View Full Version : Complete Virgin
cushtyken
29-12-2008, 05:14
Hi, I am a complete Virgin, I am in the un-usual position that I travel the world at someone elses expense, I am trying to get scuba qualified in January and then head back off to canada before going to the Carribean for a week.
1. Where is the best place to do an intense course in the North east of England, that will allow me to dive alone ?
2. Is it possible to get fully trained in 2 weeks?
3. What should i be looking for when buying gear?
Thanks, I know that Newbie's can be a real pain, and usually ask the same questions as everyone else has a million times.
nigelhoath
29-12-2008, 08:40
Hi, I am a complete Virgin, I am in the un-usual position that I travel the world at someone elses expense, I am trying to get scuba qualified in January and then head back off to canada before going to the Carribean for a week..
So what has stimulated this crazy outburst of enthusiasm :D I wonder. But if you are genuine as someone recently who has gone through all the initial stages I'll offer:
1. Where is the best place to do an intense course in the North east of England, that will allow me to dive alone ? .
I assume you mean 'alone' as in not a permanent buddy. Whereever you go diving safely you'll always find a buddy. Think of divers as fish; they shoal together eagerly. It's half the fun :D
Two weeks is no problem in warm water with good weather. As you will note that discounts the NE in January :)
2. Is it possible to get fully trained in 2 weeks? .
Yes but if you're going to the carribean do the practical there. So you need a dive centre/club to do the theory in the NE. Someone will come along shortly I'm sure. If not reserve a course in the Carribean then buy the book and CD for that course and get studying.
If you mention where you are going in the Carribean someone here will help you find a school - the're like that here; a friendly bunch :)
3. What should i be looking for when buying gear? .
Nothing. Go hire for a while. In any case if you travel widely you will need different kit in each location so best to hire (accept personal things like a mask and a dive computer).
Cheers and enjoy and Happy New Year :D
Hello there
The only dive centre I know in the North East of England is Aquanorth. It's run by a guy called Gary Mauston, who has been teaching diving, I guess, since the early 1990's, so you will be in good hands.
http://www.aquanorth.co.uk/
Aquanorth Diving Centre, 17A Coast Road, Heaton,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7RN
Telephone: (0191) 266 6626 or (0191) 240 3666
email: enquiries@aquanorth.co.uk
I know that we've discussed this in the past, so the following information has been posted before. Nigel made a sound point about hiring/borrowing kit for awhile because you don't know what you don't know. You need to have dived awhile to start forming ideas of what you want in your equipment and which route you wish to follow. Ie, are you a Ford Ka man? Or perhaps a BMW. Or may be you will be Lotus man. To get the most out of it you need to have experience of diving before you buy your kit. That said, I would buy straight away a dive computer, a mask, a snorkel, a set of fins and some booties, and this is why.
Whether you are diving or snorkelling, one way to get into the water is to walk down to the waters edge. You won't always be jumping in straight from a boat, so I would suggest that you get yourself a decent pair of diving boots. These are hard soled boots, so ideal for trogging around resort in, and invaluable when shore diving. You'll soon find that some of the areas you want to snorkel or dive from are rocky shores, or covered in stones and pebbles or hot sand. Boots are the way to go. I think they cost about £15 ish, and I'd recommend that you go with a zipped pair, rather than a pull on pair.
If you're wearing boots, you'll want boat or shoe fins. ie, something with a foot pocket and a fin strap. There is a plethora of fins on the market. I've got four pairs and none of them are slipper fins. Scubapro, Force Fins, Dacor, Wenoka (I'm a girl, we like buying shoes and fins). If you've got muscular legs, then Mares Plana Avanti or Quattros are both superb fins. If you've not such well developed legs these fins can sometimes give you cramp. Scubapro, Mares, Oceanic, Dacor to name but a few manufacturers all do good fins. Expect to pay about £40. Try on a fin (whilst wearing your boot) and see what it feels like. Wiggle your leg around. Does the foot pocket squeeze/rub the top of your foot? Does your foot slop about in the pocket. The best thing you can do is seek professional advice and go and visit your local friendly dive shop. They will help fit your boots and your fins.
