When To Buy Equipment ?

[freewillie]

There are two issues IMO. The first is, how often do you think you will dive? How much can you afford to buy, and is it worth the $$ to have gear that you may use only few times a year? I've found that rentals can range from top line gear to passable and not very good. For that reason alone I don't want my scuba trip ruined by crappy rentals. Why shell out thousands of bucks for that scuba vacation only to have it ruined by crappy gear?

Recently I took my 13 year old daughter to Catalina Island to kelp dive off of Avalon beach. I checked out a number dive shops online, checked out a few threads here on SB. I picked out a dive shop, they were really nice but I had called several times to asked about renting gear from them. I even confirmed that they had cold water gear for kids. They said that they had lots of gear for kids and that it wouldn't be a problem. The wetsuit and BC fit her well, but that was about all. They didn't have a hood, gloves or booties small enough for her and wound up putting her in full foot fins that didn't fit well to begin with and she dove in 53 degree water with no hood or gloves. What was supposed to be a two tank dive became a single tank dive and we called the second dive because she was uncomfortable, cold, and miserable. She may have tried a second time if I had pushed her but diving is supposed to be fun, not miserable.

After that I came home, went online and she now has hood, wetsuit, fins and booties. By the time we go diving again she'll complete the ensemble with mask and gloves. For now we'll rent her BC and regs but I may buy her a good set of regs that she can have for years.

As others have said, you don't really have to buy all the gear at once. But my $0.02 is start with personal fit items especially if you are hard to fit.
In order I personally recommend starting with:

1) Wetsuit. Nothing will ruin your dive quicker than being cold and miserable. Keep in mind you can get hypothermia even in warm water if you have multiple dives over multiple days. Proper exposure to elements is a must.

2) BC. Personal fit item but also is the foundation for all your other gear. I personally feel more comfortable diving when I know with my eyes closed where I've placed my octo, console gauge, etc. It's like rental cars v. your own car. You might have to look for little bit to find where the light switch is for the headlights in a rental. Same for your BC.

3) Computer v. Regs. At this point I'd say get either next depending on cost, or both if you can afford. I'd vote for computer since I had two instances where the rental computer on the console malfunctioned. After the second incident I went online and found a entry level dive computer as open box demo for $125, well over half off the price if brand new. My LDS rents Atomic Z2 regs and since I'm a regular I always get dibs so I've not felt a strong need to purchase my regs right away.

Sorry if it's a little long. As posters have already mentioned accumulating scuba gear never stops. I must confess I've been inflicted with this incurable illness as GrumpyOldGuy has put it. And, not only do I have it for myself I can now add my illness with need to purchase gear for my daughter too!!

 

[davetowz]

My suggestion to new divers is the first gear purchase should be a membership to DAN.
DAN: Divers Alert Network - Scuba Diving and Dive Safety Association
Anyone who dives and is not a member needs to look at the things DAN does for us divers..and the benefits that come with belonging to DAN...wow.
I work in a shop and I always sell a new diver on DAN before I sell them on a reg or wetsuit.

 

[scubee-do-be-do]

Good thoughts on this!

My wife has accused me of 'going whole hog' ($$$) when I get into a hobby. Umm lets see, drums, sailboat, mens baseball leauge, classic car stuff. Something has got to go on the hobby list so I can dive more!

Then there is the issue of time to go diving. And I own a small business that requires me to be here a good bit. I'm not sure where I will dive outside of the caribbean, that is yet to be determined. So time and travel a bit of an issue.

What is the cost of servicing equipment yearly if you own it ?


A funny place to shop...check this ad... SCUBA GEAR RARELY USED

I dont THINK I will be shopping here!!!!

 

[Paladin]

Since you're located in Atlanta, why not go up to Divers Supply in Marietta and check them out. They have a lot of good gear at great prices and can probably service anything you buy from them.

 

[Colliam7]

BUT, it seems to me that if you get your own stuff and start (practicing) and diving with it as soon as possible, you could used to it and be safer because you WERE used to it. You'd have the same equipment every time.. and know it better.

Yes, . . . BUT - you will eventually find out that the gear itself makes a limited / minimal difference in your diving. Certainly, the more familiar you are with your gear, the more comfortable you will be. But, there really is only a modest amount of difference, in recreational diving terms, between brands and between gear styles (e.g., the classic 'jacket' vs 'back-inflate', vs 'BP/W' debate).

Seems like you would spend more dollars, having different "rental quality" BC's ..... and a different one every time. Doubt you would be renting the good stuff. Dollars that could be a waste of money, that you could apply to equipment of your own.

