Question about scuba gear (price wise)

aspinn

New member
Hey, this year where moving near the coast (victoria island area so its cold water) aparently there is some really good spots to scuba dive up where we might be staying... i also know that i should be able to get my diving licences then.... if i like it i will probably end up buying my own... my question is how much should i look at saving to buy a set of gear?

also does anyone know a good spot to go for information on scuba diving? just started researching into it :) we dont move for another month or two but mise well get the libary work done when i can :) thanks! i appreciate it)
 
If you are diving Victoria island, the water will be cold. One of the things you will need to invest in is a dry suit. That you are alone will cost you about a grand. BC's are around $400 and up, Regulators, expect to spend at least $600 on first stage and 2nd stage in addition to your octopus. I am forgetting Mask, Fins and Snorkel too, that will be at least $150 for all of that. So plan on saving quite a bit.

Check out Naui.com or Padi.com or SCUBASchoolsofamerica.com for more info on diving...also, don't forget google and yahoo to do some research on your own.

As for prices check out leisurepro.com or unrealfind.com
 
Don't forget a drysuit for those cold water dives. :D
$1500 and up.

I'm diving Missouri waters (50-70's) in a 5mm wetsuit. The lower temps are too much for me, I stayed in 38 degree water for 10mins before I surfaced looking for coffee and warm dry clothing.

Look at your local retailers and see if any can cut you deals on items. I recommend buying your own gear some you can become familiar with it, and it will save you in the long run. Initial investment can be quite pricey though. My wife and I spent about 5k total for both of us (had mask, fins, snorkels.) So we got regs, nighthawks, 5mm wetsuit, hoods, gloves, booties, tanks, weights and some accessories like dive lights, safety sausage, etc.

Lot of divers I know use scubatoys.com for discounted equipment. Don't forget its life support though :D

Cheers
 
Reg, you can get a good but simple ScubaPro Mk2+ for about $250, but you will need a pressure gauge, and depth meter ~200, you may want a much nicer reg that does well in very cold waters ( Im not sure how cold the water is up there) then you looking at around 4-600 for the reg and you will still need an SPG (submersible pressure gauge).

Buoyancy Device price really varies, I would recommend a back plate and wings. You can get a top notch set up for $700, or you can buy cheaper and possibly upgrade later and spend more

Drysuit you looking probably around 1500 on up. I dive a DUI TLS350 signature with zip seals. (replaceable neck and wrist seals, actually just saved me a day of diving yesterday when I ripped a neck seal)

Mask 20-125 all about fit here, but I like the ScubaPro Frameless $125, Atomics 100 and halcyon 60. Again all about fit, but you want a nice low volume mask, so its quicker and easier to clear

fins 80-250 Top end Apollo Bio Fin spilt fins with stainless steel spring straps 250; super floppy piece of rubber that can swim really fast with little effort, most split fins are ~175 or so, you can get some cheapy old fashioned fins that are cheap and will kill your calf muscles, I recommend ScubaPro Jets or OMS slip streams (think old frogman style) ~100 OMS are the same as the Jets but different material and weigh about half of the originals. Blades you cant swim as fast, but you have more fine control for positioning, more feed back, and you can learn more efficient kicks like the frog kick and cool fun kicks like the helicopter turn and back kick (yes it is possible to swim backwards without using your hands)

lets see what else do I take diving:gloves 30-50 unless you go with drygloves, if in a wetsuit, booties ~30-100, hood 50 (dry suit comes with booties and a hood), drysuit undergarments 100-500 drysuit keeps you dry, not warm. knife 30-100 please don't buy a big *** Rambo knife and strap it to the outside of your leg..... flash light 30-2000, this can vary from a small flash light you stick in your pocket for looking under rocks to a big 18w HID (read metal halide) light head attached to your hand with an umbilical leading to a large battery pack that is strapped to your waist belt (expensive but ohhh so worth it), if you HAVE to a snorkel $the ceaper the better! Dont waste your money on a Super Sahara Dry 5000 with ping ball check valve (honestly they make them) they are expensive, top heavy, and POS just get a plane jane snorkel with a piece of corigated flexible tubing so it is somewhat adjustable to fit in your mouth. If you want to splurge, you can get a snorkel that rolls up, so you can stash it in your pocket instead of having it bounce around on your mask, or better yet take up less space in your dive bag when you leave it there.

