Welcome to Scubaboard & diving!
1. Where would be the best place to get certified in the lower mainland of BC as we live in Langley.
I assume BC is British Columbia...? Either way, a good place to post a question like this in the regional forum for you. You can
find all of our regional forums here.
2. What would the best way to aquire equipment as I would have to buy two sets of gear?
I'm a firm believer in renting before you buy.
- You won't know what you like (or where you'll end up diving) until you try a variety of both gear & diving. Purchasing a mask, snorkel, & fins is a good start. The other stuff you can then add on. For instance, you might find you don't like cold water diving & then you'd be out the cost of a dry suit. Or that you need a good regulator (reg) which works in both extreme cold or warm water.
- Some dive shops that rent give you a credit towards a later purchase. That's what I did even when I was traveling internationally as I could then be assured of rental gear that was well taken care of & a computer that my dive shop could teach me about & I could play with ahead of time.
Buying the important gear from your local dive shop (otherwise known as an LDS) will ensure that:
- You get a good fit since you can try things on.
- You establish a good relationship with your LDS. (This works both ways helping them & you. It's how I ended up getting perks from my LDS which were unknown to others who didn't buy gear from them...like the unadvertised trip to the Maldives I got to go on where I dove with mantas & a whale shark!)
- You can get recommendations.
- You keep your LDS in business which is what you'll need to be able to dive in your area.
- You're assured of good quality as opposed to some of the big name sites where the price may be a bit lower, but sometimes the quality is too. (I've also heard that one popular site has even re-sold used equipment as new. With your LDS, that's unlikely to happen since a big, online shop can more easily weather negative reviews than a small LDS.)
3. For buying the mask, snorkel, and fins, what are the best value for us as we do not want to buy something that we may grow out of.
- Fair warning: A snorkel is an object of contention here on Scubaboard with some divers saying it's needed, some saying it's needed but only if it folds up, & others saying it's useless. Don't be swayed by opinion until you try it out yourself & in any case, it is a requirement of your open water course (OW). Personally, I am a firm believer that it is needed, but should be kept folded up in a pocket until you're on the surface. You get the best of both worlds that way. My snorkel has really helped me in a number of situations, but it can get in the way underwater. The folded up type is a special one made specifically to be kept out of the way until needed.
- You must try on the mask to ensure a good fit. There is nothing worse than a leaking mask. Trying one on ensures the best fit, but even then you might find you enjoy a different mask down the road. I started off with one which had a great fit. I got a 2nd one to keep in my pocket as I believe in back-up equipment. The 2nd one seemed like a great fit, but when I had to use it as my primary on a dive, I found it wasn't as good as I hoped. I just recently found a new mask that's completely different from my first. Great fit, but in a very different way. This new mask is now my primary.
- Fins are another point of contention on Scubaboard. People are very divided on this topic so it's good to take what people say with a grain of salt. You'll see people saying they hate split fins (& a few who love them), & then others who are HUGE proponents of specific brand names. Fins are not going to be the biggest purchase you make, but you can get used to them & not want to switch. I know that happened to me. I think getting the fins from your LDS can help inform your choice.