Best way to get started

[Drewbaby]

So I've been wanting to do this for a couple of years now and money has been tight, but I have enough saved up to get my girlfriend and I certified. The place we would be going through does 2 in house dive sessions in a pool and 1 open water dive at a local spring. It's going to cost us about $350 for both of us and that includes the materials for the class portion. Is that a good deal?

After we get all that done what's the next step?

Should we just rent gear for a while or buy certain things? If so, what do we need. I've never been snorkeling, but she has. I'm thinking we should get fins and a mask before we go to get certified and go snorkeling at the springs to get a feel for moving in the water and the psychological process of breathing underwater. Any tips would be great.

 

[davocean]

Well, I do advise having your own mask and snorkel at the very least, and then fins.
Make sure to fit masks, they all fit different, check for seal, and I like to have a low profile mask.
I'm personally not a fan of self sealing snorkels(the kind w/ flaps or balls) and prefer straight tube, but some like them, they usually fail at some point IMO.
Best is to play in a pool first(rinse gear well)
If you are new to open water, I'd advise going w/ someone exp.
That seems like a really good deal to get cert for 2, looks like they skip bells and whistles on a grad dive.
Check for rep of that school.
Most other gear can and probably should be rented till you decide what you like.

 

[Drewbaby]

I've looked into the school quite a bit and the instuctor is a retired navy seal and he's been an instructor for a long time. Can you recommend a good brand of mask and fins that we could get started with?

 

[davocean]

I'm really happy w/ my Mares, both mask and fins.
A good fitting mask makes all the difference in dive comfort, especially new to diving where it might make you uncomfortable underwater and dealing w/ leaks or squeezing the bridge of your nose or something.
Make sure you can comfortably pinch nose to clear.
And either good comfy fins, or booties, or better yet both.
Sometimes you can find close out sales/deals on these, not the cheapest gear, but maybe after summer sales will help.

 

[billsreef]

$350 for both of you, not $350ea? That is a phenomenally good deal if it's a proper open water certification.

Most places require you have your own personal gear, that typically means mask, fins, booties, and snorkel. Even if your instructor doesn't require you to have this, it's a good idea to have.

Drew is right, fit is important. A poorly fitting mask will leak and be bothersome, possible even stressful. With the personal gear, all the mainstream brands (mares, scuba pro, tusa, dacor, etc.) are all good choices. So worry more about getting a good fit than what the brand is With snorkel, I also agree with Drew on avoiding the fancy self sealing ones, they sometimes get bits of sand or other debris that gets in the way of the seal when you least expect. With a plain old snorkel, you always know what it's going to do. No surprises like a snorkel full of water when you expect to be to dry

 

[danield]

so what would be the certifying agency??

so what would be the certifying agency??

Is this PADI, SSI, Naui, SDI TDI?

Whats the current percent of certs by PADI the #1 agency,...80%,..90% who knows what it is at now?

I amassed my gear slowly over several years when I found good sales.

Computer $450 mares RGB 1,...I found it on a in store unadvertised managers special in florida city $199.

7 mm 2 piece dacor titanium farmer john on clearance sale in florida $85.00 regular price up here in indiana $265

Cressi Sub frog one fins regular $125.00 on e-bay last years model $45.00 including shipping

Luxafer AL cu 80 nutral boyant tanks got great deal from shop north side of chicago Tank, Boot, Valve $90.00, so good I went back and got a second one. today they sell for almost $200

And the list goes on,..now If I went to a dive shop and said give me a complete set up it would have been several thousand dollars.

Get a little as you go, take your time.

Good luck
Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but bubbles

Dan
Dual Certified
SDI (Scuba Diving International)
PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors)
Advanced Open Water Diver
Nitrox Certification
300++ dives
Hawaii
Cayman Islands
Cozumel, Mx.
Florida, Keys, Gulf, Atlantic
Lake Michigan
Washington, Puget sound, elliot bay, keystone landing

 

[hul kogan]

As Bill mentioned $350 for both of you is quite a deal, almost too good of a deal if you ask me. I'm also going to second the question about what certifying agency this is...?

I'm SSI certified and you definitely need more than one open water dive to get that cert. You'd need 5 dives to qualify. So I'd definitely do some further checking into what your $350 includes and is getting you.

In terms of gear, I dive Aqua Lung BC and regs, Suunto Cobra 3 computer, Deep See mask/boots, Atomic Split Fins, Henderson Gold Core 7/5mm semi-dry wetsuit and various gloves (the latter two for diving up here in the colder water). I love pretty much all my equipment aside from the Deep See mask, which I am just so-so on. I'm going to keep an eye out for a good deal on an Atomic low-profile mask for an upgrade.

My thoughts on owning your own equipment are this...
If you want to dive on a regular basis, you need to have your own equipment. The hassle and cost of renting will just become too much of a burden and it will stop you from diving. If you only want to dive while on vacation, then just purchase your own snorkel system and rent everything else through the dive op. It's cheaper in the long run as you don't have to worry about maintaining gear that you only use once a year.

 

[Namnuta]

That price seems good. I think i paid about that ($350 each) when i was certified with PADI. If its $350 for both of you i expect your not getting a full or comprehensive course) Im a big fan of my Tusa gear. Mask, snorkel, fins, and boots. I presently rent all my other gear (Weights, BCD, and Regulator) but i think i will be buying a regulator before my next Hawaii trip. Its nice to get used to the same reg, and its that part that goes in your mouth.

Remember when buying gear, comfort and fit are most important.

 

[dudley moray]

that's a great deal either way, if it's 2 for 1 or each it's a good deal diving is awesome. one word of advise research the equipment you plan to buy , save yourself some money in the long run by getting what you'll need down the road not what;s in style now !