As for a mask, probably the very best one I have dived recently is by Atomic. But you are looking at 'a Bentley mask' here, I think they retail about £90? I am real kit monster though. An average mask should cost you about £40. Try a number on and see what is comfortable for you. That's important. Not what you look like. We all look a little strange in our masks.
Why do diving masks cost more than those from supermarkets? Generally the silicone used is of a higher quality, so is far softer on your face. Supermarket masks can feel like putting a pavement slab on your face, because the silicone is so hard and unforgiving.
It's worth getting a neoprene cover for the strap, called a slap strap. This stops the latex/rubber strap from riding up when you are snorkelling. Also you can sew your telephone number onto the neoprene so that in the unlikely event you drop your mask, someone just might find it and ring you to return it. Expect to pay about £35 - £45 for a mask. If you look after it, a mask will last you years.
As for a snorkel, worth getting one where you can replace the mouthpiece should you bite it through. This can happen. Just replace the mouthpiece. A good one to consider is the SeaCure. Custom Divers sell them. www.customdivers.com 01737 773 000. If you give them a ring, they will tell you where you local dive shop is. This mouthpiece can be moulded to the shape of your mouth, so reduces jaw fatigue.
Go for a snorkel with a draining valve, otherwise you end up with a little bit of water swooshing around in the u bend, and that is rather tedious. Other than that they are much of a muchness really. About £15 I think? Hydrotech 01455 274 841 are doing an economical snorkel at present. (I've just bought myself a new one). www.underwaterworld.co.uk
Where would I buy this lot? Well I'd go to a dive centre as you will get good, honest advice at the dive centre. You can feel it. You can try it on. The staff will make sure it fits you ok and that you are comfortable in the equipment. You cannot get any of these experiences online. And if you do want to learn to dive, then this is the place you'll be going to, to buy airfills etc. Why not start drinking their tea early on.
I'd buy something like a small string bag to carry this all in. From memory I think Beaver do a snorkelling bag. I think that Ralf Tech does a pretty sexy one as well.
Finally I'd buy a Dive Computer. You will be taught tables when you learn to dive. You use tables to plan your dive. However, you will be doing a remarkable amount of travelling, so having your own computer is handy. I personally like the Uwatec Aladin Prime and the Smart Z. They are easy to read and simple to understand, and as your experience develops, you will grow into them.
I know that you are travelling, but it is well worth joining a diving club such as BSAC. That way you will get the most from your equipment and as an international traveller it also means that you have some instant friends in town. There are a number of us on this forum who are a member of BSAC Direct as we travel a lot. This means we benefit from being a member of BSAC, receiving third party insurance and a diving magazine. And it allows us to dive with fellow BSAC divers.
I hope that this is helpful. Good luck with it all.
That said, I would buy straight away a dive computer, a mask, a snorkel, a set of fins and some booties
I wouldn't.
Buying a mask would be reasonable as long as it fits. You'll find out how to find out if it fits when you do your course. Buying a mask that doesn't fit is worse than useless.
A snorkel is for snorkelling. Buy one only if you intend going snorkelling. For the required snorkel bits of your course - borrow one. It's the only time you're likely to use it.
Fins - if you're going to dive a dry suit, make sure they fit the suit. Boots are irrelevant if you're in a dry suit.
But whatever you do, don't buy a dive computer yet. Work out what sort of diving you want to do first, then do some research as to which computer will suit you best. Buying now means you'll get palmed off with something that someone wants to get rid of...
There's a common theme running through all of this - nanmely don't buy any kit until you know what you're looking for. And that means getting some training in first so you understand what you're buying...
Vic.
