Hi Messybill,
that's a tough question. It's only possible to answer it with a bunch of little questions.
Where will you be diving? Cold water or warm water? this will tell you what to look for in terms of regulators, BCD's and wetsuits.
Regulators, huge range in price, some of the entry level models will come in around the 250-350 mark, and go up to over $1000 for the top of the line models. If you plan to dive both cold and warm water, you probably want to look at the mid range models, most importantly, get a regulator that is balanced. It will perform the same with lower air in your tank at the end of your dive as it will with a full tank, and will not be noticeably affected by cold vs warm water.
gauges, GAH!!! you need a depth gauge, air guage, and throw a compass on there too, they're not that expensive. If you're planning on getting a dive computer, my suggestion is to get wrist mounted computer, and analog gauges, that way if you're computer fails, you have a backup. Don't forget a good water proof watch, good to 100' again, as backup. You'll find prices ranging from about $150 to something hideous that will make you gag.
BCD, about $300-$1000+ but how to decide on one? Try it on, how does it feel, does it sit right? Some BCD's have the weight belts integrated into them which is nice (a feature that I'll definitely look for if I should be in the position for a new BCD myself). Good BCD's will not "roll" you when you're floating in the water, a simple way to test is to inflate the BCD and lie on your back in the water, see if rolls you one way or the other. if it has a tendancy to roll you, it will end up tiring you out quicker on your dive because you'll be fighing with it for most of the dive. most BCD's have quick release straps now on the front which make ditching your unit before getting on the boat a bit easier. Finally, is it color co-ordinated? :D )
Fins, open heel are ultimately more comfortable, and easier to deal with when you're suited up, especially doing a shore dive, or on a small boat. They require booties, which can be doubled for "water shoes" and add to the exposure protection. 10,000 different styles that all "move water" that much better than their competition. it's mind boggling, but some of the scuba pro stuff look kinda cool. :D
mask and snorkle, personal perference. New masks are "6 lens masks" which means that you have better visiblity, and don't have to move your head if you want to glance above you. hmmm, would have come in handy in my jelly fish dive a couple of weeks back. :eek:
gear bag. Yeah, it's important, BUT, watch out.
Akonis makes a cool back pack type deal, with wheels, handles, etc. almost $400 !!! I just about fainted when I saw it. I went to another dive shop, and they had a duffle bag, for all intents and purposes, rubberized, tough for $49. I can fit two sets of gear into it, and still have room. the good thing is too, that if your gear is wet when you put it in there, it won't leak all over the place. The back pack is handy, with the wheels and handle, but $400??? Jeez... :wall:
weight belt, it's a piece of condura with a buckle, just make sure that it's a bit bigger (longer) than you really need so that you have room to add more weights if needed, that is if you don't get the weight integrated BCD.
Gloves, you'll get mixed reviews on this one. cold water gloves feel thicker than snowmobile gloves! they're important for exposure protection, in cold water, not to mention zebra mussels up here, or if wreck diving, sharp edges, and when diving in the Caribbean, protection against coral stings. Now, I can hear the purists. "Wearing gloves when tropical diving encourages you to touch the coral!!!".
first rule, never, ever touch the coral, even with gloves on. but, if you happen to be in a situation where you have to come in contact with the coral, better through gloves. Wreck diving issues are the same. Tropical gloves are really no more than a mesh backing with some sort of "leather" type of palm for protection. They feel like driving gloves. Your choice, some dive operations will encourage you *not* to wear them in the south (using the argument above). I've had enough coral stings that I'll wear them, and I never feel compelled to touch the coral with them on. Personal choice, you'll figure out what you're comfortable with.
Hoods: if you're diving cold water exclusively, then you'll need a hood eventually. God help you if you do. pick the one that is the least painfull. :th:
for the most part, stick with brand names when you're looking at regs, gauges(computer) BCD and mask.
Scuba Pro, Genisis, Cressi, Sherwood, Mares, Aqualung, are a few of the well known ones, and there are lots more out there. My preference is Mares for a lot of equipment, take my mask for instance, it's 14 years old, and still going strong.
wetsuits, fins, booties, hoods, gloves:
scuba pro, mares, cressi, arkonis, off the top of my head. There are hundreds more out there.
whew! that was long winded. Hope it helps a bit, what I'd suggest is do some research with dive shops, each one will tell you something different of course, but take what they all say and put it all together, and you'll see some patterns appear, like the balanced regs, or 6 lens masks, and it will all start making sense.
First, decide where you're going to do most of your diving (cold or warm water) and that will help you decide.
by the time you finish reading this one, I'm sure that Gambitt and Wossa will add their thoughts for you as well.
Good luck, and send your questions here, there's enough divers here that you should get some good information.
Topic: Re: Equipment (Read 3725 times)