Super cool Minh! Glad you're taking the plunge.
Dolphin has a great selection of masks, fins, snorkels and boots (talk to Mike the owner and tell him Rich & Jeni sent you).
I've been using a
Tusa Splendive II mask, but you may be more satisfied with one that has a wider field of vision like the
Visulator. Some folks prefer a 1-window mask, some like 2.
For fins I was using the
Aqualung Blade II, but they're very long, stiff and make my calf muscles cramp. Now I use Tusa split fins, and Jeni uses the
ScubaPro Twin Jet fins. I've used hers and mine, and hers are actually faster. Split fins require less effort than flat blade fins, and IMO are worth the extra $$$.
A smorkel is just a tube to breathe while you're at the surface, and frankly a piece of bamboo would work just as well. My
Aqualung was stolen in Bonaire, and now I'm using a low profile spearfishing/freediving snorkel by Rife, very similar to the
ScubaPro.
I'm using (and love) my 5mm
Henderson boots. They have a hard tennis shoe-like sole, great for climbing over slippery rocks in search of that "secret" abalone dive spot, and they slip on instead of zip. I hate zippered boots because the rub ankle bones and leak cold water inside.
That's all you need to get started, and for now you can rent all the other gear. When you're ready to dump a bunch more cash, or you plan that 2 week all-inclusive dive vacation, I'll pass you some suggestions for BCD's and regulators. Don't buy a tank though. Much like the CO2 tanks for calcium reactors, SCUBA tanks need to be hydrostatic tested bi-anually and taken apart for internal inspections something like every 3-4 years. I'll always rent those, and a full one is about $6.