ChristianG
29-12-2008, 12:00
There's a common theme running through all of this - nanmely don't buy any kit until you know what you're looking for. And that means getting some training in first so you understand what you're buying...
As the man said.
Roz, I'm quite certain, was being very genuine in what she said but I, too, do not necessarily agree with her comments, or at least not all of them.
Computers, mask, fins, anything else: look before you leap and you haven't leaped yet.
Do not buy anything at all before you have completed your initial course, before you have decided that this activity is for you at least in the short term. Unsurprisingly, or so it should be, not everyone is suited to this bubble breathing activity and you don't know this. Moreover it's unlikely that you will know this until you've done at least a number of dives unsupervised.
Training: I am not BSAC trained however I have a decided bias towards the BSAC way of doing things (which I have now declared to you). The trouble is that the BSAC Branches are not the way to go if you want to get instant satisfaction and this seems to be the case if only given your lifestyle. BSAC Direct (I think it's called) gives you instant training along the lines of the PADIs (for example) of this world but you pay for it (just as you do with PADI and their like).
I would highly recommend BSAC Branch training if you wish to dive in the UK and other temperate zones (such as Canada) but if your preference is for tropical style diving only then that is not necessary - just be aware that tropical water diving is a very different kettle of fish to the UK and similar when additional training is not only desirable but (should be) mandatory.
northern_diver
29-12-2008, 12:34
Hartlepool BSAC, NE England is right next to the marina with their (my too lol) club house, lots of instructors and Mal/Kev/Dave might be able to do something for you, but two weeks isnt really the BSAC way.
As they are close to the sea however they are in a good position to get you in quick.
PADI in sunderland (cant rememebr the name, quick goggle away) is likewise close to the sea and been PADI is more geared up to quick training.
Newcastle 'The Dive Centre' store, is mixed and canny (means good for all you southerns out there ;) ) but not asclose to the sea and i never actually had much to do with them other than the odd with of gear.
Durham SAA i hear is a bit slow on its training regardless, but this is totally 2nd hand information.
personally i would recommend, for experience, Hartlepool or Sunderland. do you really have to do it in 2 weeks, can you not extent...please :rolleyes:
enjoy the sport and have fun. wish i got to go diving all over the place....;)
john
cushtyken
29-12-2008, 13:24
WOW !!!!! so many replies in 1 night? thanks for all the answers,
My sudden interest, the divorce monster released my chains, and now I have some money, and a say in what I do with my life :) :eek:
As I say I am a lucky guy, I live/work in Canada, but my employer will fly me anywhere in the world at their cost, 4 times per year, so i intend to make full use of the flights and dive the whole planet !!!! ha ha ha ha ( for as close to free as i can) I actually livein Hartlepool, and its where I am going to when I head home, in 3 weeks or so, I will try and look the club up on line.
Once again thanks for all the answers, I will certainly try and be a full contributor to this forum, now I have found you all.
Peace !
kath2407
29-12-2008, 13:28
Hmmmm, without meaning to get into semantics I think we needs a smaller location. For some, NE England can be as are here in Leeds!!! However, on teh BSAC website there is a list of training centres (which will possibley offer a more "PADI" style training programme) and also clubs for on going club training.
I agree with Roz and Christian (a bit odd!!) For the purposes of pool training, yes - dont buy anything. Possibley for first couple of OW dives use hire kit, but as soon as you have decided to stick with it get the list that Roz has suggested (with the exception of computer but I'll come to that!).
Travelling means that there will be access to probably both diving and snorkelling and yes a snorkel is a snorkelling piece of equipment it is also very useful. I never take mine in the UK but abroad I often use it on holiday for pootling around. Even off the back of a red sea liveaboard whilst moored up. I've had more than my £15 worth from it.
Incidentally, my fins fit both my dry suit and my booties - not quite sure why. Maybe man fit is different but I only have one pair of fins. Also given that the OP mentions travelling and names warmer climes then I'm going to hazard a guess that the OP-er will be doing more blue than browny-green diving! (Dangerous assumption - prepares to be shot down in flames!)
