ssssnake529
Contributor
I’m new to scuba.
Got certified this year, and have only been on a couple of dive vacations so far; a week in Jamaica and two weeks in Cozumel. 26 dives in total.
Right after our “discover diving” intro class, I decided to purchase my own dive gear. I was not keen on using rental gear for my dive vacations and wanted the enjoyment and security of using my own gear.
A bunch of folks on the forum got pretty bent at the thought of a newbie buying gear. There seemed to be an undercurrent of thought that I needed to suffer through a bunch of sub-par rental gear before I should buy my own gear. A lot of my requests for gear information were met with admonitions to just use rental gear and warning me that I was going to drown (or worse, waste some money) by buying my gear when I was so new to scuba.
I went ahead and bought my own gear anyway. Used it through certification, some local dives, and my two Caribbean dive vacations. I’ve not ever regretted buying and using my own gear. Having my own gear has definitely enhanced my diving experiences so far. It fits. I have my weighting and trim dialed in. It’s in better condition than most of the rental gear we’ve seen. I’m familiar with all of the various pieces of gear. I don't worry about whether the dive operation has adequate gear for me to use.
At this point, I’ve made some changes to the gear I first purchased. The gear I’m currently using seems good now. It’s taken some trial and error to get to this stage, but I’m no longer feeling the need to mess with my gear or experiment with new gear. What I have seems to work.
Here are my thoughts on what I purchased.
BCD:
I purchased an Aqualung Rogue BCD for myself and my wife. I wanted a lightweight, back inflate minimalist BCD, and the Rogue checked these boxes.
Both my wife and I ended up switching to something else however. She could never get a fully comfortable fit with hers. We ended up getting her a Zeagle Zena BCD that is designed for a woman’s shape, and this fit her much better. Switching out the Zena shoulder harness to a size small (the rest is medium) made the fit perfect for her short back length. She’s very pleased with this BCD
I liked the Rogue (certainly much better than the rental BCD I used for the discover scuba class.) It worked well and was comfortable. However, after seeing all the enthusiasm for backplate and wing combos on this forum and other places, I decided to try a bp/w set up for comparison.
I bought a backplate and harness from a Russian company called Helium Dive. The plate and all the hardware is titanium, which I like because it’s light, strong, and corrosion proof. I also like their backplate mounted weight pockets which keep the weight near my center of mass.
The wing is from OMS and fits nicely with the Helium backplate.
Thanks to Youtube, I was able to figure out how to rig the webbing harness and other hardware, and the first time I used it, it fit and performed well.
Although the Rogue is a good BCD, I prefer the bp/w set up. It is a bit less restrictive. Wife isn’t interested in BP/W at all. She loves her Zena.
The one issue with the BP/W rig is that I wasn’t sure where to stow my reel and DSMB. I got a Zeagle pocket that fits nicely on the waist belt and have solved that issue.
Regulators and Hoses
I got Atomic S1 stainless steel regulators. I like that they are solid stainless, instead of plated brass. I also like that they are made in the USA. Atomic has a good reputation, and their regulators also need to be serviced less often than some others. I got DIN first stages, with Atomic DIN to Yoke adapters for times when DIN is not available.
I experimented with a bunch of different hose lengths and alternate air configurations. Tried traditional primary with an octopus; the SS1 secondary that’s integrated into the inflator (with and without an octopus); and the DIR style long hose and necklaced secondary. Played around with various hose lengths and swivels/no swivels.
Ultimately, I settled on a primary with a 5 foot miflex hose with a 360 ball swivel,coupled with my Atomic SS1 inflator-integrated secondary/backup. The "air 2" inflator integrated backup is a hot-button issue, which seems to generate some strong opinions ranging from “you’re going to die” to “best idea ever.” After practicing shared air and surfacing with it, I can do it without any problems. The SS1 unit breathes well. On one dive, as a test, I used it instead of my primary for 20 minutes and it worked fine. One less hose to manage, and the 5 foot hose on my primary makes primary donation easy if I need to share air. I tend to favor simpler more streamlined solutions, and losing the octo in favor of the SS1 has allowed me to simplify my rig.
Computer and Air Integration.
I got the Garmin Descent Mark2i watch/dive computer along with the Garmin T1 transmitters for air integration.
The choice for Garmin was heavily influenced by the fact that I already own one of their other sports watches (Tactix Delta Solar AB) and I love it. Because of this, I was already familiar with the Garmin menus and general layout of how the functions work.
I also liked the long range of the sonar based T1 transmitter. Unlike other folks, I don’t really notice the sonar ping noises.