When you start diving, you will need your personal gear, mask, fins, snorkel, gloves, booties. (maybe hood) and the rest should be offered as part of the class. Do some dives and rent different types of gear, or talk to people and borrow theirs for a while. I did some research before I bought all my gear, I have replace a few pieces, I will list what and why

mask: fit on dry land, fit in pool, leaked like a sieve in the ocean. was a cheapy Aqua Lung mask replaced with ScubaMax frameless (knock off ScubaPro frameless at fraction of the price), then replaced that when mother nature stole it from me on a rough beach exit....

fins: started with atomics split fins, fine for normal recreational diving, got drysuit (wear size 15-16 shoes) and fins wouldn't fit, bought turtles (like above jets but bigger) lost one fin in another rough beach exit, bought another pair, then bough OMS slipstreams. really happy with these. (not to sound like a salesman but whatever fins you buy, invest in a pair of spring straps! they dont dry rot and crack, are instantly adjustable, they're great!)

BC bought a Dive Rite backplate with Rec wing: wasn't happy with "delux" harness so replaced with simple, single piece of 2" webbing. Took some getting used to getting in and out but much happier now$20. Started diving in double steel tanks, and tired of swapping gear back and forth from sing to doubles, also found that Rec wing was just big enough for doubles but it was designed for single tank OR double tank and does neither that well, decided to get a wing dedicated to doubles wings. I bought a Deep Sea Supply back plate and wings. ~500 found wing would float my gear and mfg wouldnt allow a return or exchange, sold the wing and bought a Halcyon wing, love it! Did another couple of dives with Rec wing with single tank and sold the wing to buy a smaller Halcyon single wing, love it too.
wetsuit: JMJ custom wetsuit, for a wet suit...love it. upgraded to a dui drysuit, love it more!
flash light: Underwater Kinetics SL4 $30, nice flash light, upgraded (?) to a halcyon scout $100 added a Halcyon 18w HID $$$ cost more than some of my cars but sooooo worth it.
Regulators: first, inexpesnive used Sherwood Brut complete reg set $200, free flowed like a fiend in pool, shop that said it was rebuilt, admitted that were not rebuilt... didnt trust it so bought Scuba Pro Mk25/S600 $600. High dollar reg, very nice. Got into doubles and wanted simple and reliable environmentally sealed (for cold and nasty water) regs so bought Apeks DS4 for doubles, then got into decompression bottles and bought more Apeks, just decided I wanted all my regs the same for spare parts... just traded my SP for Apeks in some ways I think the SP may be a slightly better reg(I am/was a reg tech so I have my own oppinion on regs based on inside workings...), but happy with the apeks.
 
If there's one piece of advice i can offer, its this: go see your local dive store and have a good long chat about what you want, and don't buy off the internet, it may be cheaper, but it is NEVER worth it. The internet cannot service your gear, take you diving, or teach you to use your gear, and almost all internet sales void any warranties instantly. If anything goes wrong with it, your on your own.

Buy the best gear you can get your hands on, the initial outlay will be worth every penny when you get it wet. This gear is what makes the difference between an easy, enjoyable and safe dive, and a potentially dangerous underwater nightmare.
Find a good, local dive store and stick with them, they will walk you through the whole process of buying and owning gear as well as taking you diving and being there to deal with any potential problems that occur.

Oh, and lastly, have fun :) Diving is pointless if you aren't having fun.
 
I have to disagree with you. There are stuff you should buy from your LDS (local dive shop) and other stuff you can buy off the internet. I would have no problem purchasing gloves, booties, dive lights, etc from the internet. The only stuff I would say that you absolutely should buy locally is the mask. Mask fit is everything. It doesn't matter if the mask is $40 or $125. Make sure it fits well.

With that said - I buy most of my stuff from my LDS because they have very competitive price and are awesome to work with.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12675971#post12675971 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by edr42
If there's one piece of advice i can offer, its this: go see your local dive store and have a good long chat about what you want, and don't buy off the internet, it may be cheaper, but it is NEVER worth it. The internet cannot service your gear, take you diving, or teach you to use your gear, and almost all internet sales void any warranties instantly. If anything goes wrong with it, your on your own.
 
Just another little tip...

The dive shop I dive with, let me try a few different pairs of fins in thier pool before I bought them. To see which I liked best and fit best.

Somebody mentioned a backplate a wing BC set up. Which brought me to pretty much the same point as above. See if you can try the different set-ups available before you make a purchase. Different stroke for different folks. You may like a different type better.

And like Grunt said, don't forget, a lot of this stuff/well most, is life support equipment!!!
 
I had a jacket style BCD (ScubaPro Knighthawk) that I absolutely loved. I ended up giving it to my daughter and bought a backplate with wings. I am not too crazy about my backplate. However, I have several friends who swears by them. I am debating on going back to a ScubaPro Knighthawk. :D
 
This weekend, Dolphin Scuba (located in Sacramento) is having some great sales going on. They do mail order as well. You might want to check out their website and look at their their June Madness Sale.

http://www.dolphinscuba.com/


BTW - Dolphin is my local dive shop, and they are great to deal with.
 
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