Computer - don't buy, do it on tables to start off. I made the mistake of going into the dive shop and saying "oh I'll never dive nitrox/accerllerated deco/twin set/gas switching" and bought a computer basedon what diving I was doing at that point. I've just had to fork out additional cash on an upgrade computer to accellerate my deco and get max bottom time.
As a newbie you will think I am speaking in tongues at this point, trust me - wait!!!! This gobbledegook of words will mean something to you when you start your training so hold on!!!
K XX
cushtyken
31-12-2008, 05:46
I honestly thank you all for your words of wisdom, I am excited about getting into the water, it hardly seems possible, especially as I am looking out of my windown, where its currently -48 degrees centigrade. . . . . . . i beleive its warmer on the moon?
I am thinking about doing an intense diving school on the redsea, i have looked at some sites and they all seem to be able to offer the courses, so unless you can give me some "that school is great, or that school is not", I will book one and fill you in on the outcome.
As for buying gear, it seems there is a split here, "buy or dont buy", just for the record, "if" a chap was to buy some gear what would a chap need and where would it be best purchased ? on line or at a shop, I am happy for your experiences.
I dont want much for my dollar do i? typical cheeky chappie.
Once again thanks for the help and advice thus far:eek:
Tony Dwyer
31-12-2008, 12:41
I honestly thank you all for your words of wisdom, I am excited about getting into the water, it hardly seems possible, especially as I am looking out of my windown, where its currently -48 degrees centigrade. . . . . . . i beleive its warmer on the moon?
Depends how you measure it. During the day in the sunlight, it's damn hot.
At night it gets well below -48c
I am thinking about doing an intense diving school on the redsea, i have looked at some sites and they all seem to be able to offer the courses, so unless you can give me some "that school is great, or that school is not", I will book one and fill you in on the outcome.
Ocean College
Emporer Divers
Red Sea College
To name but three.
As for buying gear, it seems there is a split here, "buy or dont buy", just for the record, "if" a chap was to buy some gear what would a chap need and where would it be best purchased ? on line or at a shop, I am happy for your experiences.
What will you need? There is no simple answer. Once you have done some training you'll have a better idea of what you really need / want.
Loads of stuff, depending on how/where you will be diving. If it's mostly tropical then not all that much, the list below is not exhaustive, merely indicative.
Mask
Fins (strap type)
boots
Wetsuit or drysuit (location determines how thick a wetsuit)
undersuit (see above ish)
hood
gloves
Snorkel (some will say you don't need one. I do lots of snorkelling while abroad as well as diving)
Regulator sets (yes more than one - you choose - there's lots)
BC (Buoyancy Compensator aka BCD in American :( )
Cyllinder(s) (for use at home - too heavy to travel mostly)
Weight belt (leave weights at home) - Your BC may have an integrated weight system, so you might not want one
DSM
SMB
Torches (note plural)
Knife, cutters of some sort
Dive computers (I always have two with me)
Dive tables (you choose which)
Watch
Photography equipment (that's a book all by itself)
DPV
Re-breather set (maybe eventually)
Dive slates
buddy line
Line Reels (yes more than one)
EPIRB
Flares
Goody bag
A Boat!
Have you got the point yet?
Buy anything where fit is important in a shop. Mask especially.
Only buy online once you KNOW what you are buying. Elsewise it's astonishingly easy to waste money. Shop around, many shops will be intent on selling you what they want to sell rather than what you need.
ChristianG
01-01-2009, 13:50
What will you need? There is no simple answer. Once you have done some training you'll have a better idea of what you really need / want.
Loads of stuff, depending on how/where you will be diving. If it's mostly tropical then not all that much, the list below is not exhaustive, merely indicative.
Mask
SNIP
Tony, you were not nearly exhaustive enough. :eek:
There are a number of things that you actually forgot to mention, such as those stupid "don't lose the knife" tethers for one, the subject of another current post, but then again, who am I to argue? ;)
Well I reckon Roz is spot on.