I was extremely pleased with the performance of the Garmin computer. For 12 dives, the air integration worked flawlessly, so much so that I ditched the backup pressure gauge, (which got rid of yet another hose on my reg.) I especially liked the fact that the Garmin allows me to monitor both my own and my wife’s air pressure levels.
And then the integrated air stopped working. No idea why, but it no longer functions when under water. I tried re-setting to factory settings, re-installing firmware, changing batteries, and pretty much everything else I could think of. None of it worked.
So, I’m now using a regular analog pressure gauge.
We’ll see what the Garmin folks say when they get it back for servicing.
I like the functions of the Mk2i, but at this point, I’ don’t trust it. Even if it comes back from Garmin fixed, I’m still going to keep my analogue gauge.
Mask, Fins, and Snorkel
The mask was the one item that gave me the most difficulty. I couldn’t find one that fit me well. I kept buying masks and using them, but couldn’t find one that worked.
Finally, I just ordered a dozen masks from various manufacturers, of all different shapes and configurations. I spent 2 hours in the pool with my scuba gear on and tested all of them.
Out of 18 masks total, I found three that worked well for my face: The Scuba Pro Synergy 2 Twin; the OMS Tattoo Western; and the XS Scuba Cortez.
My wife found two that worked for her; the Scuba Pro Synergy 2 Mini, and the Tusa Ceos.
Basically, with masks, it seems that there’s no substitute for just trying them on and using them until you find one that fits and works. Price and brand didn’t correlate with fit. It’s just random.
Regarding fins, I use the Seawing Nova Gorilla fins. I’d had the opportunity to use these before I bought them (part of my LDS’s rental gear) and I really like them a lot. Tried a number of others, but the Nova Gorillas are my hands-down favorite.
My wife initially got some Scuba Pro split fins, but extended time in them made her feet hurt. The foot box was not well suited to her foot shape. She switched to some Tusa Switch fins and they have worked well for her.
There’s not a lot of love for snorkels among experienced divers. Using a snorkel seems to be a sign of a clueless newb. However, my wife and I both like our Scubapro Nexus snorkels. We especially appreciated them when bobbing on the surface in choppy seas waiting for pick-up. The guy next to us with no snorkel kept getting smacked with waves and choking on water. We didn’t have that issue. I think I will keep bringing my snorkel, even if all the cool kids have ditched theirs.
Got certified this year, and have only been on a couple of dive vacations so far; a week in Jamaica and two weeks in Cozumel. 26 dives in total.
Right after our “discover diving” intro class, I decided to purchase my own dive gear. I was not keen on using rental gear for my dive vacations and wanted the enjoyment and security of using my own gear.
A bunch of folks on the forum got pretty bent at the thought of a newbie buying gear. There seemed to be an undercurrent of thought that I needed to suffer through a bunch of sub-par rental gear before I should buy my own gear. A lot of my requests for gear information were met with admonitions to just use rental gear and warning me that I was going to drown (or worse, waste some money) by buying my gear when I was so new to scuba.
I went ahead and bought my own gear anyway. Used it through certification, some local dives, and my two Caribbean dive vacations. I’ve not ever regretted buying and using my own gear. Having my own gear has definitely enhanced my diving experiences so far. It fits. I have my weighting and trim dialed in. It’s in better condition than most of the rental gear we’ve seen. I’m familiar with all of the various pieces of gear. I don't worry about whether the dive operation has adequate gear for me to use.
At this point, I’ve made some changes to the gear I first purchased. The gear I’m currently using seems good now. It’s taken some trial and error to get to this stage, but I’m no longer feeling the need to mess with my gear or experiment with new gear. What I have seems to work.
Here are my thoughts on what I purchased.
BCD:
I purchased an Aqualung Rogue BCD for myself and my wife. I wanted a lightweight, back inflate minimalist BCD, and the Rogue checked these boxes.
Both my wife and I ended up switching to something else however. She could never get a fully comfortable fit with hers. We ended up getting her a Zeagle Zena BCD that is designed for a woman’s shape, and this fit her much better. Switching out the Zena shoulder harness to a size small (the rest is medium) made the fit perfect for her short back length. She’s very pleased with this BCD
I liked the Rogue (certainly much better than the rental BCD I used for the discover scuba class.) It worked well and was comfortable. However, after seeing all the enthusiasm for backplate and wing combos on this forum and other places, I decided to try a bp/w set up for comparison.
I bought a backplate and harness from a Russian company called Helium Dive. The plate and all the hardware is titanium, which I like because it’s light, strong, and corrosion proof. I also like their backplate mounted weight pockets which keep the weight near my center of mass.
