Newly certified Diver and noticed when I Google my thread title it takes me to websites that tell me the gear I need for just blindly following along others.
I'm looking for a list of what you bring diving if it's just you and a buddy and your leading the dive.
Don't really trust my LDS since I've read lots of reviews of them trying to upsell and when I contacted them about group pool events I was told everyone would need there own mask and snorkel for health reasons but they sell those there.
That kind of turned me off because the regulator goes in your mouth for the longest but those are safe if covid-19 is the issue?
When you are blindly following others (a DM led group dive) your dive buddy probably doesn't care about you and everyone else is elsewhere. When you do a private dive together with one buddy only, you might be more safe. At least if you plan your dive well. Talking is important. Brains - quite important, too. Know the site, if possible. Know what you want to see. Know the goal of the dive. Know you buddy. Talk about the dive and agree on signs and procedures. Who does what and when and what if the dive turns out to be too demanding? Do you have a plan B?
Equipment: Breathing, buoyancy, finding your way back and not getting stuck are important.
Hence you probably want to have extra breathing gas ( = turn around early enough), a redundant breathing apparatus ( = an octo) and redundant buoyancy (or weights you can drop). Perheaps also redundant light(s) if it's dark or a backup mask if the water is very cold. You could rent these.
One would expect a diver to own their mask at least because faces are of different form and you'll need to find a mask that fits you well. Many new divers find it very stressfull when their mask floods. This can cause unnecessary problems, incidents, and accidents. I can see why they want to sell you a mask. A snorkel is less critical unless you dive in rough seas.
A
small cutting device might be on your list too. It is quite unlikely that you will get entangled in anything, but if you do, it might be a fishing net. Or kelp. A surface marker buoy might be usefull at sea - especially it there is high sea traffic.
If you are diving with a buddy only then you are probably not insured by any company. I would then suggest that you get, for example, the Divers Alert Network membership and insurance. There are countries (look at Europe - or Cuba for example) where public health care takes care of you, but in the U.S. you will need an insurance.