You can get a USD, low volume frameless mask for £16 (doesnt get broken).
A basic snorkel with drain for £9
A pair of zipped boots for £20
A set of Mares Avanti 3's for £25.
A Gekko for £140 or at the very least a D-Timer for £65.
Ok so lots of beg/borrow/hire comments until you know what you want, but
how long is that going to be? Many divers take 2 or 3 years of holiday
bimbling before they decide what they want, so in the meantime how great
will it be using rubbish personal stuff?
You'll be in the carribean, so will be snorkelling. Any shop monkey will show
you how a mask fits. Unless you live in a cave you should know your shoe
size and even if you dont like the fins, a branded fin wont lose much s/hand.
Reason for the computer is that most consoles will have an analogue gauge
which gets hammered on hire units and can be hard to read. You are talking
US of A sphere, so it will be in feet, not metric. You'll also have no way of
guaging ascent rates other than bubbles and what youy equally inexperinced
buddy is doing (assuming the guide is a bit gung ho).
If you get into Nitrox then having an accurate method of working out Nitrogen
loading and a very clear max depth is to say the least important.
Gekko's can be bought new for about £140-£150 and still fetch 3 figures on
ebay s/hand. So worse case in 5 years time you get into mixed gas you
might lose £30-£40. Big deal :rolleyes:
Yes you'll change the odd bit of kit as you progress and hindsight from many
makes advice a little cautious, but it's these very mistakes that shape our
diving and make us learn.
Besides we are talking 5 basic items here and nothing that cant be ebayed.
Get your own basics now.
Tony Dwyer
01-01-2009, 17:25
Well I reckon Roz is spot on.
You can get a USD, low volume frameless mask for £16 (doesnt get broken).
A basic snorkel with drain for £9
A pair of zipped boots for £20
A set of Mares Avanti 3's for £25.
A Gekko for £140 or at the very least a D-Timer for £65.
Ok so lots of beg/borrow/hire comments until you know what you want, but
how long is that going to be? Many divers take 2 or 3 years of holiday
bimbling before they decide what they want, so in the meantime how great
will it be using rubbish personal stuff?
You'll be in the carribean, so will be snorkelling. Any shop monkey will show
you how a mask fits. Unless you live in a cave you should know your shoe
size and even if you dont like the fins, a branded fin wont lose much s/hand.
Reason for the computer is that most consoles will have an analogue gauge
which gets hammered on hire units and can be hard to read. You are talking
US of A sphere, so it will be in feet, not metric. You'll also have no way of
guaging ascent rates other than bubbles and what youy equally inexperinced
buddy is doing (assuming the guide is a bit gung ho).
If you get into Nitrox then having an accurate method of working out Nitrogen
loading and a very clear max depth is to say the least important.
Gekko's can be bought new for about £140-£150 and still fetch 3 figures on
ebay s/hand. So worse case in 5 years time you get into mixed gas you
might lose £30-£40. Big deal :rolleyes:
Yes you'll change the odd bit of kit as you progress and hindsight from many
makes advice a little cautious, but it's these very mistakes that shape our
diving and make us learn.
Besides we are talking 5 basic items here and nothing that cant be ebayed.
Get your own basics now.
I have to agree. I rather use stuff that I know personally and know fits than hire gear, which is nearly always something of a compromise.
I am thinking about doing an intense diving school on the redsea, i have looked at some sites and they all seem to be able to offer the courses, so unless you can give me some "that school is great, or that school is not", I will book one and fill you in on the outcome.
Ken
If you are looking at doing an intense course overseas then there are a number of posters on here who can offer advice, Steve in Sharm comes to mind if you are looking at the Red Sea.
Whilst this is the BSAC site, it might well be worth doing a PADI OW (open water) course.
