Well, I have done about 4 of those introductory dives on vacation and will be getting my open water certification within a few weeks. I will be going to college in Hawaii (Hilo) and for my high school grad gift my parents wanted to buy me scuba gear. Essentially I need everything but fins/goggles. I was hoping someone could make some suggestions to what brands are the best and possibly point me towards an online store or something like that. I have approximatly $1000 to spend. Your help is appreciated.
Recommend some equipment?
- Thread starter ryt
- Start date
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Put the money in a savings account and go out and dive and rent and try different gear. In the end its what you will be happy with, not what we recommend you buy. You need gear that will be right for you. Do you have a local dive shop (LDS) you can go and try out gear? In the end it would probably be better that you get gear from a stor than on line, so you can try it out first.
cornfed
Mindless lemming
This is solid advice. I logged nearly 30 dives before buying my gear. I tried many different things during that time and now I'm very happy with what I have. This board is flooded with post by people that are unhappy with their initial setup and lost money selling it after they found out what they really wanted. It will cost more each time you go diving while you're renting but look at it as in investment. So shops even give you credit based on what you rent which you can use to buy gear later.Wendy:
chrisch
Contributor
Here here. Maybe the college has a dive club you can borrow gear?
Beware of advice from people selling things!
Chris.
Beware of advice from people selling things!
Chris.
fan(t)a(s)tic
Contributor
cornfed:
Oh yes, ain't that true.
I bought my equipment after a lot more than his 30 dives and still have the odd piece of equipement I could have done better on.
Test, try and then make up you mind.
If you can't, that's what happened to me (the testing part), come back here and look at the equipment section. You'll find a lot of stuff in there.
And don't hesitate to ask again, even if you get the "do a search" answer...
Steve
I agree with Wendy's suggestion to rent for a while and develop a feel for what you like. I also am a big fan of college dive clubs as it is a great way for people to get started and have access to inexpensive gear rentals.
With regulators and BC's in particular, personal preference counts for a lot. What makes a regulator or BC ideal for a particular diver has at least as much to do with "feel" as with quality or performance numbers and the only way to experience this is to actually use the reg or BC in the water by either renting or by demoing the equipment in a pool.
If you are in a "have to buy it right now" situation, many local dive shops offer package deals that can be very competitive with on-line retailers with the added benefits of better warranties and service. Package deals often allow local dive shops to effetively discount expensive items like regulators and BC's that they may otherwise be restricted from discounting due to dealer agreements. Most should also be willing to make substitutions in the package to allow a little more choice of what you want. If not, find another shop.
Local dive shops often frequently sell their rental gear every one to two years, so if you rent it and like it, odds are you may be able to buy it at a very good price.
I am not a fan of on-line stores, particularly for new divers. It's hard to tell what you are getting on-line and even harder to tell if it will fit and/or be appropriate for what you plan to do.
Where ever you shop, I would suggest buying gear from established manufacturers with a large dealer network to ensure that you will be able to find support and service for what you buy where ever you end up going. I like Scubapro and Aqualung in this regard but I am also a bit biased and there are probably other companies that may offer equal levels of service.
With regulators and BC's in particular, personal preference counts for a lot. What makes a regulator or BC ideal for a particular diver has at least as much to do with "feel" as with quality or performance numbers and the only way to experience this is to actually use the reg or BC in the water by either renting or by demoing the equipment in a pool.
If you are in a "have to buy it right now" situation, many local dive shops offer package deals that can be very competitive with on-line retailers with the added benefits of better warranties and service. Package deals often allow local dive shops to effetively discount expensive items like regulators and BC's that they may otherwise be restricted from discounting due to dealer agreements. Most should also be willing to make substitutions in the package to allow a little more choice of what you want. If not, find another shop.
Local dive shops often frequently sell their rental gear every one to two years, so if you rent it and like it, odds are you may be able to buy it at a very good price.
I am not a fan of on-line stores, particularly for new divers. It's hard to tell what you are getting on-line and even harder to tell if it will fit and/or be appropriate for what you plan to do.
Where ever you shop, I would suggest buying gear from established manufacturers with a large dealer network to ensure that you will be able to find support and service for what you buy where ever you end up going. I like Scubapro and Aqualung in this regard but I am also a bit biased and there are probably other companies that may offer equal levels of service.
goodknight411
Contributor
If you do decide to buy now, see if your dive shop will let you test dive the equipment in their pool. This can really help you pick things you will fell comfortable in. If the dive shop won't let you do this, i'd look around and try to find one that will.
The problem with taht is that a dive around here costs a helluva lot. I live in virginia and diving here just isn't a big sport. I live in Northern Virginia so if anyone knows of some place good there that would be great. Maybe I will wait until I get to hawaii and try to do at least a few more dives with certain gear until I figure out what I want to do. Thanks for the advice :>
Green_Manelishi
Contributor
ryt:
If you spend all your money on gear that is not correct for you , and it takes several dives to determine whether or not it is, you'll spend MUCH more in the long run. Listen to Wendy, et. al. Rent and/or borrow before you buy.
Green_Manelishi
Contributor
goodknight411:
Testing in a pool is nice but OW is where gear proves to be useful or a failure.
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