New to diving. What to buy first?

[jon1]

I am fairly new to diving. I got my OW about a month ago, and I got my AOW this past weekend. I can really tell its something that I am going to stick with, so the real question is what equipment do you buy first.

Say, I had 400-500 dollars to spend on one essential piece of scuba gear, what do you think I should buy from my LDS? I have fins, snorkel, mask, wetsuit, gloves, boots, and a hood, but i was thinking of a BCD, a computer, or a Regulator 1st and 2nd.

My LDS sells Aqualung, Scubapro, and Oceanic, so any equipment recommendations within those brands are encouraged. I would really prefer to buy it local as I really like my store and have done all of my training through there.

 

[Amphiprion]

Knowing what I know now, I would say go with either a nitrox computer such as an oceanic or a bc. These have more variation and it is good to get used to the equipment.

If someone were to swap out my computer or my bc 5 minutes before a dive I would have more trouble adjusting than if someone switched my regulator.

There are lots of threads on which regulator is the best. The fact is that at this point the technology has progressed enough so that they are pretty much all great and all but the very low end regs will breathe flawlessly down to the 130' recreational depth.

My suggestion on regulators would be to walk past the sales guy and go to the regulator tech at the back of the store. Ask him which reg is easiest to service and has the fewest problems when brought in for servicing. Get that one.

 

[jon1]

Knowing what I know now, I would say go with either a nitrox computer such as an oceanic or a bc. These have more variation and it is good to get used to the equipment.

If someone were to swap out my computer or my bc 5 minutes before a dive I would have more trouble adjusting than if someone switched my regulator.

There are lots of threads on which regulator is the best. The fact is that at this point the technology has progressed enough so that they are pretty much all great and all but the very low end regs will breathe flawlessly down to the 130' recreational depth.

My suggestion on regulators would be to walk past the sales guy and go to the regulator tech at the back of the store. Ask him which reg is easiest to service and has the fewest problems when brought in for servicing. Get that one.

The owner of my LDS does all of the service and really knows what hes talking about. Hes a PADI Course director, former Navy Seal, etc., so i wouldnt mind asking him about the stuff. I was leaning toward a BC but i was told that I may need a computer for my Rescue course.

Thanks for the response!

 

[scubafanatic]

...on the other hand, it's harder for a brand new diver to really appreciate all the ins-and-outs of BCs and computers without having some dive experience first, whereas it's fairly idiot proof these days to buy a bad reg, so I might suggest buy the reg 1st, as that's fairly hard to screw up, and hold off on the BC or computer until you have more of a clue about diving so you avoid an expensive mistake.

 

[tbone1004]

I'd say buy the reg first... Apeks regs are hard to beat... I love mine, and there's a reason they're being cloned. They work!
I recommend buying used regs that have a good service record and were taken care of. While you can spend upwards of $800 on a new reg set, especially a top end one, it makes much more sense to spend the money on used regs. Your LDS may or may not like this, but I've never had a problem with mine if I end up servicing them there.
I'd hold off on BC's and computers. The LDS may push you into a jacket and if you end up going the technical route, or cave or whatever, you'll end up needing a backplate and wing setup. Same with computers. You can buy a decent computer now for $200 that does nitrox. I have a Genesis React Pro that I use for a lot of diving. It's a good computer, but it's limited to only 1 gas mix, and has other limitations that my Nitek's don't. They're much more expensive. That being said, I always bring the ReactPro with me as a backup computer unless I'm doing decompression.

Other thing with the regs, is you may end up getting pushed into a console which is fine, but if you get into tech diving you'll never use a console again...

 

[Blue Sparkle]

I would either buy regs or a BC. I would say a computer is nice, but more of a luxury than the other two, so that would not be on my "buy first" list.

Between the regs and BC, if you are the type who can easily fit into a rental BC, then maybe I would buy regs first, since it's nice not to be breathing from a rental item. This would also give you more time to try out various BC styles/types.

On the other hand, if rental BC's don't fit you well, then I would say by all means get your own BC that fits you, first thing. I had that problem and it was *such* an improvement to get my own BC. A huge difference.

One other thing, from my perspective: Think twice (or research) before "upgrading" to any equipment that has "clever" or "new" features. They might be great, or they might be gimmicks.

Happy shopping

 

[Amphiprion]

I did not need a computer for my rescue class. I would think it would be less useful in that particular class than most other classes. That is not to say a computer isn't a good idea.

I don't care if the owner is Neptune god of the sea himself. Ask what regs are the easiest to service and what regs come in with the most problems that need to be addressed at the time of service. He will probably say that they are all great and it depends on how well the diver takes care of the regs. This is true to some extent, but each reg has its own little quirks. Some regs are more prone to corrosion or perhaps different o rings have more problems. Some regs suffer more if you leave them in a hot car than other regs (not that you should ever do that by the way).

One of my regular dive buddies is also a reg tech and explained some of this to me and why he prefers zeagle, apeks, aqualung to scubapro. From a diving standpoint, these are all excellent brands. The cost of fixing extra problems during service might be important.

 

[ThanksforyourHelp]

Interesting to see a higher preference for Regs over Computer. I was in the same situation and went for a computer instead. Thinking was that the equipment I rent is always from reputable places and I usually take a close look at it before renting as well. So I see less of a risk to my safety here. The computer, however, improves my underwater safety substantially. In terms of computers - it's like with all gadgets these days, just have fun finding out what they can do. As mentioned above - Nitrox is a must, but most have it nowadays.

 

[tbone1004]

Diaphragm vs piston the apeks vs scubapro....

I wasn't required to have a computer for my cave diving classes... Methinks computer is the last thing you should need... Unless you're diving multiple dives a day that are fairly deep, the computer is just a luxury...

On the gimmics thing. The difference between the ATX and XTX regs from Apeks are negligible. The XTX's are reversible but for most people, that's not important. Other than that, they're the same. You can buy a good ATX50 set for like $300, that will last you years and years. They'll try to push the free parts kits, but you'll still have to pay service. Over the course of say 10 years, the free parts will probably add up to the cost of the new regs. A lot of times you have a problem with the free parts kits at another dive shop than the one you purchased from. If you go to the tech route, you'll also more than likely end up servicing your own regulators, so there's that to consider.

 

[Splitlip]

IMO:

Reg first. Nice to know the history of that one piece of gear. Choosing a reg is non subjective. Like Sax said, lot's of good used deals out there for top quality regs. You might inquire of your LDS as to when they sell off their rental stock.

Then exposure protection. Stuff that fits.

Take a long time selecting a BC. The most "personal" big ticket piece of gear. Try as many as you can. Rent, borrow, steal etc.

If budget is an issue, computer is the last piece of gear you need to purchase. You have a pretty good one on top of your shoulders.