A 'referral' course may well be worthwhile. You can potentially do this with both the BSAC & PADI. Completing the theory & potentially the sheltered water (pool) training in the UK prior to going overseas. PADI does have the advantage of elearning. Where you learn the theory online.
One thing I will say at about intense course is that they are very good if you are water confident & work well under pressure.
I originally qualified on a weeks course in Eilat, many, many years ago. I did both the theory & the practical during the week. It was quite intense making for long days, although I did enjoy it immensely.
Generally I would recommend doing the theory & pool in the UK. This gives you the opportunity to get to grips with the theory & skills prior to getting overseas where you are under a time pressure.
Gareth
PS. This does mean that you 'should' have enough information to buy the basics prior (& try them) prior to the open water part of your training.
(What usually will happen is that you will buy them from the shop attached to the school, at least mask, fins & snorkel, if you do insist on being allowed to try them in the pool, your face changes shape with a regulator stuffed in your gob!)
tropical_shark
02-01-2009, 10:25
My advise would be to only look at kit while you are training! Maybe get a mask and a snorkel, part way through when you know how to test whether they fit! Dont buy anything expensive as you may find that you dont get on with diving and then you wont have all the kit to sell or return! Also as you do training you will learn more about what you want and need and become more familiar with everything! If you are going to be traveling to dive you have to remember you have to get your kit into a luggage bag, and there is a lot of problems going on with weight and whether diving is a sport, paying excess etc, which i think most people are familiar with! If you find you wont be diving/travelling as much, it might work out cheaper to hire kit! Just carrying a little bottle of disinfectant might work out better! Also when hiring you get to try out different equipment and different brands etc and you might find something that works better than something you have used before! Always worth waiting until you know what you want and not taking other peoples recommendations as these might not be right for you!
Alan White
02-01-2009, 15:20
Ken
Agree fully with much of what has been said.
It is most likely that the kit you buy in the early days will not remain with you for long as you get to know what's what and how it should feel to you.
The two most important things that seem missed by other postings are;
Enjoy loosing your Dive Virginity....it's a wonderful moment and
Enjoy the new world of diving, it's all about having fun but in a safe as possbile way.
Good luck wherever you learn to dive, but if you learn in Sharm etc. do not then go and jump straight in in UK or Canada thinking it's much the same, because it really is not......and its a mistake that can cost you your life!
Once qualified, you learn to dive, dive as much as you can and broaden your experience, with others of more experience than you...
just like loosing your virginity really!!:)
Good luck and enjoy.
katdiver
05-01-2009, 11:29
Yes, start off on the PADI route. Get yourself a referral back in the UK and finish off your course by completing your open water training dives in a tropical location.:D Many divers I qualify start off on this. After all who wants to spend time on classes when a shining, warm sea is calling and your holiday time is ticking away?
I don't have much to add, but can thoroughly recommend Aquanorth, top guys.
Hello there
The only dive centre I know in the North East of England is Aquanorth. It's run by a guy called Gary Mauston, who has been teaching diving, I guess, since the early 1990's, so you will be in good hands.
http://www.aquanorth.co.uk/
Aquanorth Diving Centre, 17A Coast Road, Heaton,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7RN
Telephone: (0191) 266 6626 or (0191) 240 3666
email: enquiries@aquanorth.co.uk
I know that we've discussed this in the past, so the following information has been posted before. Nigel made a sound point about hiring/borrowing kit for awhile because you don't know what you don't know. You need to have dived awhile to start forming ideas of what you want in your equipment and which route you wish to follow. Ie, are you a Ford Ka man? Or perhaps a BMW. Or may be you will be Lotus man. To get the most out of it you need to have experience of diving before you buy your kit. That said, I would buy straight away a dive computer, a mask, a snorkel, a set of fins and some booties, and this is why.
