Equipment for UK diving

[Mr Friday]

I am an advanced open water PADI diver who has only ever been diving in warmer waters !! I am now thinking of purchasing equipment for UK diving and would like some guidance. I have none of my own equipment as have hired it in the past.

Which gear would people recommend to buy new and which second-hand ? Does anyone know of any outlets who sell packages containing all equipment needed instead of buying bits from different places ?

Any help much appreciated.

[Steve Walker]

Which gear would people recommend to buy new and which second-hand ?

I wouldn't buy S/H regs, but anything else should be fine


Does anyone know of any outlets who sell packages containing all equipment needed instead of buying bits from different places ?

Check out package deals as advertised by various retailers in the diving press


Any help much appreciated.

Check the link, lots of information provided by Dominic Humphries.

[david lisk]

For UK diving you will probably want a dry suit not forgetting the additional training required if you have not used a dry suit before. There is also the choice between cuff and auto shoulder dumps which you need to consider.

I have bought most of my gear, by mail order, from Robinhood water sports
www.roho.co.uk and Kent Diving www.kentdiving.co.uk both giving very good value for money, advice and excellent after sales service. You can usually negotiate good deals over the phone if you are buying a range of equipment.

David

I am an advanced open water PADI diver who has only ever been diving in warmer waters !!

I am now thinking of purchasing equipment for UK diving and would like some guidance. I have none of my own equipment as have hired it in the past.

Which gear would people recommend to buy new and which second-hand ? Does anyone know of any outlets who sell packages containing all equipment needed instead of buying bits from different places ?

Any help much appreciated.

[Keith Lawrence(BSAC)]

Hi there (we prefer names on these forums)

Yours is a common problem, that?s why we have dive clubs :-) If you?re buying for the first time, from scratch, then the only thing I can virtually guarantee is that you?ll make mistakes ? I know that I did. The best people to ask for advice is ordinary divers, real people who have paid good money for their kit. Divers love talking about kit, feel free to ask questions, most people will be more than happy to explain things for you.

In all honesty the best advice is for you to get amongst divers and talk to them, your local club would be a good starting point. Remember that even with clubs YOU are the customer. