use moderatly priced again. so any good models and brands you know of? i like jacket style bcd. i wanna get a dive computer and camera too.
 
I have my preferences, but then - every successful company has a fan club. For your personal needs, you might try asking your uncle for his direction on buying gear.

He's super for instructing you for free!!
 
Wats up

I am also 16, I have a Sea Quest Pro QD+, I love it, it seems to be a popular brand of jacket BC on this board. I also have Mares Proton V16 regs. They are also very nice. I have a suunto vyper computer which is a very good computer. I like all of my gear and would recommend it to anyone, but you should always try out the gear you wan't in a pool if you have the option. Just look around on this board for some good advice and talk to your uncle.
 
It sounds like you should put together a wish list of all the equipment that you want. Put specific brands and models for everything and get a reference price (MSRP, local shop, www.ScubaToys.com, etc.). THEN, let your parents choose what piece(s) to surprise you with. You never know, for a b-day like 16th, they might spend more than you expected (or get a better deal that you found). You don't say whether your parents also dive, but it sounds like they can bound ideas off of your uncle, too. You might also see if your preferred source for gear has a gift certificate.

-Rob
 
sploosh21:
ok i will never use moderatly priced again. so any good models and brands you know of? i like jacket style bcd.

Dacor makes some nice "moderately priced" regs and octos, although I'm an AquaLung man. As far as a BC goes, I have a jacket BC, and while I like having pockets and the feel on my body, a Backplate and Wings setup is more helpful for trim in the water.

As far as computers go, I'd go with any computer that uses an RGBM model (or version thereof like Suunto's) as opposed to the traditional Haldane model. I think that within 5 years, every computer will be based on this algorithm. Cressi is supposed to have one out, Suunto uses a modified RGBM, and Cochran computing uses true RGBM (which I love... but they are a little pricey).

But talk with your uncle... his being family means you can trust him to lead you to what you need more than what will give a LDS a good profit margin (not that LDSs are scammers, almost all are good... but caveat emptor).

-Pols
 
Rather than looking at price and brand, look for the fit and comfort. Once you find some that you like due to fit and comfort, do a little research and see what other people think about the preformance, longevity, durabilty, etc. of the items.

For example, I tried on some masks that just didn't fit my face as well as the mask that I ended up getting. Even though those other masks were the "better" masks in terms of price and brand.
 
Some things, like a BCs don't improve with age, while others, like regulators can be excellent for years (or decades!), if serviced annually.

You might want to look at a used top-notch regulator and a new BC.

You'll want to check your friendly local dive shop and try a couple of BCs to see what fits and works the best for you. They might even let you try a couple on the pool.

You can also see if they if they have any used regs they would recommend, and can and/or have done the annual service for.

Terry




sploosh21:
ok for my 16th birthday (may 13) my parents are gonna get me a good ammount of dive gear. what do you reccomend for moderetly priced gear. info info plz :06:
 

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