Whether you are diving or snorkelling, one way to get into the water is to walk down to the waters edge. You won't always be jumping in straight from a boat, so I would suggest that you get yourself a decent pair of diving boots. These are hard soled boots, so ideal for trogging around resort in, and invaluable when shore diving. You'll soon find that some of the areas you want to snorkel or dive from are rocky shores, or covered in stones and pebbles or hot sand. Boots are the way to go. I think they cost about £15 ish, and I'd recommend that you go with a zipped pair, rather than a pull on pair.
If you're wearing boots, you'll want boat or shoe fins. ie, something with a foot pocket and a fin strap. There is a plethora of fins on the market. I've got four pairs and none of them are slipper fins. Scubapro, Force Fins, Dacor, Wenoka (I'm a girl, we like buying shoes and fins). If you've got muscular legs, then Mares Plana Avanti or Quattros are both superb fins. If you've not such well developed legs these fins can sometimes give you cramp. Scubapro, Mares, Oceanic, Dacor to name but a few manufacturers all do good fins. Expect to pay about £40. Try on a fin (whilst wearing your boot) and see what it feels like. Wiggle your leg around. Does the foot pocket squeeze/rub the top of your foot? Does your foot slop about in the pocket. The best thing you can do is seek professional advice and go and visit your local friendly dive shop. They will help fit your boots and your fins.
As for a mask, probably the very best one I have dived recently is by Atomic. But you are looking at 'a Bentley mask' here, I think they retail about £90? I am real kit monster though. An average mask should cost you about £40. Try a number on and see what is comfortable for you. That's important. Not what you look like. We all look a little strange in our masks.
Why do diving masks cost more than those from supermarkets? Generally the silicone used is of a higher quality, so is far softer on your face. Supermarket masks can feel like putting a pavement slab on your face, because the silicone is so hard and unforgiving.
It's worth getting a neoprene cover for the strap, called a slap strap. This stops the latex/rubber strap from riding up when you are snorkelling. Also you can sew your telephone number onto the neoprene so that in the unlikely event you drop your mask, someone just might find it and ring you to return it. Expect to pay about £35 - £45 for a mask. If you look after it, a mask will last you years.
As for a snorkel, worth getting one where you can replace the mouthpiece should you bite it through. This can happen. Just replace the mouthpiece. A good one to consider is the SeaCure. Custom Divers sell them. www.customdivers.com 01737 773 000. If you give them a ring, they will tell you where you local dive shop is. This mouthpiece can be moulded to the shape of your mouth, so reduces jaw fatigue.
Go for a snorkel with a draining valve, otherwise you end up with a little bit of water swooshing around in the u bend, and that is rather tedious. Other than that they are much of a muchness really. About £15 I think? Hydrotech 01455 274 841 are doing an economical snorkel at present. (I've just bought myself a new one). www.underwaterworld.co.uk
Where would I buy this lot? Well I'd go to a dive centre as you will get good, honest advice at the dive centre. You can feel it. You can try it on. The staff will make sure it fits you ok and that you are comfortable in the equipment. You cannot get any of these experiences online. And if you do want to learn to dive, then this is the place you'll be going to, to buy airfills etc. Why not start drinking their tea early on.
I'd buy something like a small string bag to carry this all in. From memory I think Beaver do a snorkelling bag. I think that Ralf Tech does a pretty sexy one as well.
Finally I'd buy a Dive Computer. You will be taught tables when you learn to dive. You use tables to plan your dive. However, you will be doing a remarkable amount of travelling, so having your own computer is handy. I personally like the Uwatec Aladin Prime and the Smart Z. They are easy to read and simple to understand, and as your experience develops, you will grow into them.
I know that you are travelling, but it is well worth joining a diving club such as BSAC. That way you will get the most from your equipment and as an international traveller it also means that you have some instant friends in town. There are a number of us on this forum who are a member of BSAC Direct as we travel a lot. This means we benefit from being a member of BSAC, receiving third party insurance and a diving magazine. And it allows us to dive with fellow BSAC divers.
I hope that this is helpful. Good luck with it all.
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