So you just completed your open water certification and you are thinking about buying your own scuba gear, and you want to know what to buy, how much you should spend, or if you should bother at all. These are the questions we are going to tackle in this post.
Owning your own gear
There are some good reasons to own your own gear, probably one of the most important of these is that you would want to make diving a regular sport and so you could save some money in the long run on equipment rentals.
In my neck of the woods (Canada), it can cost as much as $200 per day to rent a set of essential dive gear. I recently had an inspection done on my cylinder and had to rent one for the day it ran me $35. Needless to say, I'm glad I own my own set of gear, in fact, I own more like 2.5 sets of gear that have accumulated over the years.
If you can't afford a full set of dive gear immediately, there are some essentials that are worth purchasing right away if you want to start somewhere. So let's start there...
Exposure
Wetsuit - I would consider buying a wetsuit (only if you need it, of course) because that is a piece of equipment that is personal to your frame and comfort. Most rental suits are well worn and have 1000s of DNA on them if you know what I mean.
A good new wetsuit will cost anywhere from $50 to $500 depending on the type and thickness you are after.
A good place to start is by knowing what temperature of water you will be diving in. The minimum is a 3mm shortie or a 2/3mm full piece. this will be comfortable in 75-80F (23-29C) water temperatures.
Recommendations From House Of Scuba
Mask & Fins
There is nothing more annoying than diving with a leaking mask or a set of fins that are uncomfortable. That's why I would recommend buying a set that fit nicely and work for you. It's important to remember that the quality of your diving increases when you are comfortable. You can expect to spend around $100 and up for a decent set of fins and a mask.
A good place to start is to try some on and take them for a test drive. There are many different types in both mask and fins. Your local dive shop will most likely let you try some out. Or at least try them on. Make sure you try out a few different styles.
Here are a few things to consider when looking at masks.
Seal - Perform a store test by looking up and place the mask on your face without using the strap. It should rest evenly with no gaps. To make sure you have a proper seal; inhale through your nose, if the seal does not fit your face the mask will leak air. If the fit is right the mask will suction to your face.
Bridge - another important part of the mask that a lot of people find uncomfortable in the nose bridge. It's important to remember that when you are diving that the water pressure is pushing the mask against your face and that can be uncomfortable on the bridge of the nose. If you suction the mask to your face and it's comfortable on the bridge of your nose then that mask might work well for you.
Vision - If you require corrective vision then you will have to have a prescription lens put into your mask.
Here are a few things to consider when looking at fins.
Open heel - fins are versatile fins that can be used in warm, cold water, as they allow you to wear booties and are highly adjustable.
Closed heel - fins fit like a shoe. Remember that as your shoe size increases you may have to purchase a larger size in closed fins as well.
Split fins - are split down the middle and are for divers who are prone to leg cramps. however, are not ideal for those who wish to back track and/or take photographs.
Recommendations From House Of Scuba
BCD
BCD is next on the list for me because it's one of those pieces of gear that is the determining factor on how serious you are about diving. Not only is it a big investment but it also is one of the toughest decisions to make. With there being so many different styles of BCD's there are a few options for beginners to consider to keep costs down and still get a decent piece of gear. A good starter BCD will cost around $100 to $400 and much more for the intermediate to pro BCD's.
We will dive in and discuss some key features to consider when buying your first BCD. I will also offer up some customer favorite picks selected by most popular and positive reviews.
Here are a few things to consider when looking at BCD's
Fit - Make sure you select the proper size and don't forget to try it with the exposure suit you will be wearing. Inflate the BCD as well to make sure it doesn't cause chest squeeze. It should be comfortable inflated and deflated.
Lift - is the weight the BCD bladder can lift when fully inflated. As a rule of thumb, if you dive in tropical waters with no exposure suit you will need 12 to 24 pounds of lift capacity. If you dive full wetsuit or drysuit you will require 20 to 40 pounds of lift. for tech diving, 40 to 80 pounds is recommended.
Accessibility - you will want to make sure you can access all the pockets and d-rings. Also, make sure the inflator hose extends past your head. Ease of one had operation is important here too and that the inflate button is distinguishable from the deflate button.
Recommendations From House Of Scuba
Regulators
There is great news for a new diver to an advanced diver, this is; that almost all new regulators are reliable, so much so that they have been perfected to the point that even budget regulators can offer high performance. However, we must still do our homework to make sure we purchase the best piece of gear in our budget and application. The price can vary, but for the beginner, you should expect to spend around $200 to $1000 for a set of regulators.
Here are a few things to consider when looking at Regulators
Environment - I would consider the environment one of the most important things to consider because there is a big difference between a cold water regulator and a warm water regulator. Make sure you select the proper regulator for your diving environment.
Comfort - this seems to be a reoccurring consideration because I can't stress enough how important comfort is underwater, and for the regulator, it can be as simple as hose length that can cause discomfort. But the size and shape of the mouthpiece is the most important here. So the best piece of advice I can offer here is to try it out. Take it in the water and see how it breathes on a full tank as well as a near-empty tank. Invert it and test how easily they free flow as well.
Recommendations From House Of Scuba
Computer
Dive computers are an invaluable tool for safe diving. Very few people use dive tables anymore because dive computers are affordable and reliable. You can expect to spend at least $200 or more for a reliable dive computer. We have listed a few features to consider when looking at dive computers.
User-friendliness - The most feature-packed dive computer does you no good if you can't easily and quickly access the basic information you need during a dive: depth, time, decompression status, and tank pressure. Some models have both numeric and graphic displays for at-a-glance information. So for a beginner consider how easily you can access that important information.
Mount - dive computers come in a variety of mounts from console, wrist to BCDmounts, this is more personal preference.
Safety margins - Some computers are conservative in their calculations, automatically built in safety margins; others take you to the edge of decompression and trust you to build in your own safety margins. Only RSD publishes a chart ranking the relative conservatism of dive computers on the market today.
Mixed gas capabilities - before purchasing a dive computer, consider whether you will be diving mixed gasses in the future as some computers don't calculate decompression diving.
Recommendations From House Of Scuba
Conclusion
It is now time to ring in the total and see what a dive kit can cost on the conservative end. I will be using the items recommended by houseofscuba.com and I encourage you to shop around and check out your local dive shop as well.
Exposure: $89.99 3/2mm Tilos Unisex Full SuperStretch Titanium Wetsuit
Mask: $34.95 Genesis SL RX Available Silicone Scuba Diving Mask -
TOTAL: $834.74
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