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OP
Jrob4449
Registered
Yeah I’m definitely trying to get all my dives and courses in this year to start working on my pro stuff next year.
DreadnoughtNH
Contributor
Agree with formernuke above.
Welcome to forum Jrob4449; credit where it is due, you did phenomenal research; the gear you picked out is all excellent.
Similar to you, when I got cert'd I did lots of gear research and asked a lot of questions to ensure I wasn't making a mistake.
And my fear of making a mistake WAS my mistake. I was in such a damn rush to get the 'best' gear and move fast through the courses that I never gave myself time to get truly comfortable in the water. I didn't rent or try out a range of gear and configurations to zero in on what works for me. I hadn't identified where I was going to spend most of my time diving. My buoyancy was all over the place; I was a menace to myself, my fellow divers, and the environment.
With the exception of my RK3 fins and my AL second stage, every bit of gear I purchased 7 years ago has since been replaced with gear that was not the highest recommended, or had the best reviews, and there are parts that I don't 100% love, but altogether it is perfect for how I dive.
If you're sufficiently blessed to have the cash to learn through trial and error of gear, then by all means hold onto the gear you've purchased, get wet and get wet often. You'll learn the pros and cons of your personal gear; that's definitely part of the process. But if you're also blessed to live near your dive sites and the shop, rent for a while. It's a lot cheaper!
Fins up!
OP
Jrob4449
Registered
Well if I’m diving then I’m gaining experience, am I wrong? SSI requires a certain number of logged dives and speciality certifications to start working on my professional requirements….so if I dive 50x this year vs 50x over the next 10 years the dives don’t change so I fail to see your point.
DreadnoughtNH
Contributor
As I firefighter/EMT, you know that certifications and requirements generally don't mean that much; you were able to demonstrate the bare minimum of aptitude to receive a piece of paper. All the scuba organizations have their 'requirements' but at the basic recreational level they're more or less the same.
I think we're drifting off the topic though. Unless I misunderstood your question, you were asking about gear specifically. Based on your plan for 50x per year, experience should come regardless.
OP
Jrob4449
Registered
So by that logic someone who has 100 dives in 3 year is less experienced than a person who has 20 dives in 10 years. Seeing as you can only gain experience through diving I fail to see how time truly makes a difference.
OP
Jrob4449
Registered
Yes is agree but the time frame is irrelevant, you gain experience by doing. A 1 year FF who works for FDNY and has run 2000 calls will be way ahead of a 15 year guy at a volunteer department who runs 1 a week. And I was asking about my gear trying to see if there were any red flags with what was purchased.As I firefighter/EMT, you know that certifications and requirements generally don't mean that much; you were able to demonstrate the bare minimum of aptitude to receive a piece of paper. All the scuba organizations have their 'requirements' but at the basic recreational level they're more or less the same.
I think we're drifting off the topic though. Unless I misunderstood your question, you were asking about gear specifically. Based on your plan for 50x per year, experience should come regardless.
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