Should I buy gear or take more classes?

[dburg30]

why buy the gear online?? Talk to the lds and tell them you are serious about purchasing your own gear..Perhaps they can offer you an advance class and with you purchasing the gear give you the class at no charge!
We offer to credit the cost of our ow course-academics and confined water,, $269. to the cost of a new bcd,regulator,computer package..Purchase after academic/confined water,when completing the 4 ow training dives and we deduct the cost of our training dives -$240.and supply rental tanks and weights at no charge for the training dives.

THIS!! At least check with your LDS. Why send money off to an online place / a store in another state, when you may be able to spend money locally? Not saying you will be able to, but check with them. Also, make sure when comparing prices you are truly comparing apples to apples. Make sure you are looking at same model / same year everything. Remember, the LDS are the people that you need to be around for air fills, training etc etc. Now, if they are totally out of line price wise, I understand not buying from them. But look at the total picture before you totally blow off purchases at your LDS. Like the quote above, sometimes they have deals that could work out for you.

 

[rivers]

I would buy gear first, and then move onto training. I bought all of my own gear before I took my AOW. Reason being, I wanted to work on developing the skills I already had, as well as improve my SAC, buoyancy, etc, and get more comfortable in the water. In my own gear, I was much more comfortable than in rental gear. Once my SAC had improved (it's around .3-.35 now), I was less worried about going deep, and I could concentrate on enjoying the dive as well as the tasks at hand. I did about 25 dives in between my OW and AOW cert. I'm hoping to do my rescue next year (just don't have the money for it right now). Same with the navigation dives for my AOW (I ended up doing navigation in every single one of my dives).
Buy the gear, dive more on your own, do the classes.

 

[Sas]

I think gear is the most important but make sure you try a bunch of things out first so you know what you like and think about if you have any long term diving goals and get gear to match with that.

There is no hurry to do AOW and nitrox, and the drysuit class is unnecessary imho. Rescue is a very good course to do, but again it's probably better to have your own gear first

 

[SeaHound]

I struggled with the same question when I started diving. Here is what I have learnt:

Classes should never be taken consecutively. In other words, after getting an OW certification, I would do at least 20 dives before taking the Advanced Open Water. The material learnt in a class should be followed by a lot of individual hands on before something new can be added. Skills taught in a lot of courses like peak performance buoyancy, boat diving etc can be learnt simply by more diving. Advanced courses then can be reserved for what needs to be learnt under supervision such as Drysuit and Ice diving, drift diving, underwater photography etc. Those are REAL courses in my opinion and not an attempt to pull cash out of a new over enthusiastic diver by teaching him what he should know after an OW course or what he is bound to pick up from experience anyway.

As for gear, I do not believe in buying most gear right in the beginning. If anything is to be purchased it should be wetsuit mask and fins as fit is important in those. All else should be rented and tried out before one realizes what type of gear they prefer.

All the best my friend!

 

[Lobzilla]

I have been at that juncture a few month ago.

Let me ask you what your goals are. Where do you want to go with your diving?

Recreational local diving, tropical vacations, wrecks, caves?

In all cases (maybe with the exception of vacation diving) having your own gear is the best route after you know what you want/need. Buy used, shop around, and also haggle with your LDS. They rotate their rental gear too. Like others said, a computer is a nice to have whereas exposure protection, BP/W or BC and reliable regulators are a must.

If you are interested in overhead environments like wrecks and caves I would get serious about training soon. What keeps you alive there is not your gear or the glossy specialty books or the number of local shore dives but solid skills and attitudes developed in 'ball busting' reality-based training. Check out an introductory example here

Ask around about GUE or UTD instructors or someone those guys would recommend. I got my certs from SSI just to get on the local boats but their training material stinks as much as PADI's. What is in those 'modules' is not wrong it is just superficial and insufficient to be able to deal with critical situations. That is a consequence of the fun-based philosophy.

The other school of though is that you need to get serious once you stick your head under water and the fun will follow through mastering the necessary skills. While that may not appeal to everyone, I can guarantee you that just from standing in 15 foot distance of a GUE instructor for half a day and observing you will learn more than from all those glitzy specialties.

On top of that, meet the water as often as you can and enjoy.

 

[on_two_wheels]

why buy the gear online?? Talk to the lds and tell them you are serious about purchasing your own gear..Perhaps they can offer you an advance class and with you purchasing the gear give you the class at no charge!
We offer to credit the cost of our ow course-academics and confined water,, $269. to the cost of a new bcd,regulator,computer package..Purchase after academic/confined water,when completing the 4 ow training dives and we deduct the cost of our training dives -$240.and supply rental tanks and weights at no charge for the training dives.

This is an old debate but I support at least checking with the LDS. However, I've found if you're buying a single item they are rarely competitive. Sure...spend $1500 and you'll get a better deal. Shipping vs tax is a wash so they must compete straight up price. However, I'll buy all the little stuff without shopping around....pretty much anything less than a couple hundred bucks.

 

[udtfire]

get your gear then dive dive dive at least 10 dives between classes this is like pasta cook it and let it sit a while and it gets better. you will learn more in your classes with a little time giving to absorb the last class. i tell my students to bringe me a log book with 10 dives before the next class. so take it for what it is worth and ill see you in the water

 

[toddthecat]

If your shop is hitting you with $100/day rental fees on top of class fees then it sounds like you should get gear. Think about it. 10 days of rentals, or own everything you need with some good deals and careful shopping...

That's pretty stiff by the way. I lived in ABQ for several years and I know the three shops down there. What made you choose the one you are at? Just out of curiosity...

 

[359]

Actually, the Brut is Sherwood, not Scubapro. Don't forget to check out HOG regulators. Great product at a great price....and I don't even own one (yet). Finding a mentor is a matter luck AND desire. They may not come to you so you may have to simply find one. Bribe him/her with lunch or post dive eats. A $25-30 meal is WELL worth some excellent guidance. After following a much more skilled diver on many dives and learning as we went (including locking my hands), my buoyancy control, trim & propulsion skills were such that an instructor offered to simply sign me off for peak performance buoyancy. I hadn't asked him for training nor offered to pay. I just mentioned that I might get the Master Diver cert just for the hell of it (not gonna bother now). Didn't take him up on it since I don't need it but it was great to hear such a compliment. Stay the course and find that mentor.

Thanks for the correction!

 

[359]

why buy the gear online?? Talk to the lds and tell them you are serious about purchasing your own gear..Perhaps they can offer you an advance class and with you purchasing the gear give you the class at no charge!
We offer to credit the cost of our ow course-academics and confined water,, $269. to the cost of a new bcd,regulator,computer package..Purchase after academic/confined water,when completing the 4 ow training dives and we deduct the cost of our training dives -$240.and supply rental tanks and weights at no charge for the training dives.

THIS!! At least check with your LDS. Why send money off to an online place / a store in another state, when you may be able to spend money locally? Not saying you will be able to, but check with them. Also, make sure when comparing prices you are truly comparing apples to apples. Make sure you are looking at same model / same year everything. Remember, the LDS are the people that you need to be around for air fills, training etc etc. Now, if they are totally out of line price wise, I understand not buying from them. But look at the total picture before you totally blow off purchases at your LDS. Like the quote above, sometimes they have deals that could work out for you.

You both are absolutely right, and I do want to support my LDS, as it's the only good one for miles. I was sure about buying the wetsuit (at the very least), but I really like the idea of not having to go to Texas So I agree, and I hope maybe they can give me the class for free (or at least reduced). Thanks again!