The wing is from OMS and fits nicely with the Helium backplate.
Thanks to Youtube, I was able to figure out how to rig the webbing harness and other hardware, and the first time I used it, it fit and performed well.
Although the Rogue is a good BCD, I prefer the bp/w set up. It is a bit less restrictive. Wife isn’t interested in BP/W at all. She loves her Zena.
The one issue with the BP/W rig is that I wasn’t sure where to stow my reel and DSMB. I got a Zeagle pocket that fits nicely on the waist belt and have solved that issue.
Regulators and Hoses
I got Atomic S1 stainless steel regulators. I like that they are solid stainless, instead of plated brass. I also like that they are made in the USA. Atomic has a good reputation, and their regulators also need to be serviced less often than some others. I got DIN first stages, with Atomic DIN to Yoke adapters for times when DIN is not available.
I experimented with a bunch of different hose lengths and alternate air configurations. Tried traditional primary with an octopus; the SS1 secondary that’s integrated into the inflator (with and without an octopus); and the DIR style long hose and necklaced secondary. Played around with various hose lengths and swivels/no swivels.
Ultimately, I settled on a primary with a 5 foot miflex hose with a 360 ball swivel,coupled with my Atomic SS1 inflator-integrated secondary/backup. The "air 2" inflator integrated backup is a hot-button issue, which seems to generate some strong opinions ranging from “you’re going to die” to “best idea ever.” After practicing shared air and surfacing with it, I can do it without any problems. The SS1 unit breathes well. On one dive, as a test, I used it instead of my primary for 20 minutes and it worked fine. One less hose to manage, and the 5 foot hose on my primary makes primary donation easy if I need to share air. I tend to favor simpler more streamlined solutions, and losing the octo in favor of the SS1 has allowed me to simplify my rig.
Computer and Air Integration.
I got the Garmin Descent Mark2i watch/dive computer along with the Garmin T1 transmitters for air integration.
The choice for Garmin was heavily influenced by the fact that I already own one of their other sports watches (Tactix Delta Solar AB) and I love it. Because of this, I was already familiar with the Garmin menus and general layout of how the functions work.
I also liked the long range of the sonar based T1 transmitter. Unlike other folks, I don’t really notice the sonar ping noises.
I was extremely pleased with the performance of the Garmin computer. For 12 dives, the air integration worked flawlessly, so much so that I ditched the backup pressure gauge, (which got rid of yet another hose on my reg.) I especially liked the fact that the Garmin allows me to monitor both my own and my wife’s air pressure levels.
And then the integrated air stopped working. No idea why, but it no longer functions when under water. I tried re-setting to factory settings, re-installing firmware, changing batteries, and pretty much everything else I could think of. None of it worked.
So, I’m now using a regular analog pressure gauge.
We’ll see what the Garmin folks say when they get it back for servicing.
I like the functions of the Mk2i, but at this point, I’ don’t trust it. Even if it comes back from Garmin fixed, I’m still going to keep my analogue gauge.
Mask, Fins, and Snorkel
The mask was the one item that gave me the most difficulty. I couldn’t find one that fit me well. I kept buying masks and using them, but couldn’t find one that worked.
Finally, I just ordered a dozen masks from various manufacturers, of all different shapes and configurations. I spent 2 hours in the pool with my scuba gear on and tested all of them.
Out of 18 masks total, I found three that worked well for my face: The Scuba Pro Synergy 2 Twin; the OMS Tattoo Western; and the XS Scuba Cortez.
My wife found two that worked for her; the Scuba Pro Synergy 2 Mini, and the Tusa Ceos.
Basically, with masks, it seems that there’s no substitute for just trying them on and using them until you find one that fits and works. Price and brand didn’t correlate with fit. It’s just random.
Regarding fins, I use the Seawing Nova Gorilla fins. I’d had the opportunity to use these before I bought them (part of my LDS’s rental gear) and I really like them a lot. Tried a number of others, but the Nova Gorillas are my hands-down favorite.
My wife initially got some Scuba Pro split fins, but extended time in them made her feet hurt. The foot box was not well suited to her foot shape. She switched to some Tusa Switch fins and they have worked well for her.
There’s not a lot of love for snorkels among experienced divers. Using a snorkel seems to be a sign of a clueless newb. However, my wife and I both like our Scubapro Nexus snorkels. We especially appreciated them when bobbing on the surface in choppy seas waiting for pick-up. The guy next to us with no snorkel kept getting smacked with waves and choking on water. We didn’t have that issue. I think I will keep bringing my snorkel, even if all the cool kids have ditched theirs.