It is always true that rental dollars could be applied toward a gear purchase. If you have the disposable income, by all means consider buying your own gear now, and start using it. You will probably feel more comfortable, and you can possibly concentrate more on skills in your diving. But, if you are using rental gear, you can still continue developing as a diver.

One thing that comes to mind is a couple that rented instead of bringing thier own BC's and they had trouble removing air from their bc's.. some of the same problems (I wound up using my dump valves sometimes)

It is true that there are threads where divers, unfamiliar with their gear, had issues. But, that does not have to be the case. Similarities among gear far outweigh the differences, in terms of actual safety and ability to enjoy a dive. Now, having said that, the statement is also more true for divers with several hundred dives, than for divers in the 20 - 50 dive range. Newbies generally won't see a difference among gear styles - they are still learning fundamantals (CAVEAT: that is a general statement, and I readily acknowledge that individuals may be different). Divers with additional, limited experience will possibly notice a difference, but not necessarily have the experience to fully understand how to compensate.

I want to be patient. but it seems like there are negatives as well to this.

There is nothing wrong with waiting, and there is nothing wrong with buying your own gear early. If you do the latter, plan to replace some of it relatively soon, some of it later. Even very experienced divers may buy gear that they later decide they don't like. As Garrobo said, it is an evolutionary process. Even if you use rental gear and wait, you will probably buy at least some gear that you decide (AFTER buying it) that you just don't like. But - personal bias here - if you learn to dive in a manner that is mostly 'gear-independent', you will find your diving is more enjoyable.

 

[Griffo]

And here's my opinion (for what it's worth).

I never intended to buy any gear apart from a wrist mounted dive computer. My reasoning was
a) most of my diving was going to be on holidays
b) travelling with dive gear is a pain
c) each location would have different requirements for thermal protection - and the local dive shops would have that for rent
d) it was a large investment for a sport that i was new to, and might not continue to actively pursue

However, after a recent diving holiday, i came home, and bought an entire set of gear 2nd hand off someone else who spent a bucket load then decided they didn't really like diving that much I was very lucky as it was all in my size, and almost brand new (30 dives total), and all top of the line gear.

The reason i did this was
a) the first shop we dove with on holidays, had truly scary equipment. Out of 3 sets, none had a working depth guage, and one had a non functioning SPG. Which I only discovered after realising that i just must have used more air than indicated.

b) My partner had a 'moment' when she lost her reg just as she was breathing in and copped a lung full of water. Unfortunately the primary got tangled up keeping it just out of reach, and she couldn't find her occy easily. Why? Because that particular set of rental gear had the occy in an unusual spot, so she was looking in the wrong place while trying not to drown. The importance of gear familiarity was hammered home.

Now on the downside, given more time, I would have researched more and probably bought a BPW setup, or at least tried one before buying a jacket BCD. But I am definately diving heaps more than I would if i rented, have a set of top line gear that will last me for years, and never have to worry about dodgy rental gear ever again. And to be honest, if I wasn't diving so much, I probably wouldn't even want a BP/W in the first place.
Just be warned that the reg / bcd/ computer is just the start, the list of kit seems never ending!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

The reason i did this was
a) the first shop we dove with on holidays, had truly scary equipment. Out of 3 sets, none had a working depth guage, and one had a non functioning SPG. Which I only discovered after realising that i just must have used more air than indicated.

@OzGriffo: Why didn't you discover the non-functioning SPG before the reg even left the rental department?
Even if the reg left the shop without an inspection and battery of tests, wasn't the issue recognized during pre-dive checks?
It's your gas supply we're talking about here...and it's also your buddy's emergency gas.

Most dive ops that I've worked with have you check out rental gear in the shop and carry it onto the boat. It makes sense to test out everything right away, so that another fully functional reg/gauge setup can be substituted at that time. Unfortunately, every time I go into a dive shop I see customers leaving the rental department without checking anything. They must be very trusting individuals!

 

[Griffo]

@OzGriffo: Why didn't you discover the non-functioning SPG before the reg even left the rental department?

The gear was provided at the dive site, no ability to pre-check. And the guage went "up" when the bottle was turned on, but got stuck on the way back down during the dive at around 200bar.

 

[freewillie]

Just be warned that the reg / bcd/ computer is just the start, the list of kit seems never ending!

You've been afflicted too !!! that need too keep buying scuba gear !

 

[Paladin]

What affliction? I'm certainly not addicted to buying gear. I only have a dozen or so regulators (I haven't counted them lately), five pairs of fins, six masks, eleven tanks, three wetsuits, three BCs...