New to Scuba-where online to buy equipment

[Pulp Fishin]

I just got back from Cuba where my wife & I tryed Scuba diving for the first time. We are intrested in getting into scuba and getting our open water diving certificate.
The classes we are going to take require that we own our own wet suit/flippers & mask. They offer them in the store but I'm sure they are not the best price for the products theyoffer. What are a few good sights that offer equipment for a good price?
Thanks

 

[dcombs44]

Most people will recommend using local shops because they will help you insure a good fit for your equipment. It's tedious to try and return online orders because they don't fit.

That said, I've used:

www.diversdirect.com
www.leisurepro.com
www.scuba.com
www.scubastore.com
www.floridascubadepot.com

to name a few.

www.scubaboard.com is a large scuba forum. I don't own most of my own equipment, but I've bought bits and pieces from a few of the sites above. You may get better responses there.

 

[Ann Marie]

+1 on ScubaBoard.

There are forums there for divers in the UK. You can get input on the LDS (local dive shops) where I would recommend getting your first set of equipment. There's a ton of different types of gear out there, many with different features that may be something that you want for the type of diving you'll be doing.

Gear for warm water (Caribbean) is different than for temperate water like in the UK.

 

[Pulp Fishin]

Since i'm from Canada and within an hour from most of the Great Lakes I'll probbly be doing some cold water dives but I'm mostly intrested in warm water dives.
Would I need 2 difrent suits for cold & warm water?

 

[dcombs44]

Most definitely.

In tropical waters, I'll typically use no more than a 2 or 3 mm suit. I like to wear a full suit for exposure and sting protection, but lots of people will wear sleeveless or farmer john type suits in tropical waters. Depending on how cold the lakes are when you dive, you may need a much thicker suit or even possibly a dry suit for the colder waters.

I have no experience with cold water diving, but I use a 5 mm suit in July in Illinois in the lakes here. Especially below the thermocline.

 

[WarmWaterWuss]

Welcome to the world of scuba diving, it is very addicting and can be expensive. I have ordered online from Scubatoys and from Leisurepro, BUT I would recommend you go to your local dive shop for your mask. Try on as many as you can to find one that fits. (I have four masks, I bought some online and thought they would work til I went U/W).
Also check out Scubalab at Scubadiving.com and Scubaboard for more gear info. Have fun!

 

[billsreef]

Masks and wetsuits really need to fit right. Can be hard to get a good fit without actually trying them on. Leisure Pro will let you try on and exchange wetsuits to find the right fit, and pay the return shipping. However, it can take a couple of times and a bit of time. MO for items like that is generally best after you've an idea of what your getting already.

For diving around here, when the water temps are in the 50's or lower, I use a 7mm full suit with a 7mm hooded vest. Keeps me comfy down to the low 40's while diving wet. As it gets warmer, 60's, just the 7mm full suit and a hood. High 60's to low 70's (if we get really lucky ) I drop the hood unless there are lot of jellies around. For the tropics, just my bathing suit

 

[Pulp Fishin]

Yeah i was looking at a sight that suggested a 7mm for great lakes and colder water in my area. I think after all the advice I will at least buy my suit & mask from the LDS to make sure they have a good fit. Once I know my size if I could always buy online if I chose to replace them later.

These sights are great, thanks for all the sights. These are perfect for what I was looking for.

 

[steelcity]

Things that need to fit well should be bought at your LDS (wetsuit, mask, BC). You can buy other things like fins, lights, and tanks online. Most LDS will bend over backwards to help you. They'll make sure everything fits you correctly when you try everything. If they don't, find a new LDS. Support your LDS, it'll be worth it for you in the long run.