New divers and buying equipment

[Bogtrotter]

That would make for an interesting thread . Personally I know of four people who geared up and dropped the sport within a a few years. I haven't done a statistical analysis if that is what you are looking for There's also a lot of gear available with divers upgrading, point being you can get good quality gear without paying a lot is a possible route. Joining a club would be a good way to make contacts- that's what I did.

 

[Bob DBF]

Why are so many people dropping the sport?

Now there is a thread of its own, you might consider starting one. I've seen the gamut from old age, to going for the next item on their bucket list, to making a dive far enough out of their comfort zone to realize diving could be fatal.


Bob

 

[rek_diver]

Now there is a thread of its own, you might consider starting one. I've seen the gamut from old age, to going for the next item on their bucket list, to making a dive far enough out of their comfort zone to realize diving could be fatal.

Not interested in why other people don't dive to start a thread, but curious enough to respond to your comment about it.

I do wonder if it has anything to do with the decline in reef quality and marine life.

 

[Bob DBF]

I do wonder if it has anything to do with the decline in reef quality and marine life.

Haven't heard that one yet. I could understand it, but the reaction I get from those divers is to look for a better site.

Over the decades, I have found the NorCal reefs change for the worse and better, dependant on the area. It's devestating to see a reef decline, but I never considered giving up diving although I gave up spear fishing for some time.


Bob

 

[Scubamat]

I bought my gear right after open water once I realised I loved diving and will keep doing. I did a lot of research and bought mid low priced gear suitable for the type of diving I do. I will replace some of it over time as I mature as a diver but for now it suits my needs. Why did I buy my own gear? Safety. Not because rental gear is unsafe but because I don't always dive with the same shop. Learning new skills you should only really change one thing at a time. If you're changing to different gear every time you dive you have increased your task loading at a time while you are still practicing your skills.

I will eventually replace some of my gear. I might sell some, some I'm expecting to donate to my brother or nephew or keep as a loaner.

Only thing I regret buying was the snorkel, it is a good one for snorkeling and too big for diving. I just chucked it into an online order with other stuff because it was very cheap. I've since replaced it with a flexible folding one to stick in a pocket.

 

[rek_diver]

Only thing I regret buying was the snorkel, it is a good one for snorkeling and too big for diving. I just chucked it into an online order with other stuff because it was very cheap. I've since replaced it with a flexible folding one to stick in a pocket.

I did the same. 2 thoughts. Some day that larger snorkel might come in handy, say you're in a tropical destination and there's a good snorkel excursion, or you happen to be staying in a place with a nice shallow reef nearby, and/or all the offshore dives get blown out.

Or you could always sell it on EBAY. You can sell almost anything on EBAY.

 

[msinc]

Well, the dive shop I certified with would not allow us to bring our own gear. The rule was we had to have our own mask, snorkel, boots and fins. They provided everything else. This particular shop had mid level Scuba Pro regs and BCD's. I did purchase my own wet suit because the ones they had were tight in the chest and it felt like my breathing was being restricted.
I asked why they wanted everyone to use their stuff and they said, "we want all the students to use the same equipment so they were all familiar with it and that would keep things easy." They also said that it might be nice to train on the "usual" type gear so if we were ever in a location with no gear and had to rent we would be familiar with what the local dive shop on site was likely to rent....makes good sense to me and have no regrets with the way I was trained.
I quickly bought my own gear and in fact I pretty much had everything before we did our check out dives{still couldn't use it though}. I bought good stuff, at least I think it is, if money is an indicator then what I bought should be beyond fantastic. The one purchase I am second guessing is a so called "safe second" or Air II type reg in lieu of the standard octo...Seemed like a good idea at the time I first came to know of it's existence. Having one less hose had to be a good thing, but now I am not so sure...for the life of me I cannot find any real advantage to it.

 

[Neilwood]

Well, the dive shop I certified with would not allow us to bring our own gear. The rule was we had to have our own mask, snorkel, boots and fins. They provided everything else. This particular shop had mid level Scuba Pro regs and BCD's. I did purchase my own wet suit because the ones they had were tight in the chest and it felt like my breathing was being restricted.
I asked why they wanted everyone to use their stuff and they said, "we want all the students to use the same equipment so they were all familiar with it and that would keep things easy." They also said that it might be nice to train on the "usual" type gear so if we were ever in a location with no gear and had to rent we would be familiar with what the local dive shop on site was likely to rent....makes good sense to me and have no regrets with the way I was trained.
I quickly bought my own gear and in fact I pretty much had everything before we did our check out dives{still couldn't use it though}. I bought good stuff, at least I think it is, if money is an indicator then what I bought should be beyond fantastic. The one purchase I am second guessing is a so called "safe second" or Air II type reg in lieu of the standard octo...Seemed like a good idea at the time I first came to know of it's existence. Having one less hose had to be a good thing, but now I am not so sure...for the life of me I cannot find any real advantage to it.

From reading a lot of comments (note I have not used one myself), these seem like a good idea until they are actually required in an emergency. The issue seems to be that it becomes hard to manage buoyancy and breathing from the same device without a lot of practise which we all know most divers don't seem to think about.

 

[mcohen1021]

I was certified in 1989. I dived a total of maybe 8 dives that year. All I owned was mask, fins/boots and snorkel – Tusa mask, dacor fins. I bought brand new gear in 1990. BC was a US Divers Cousteau, Reg was a Conshelf SE2. I even invested in a $400 M1 Us Divers computer that weighed about the same as my car. That gear lasted me forever. In fact it is still all usable. I started to overhaul my rig little by little. Bought a new Tusa mask in 2011 – man was that the best decision, the old one was making me miserable. Got new split fins for xmas 2011, also so much more comfortable. New boots. I even took the plunge and got a weight integrated BC. But my original regulator? It’s bullet proof and I still dive with it 28 years later (I did upgrade the console to have a computer instead of the wrist mount). If you take care of your gear, it will last forever pretty much.

Where I WOULD throw caution out: buying used gear. Yeah theres no risk in buying used mask fins boots and snorkels. But when it comes to things that your life depends on (bc, regulator, computer), you better know what to look for. Example, a friend bought used gear and 1st time testing it in the pool, the BC popped. I took it apart and patched the bc bag. Put it all together and tested it. Popped another hole. The bag was rotten, probably from improper care or storage.

Over time you’ll learn what you like and don’t like. There are some folks that love Scubapro and won’t use anything else. I personally do not like their BCs or regulators, but again, it all boils down to personal preference.

 

[msinc]

From reading a lot of comments (note I have not used one myself), these seem like a good idea until they are actually required in an emergency. The issue seems to be that it becomes hard to manage buoyancy and breathing from the same device without a lot of practise which we all know most divers don't seem to think about.

Yes sir, I have given that much thought too...both my 10 year old son {that just got certified} and I practice sharing air with the spare air every chance we get. I am pretty confident we could get thru a real emergency with it, but my concern is other divers that are not familiar with this system. We just returned from a dive trip this weekend and on one of the days we had a diver ask to join us. He had never seen of heard of this system and so we had to take a few minutes to make sure he understood how the process worked. I just don't know how things might have gone in a real emergency though.
Scuba gear is not like other types of outdoor gear in that while your life or somebody else's probably wont depend on it, with Scuba gear it probably will. I can talk myself into or out of just about anything,, but for the life of me I just cannot find any real advantage to this system.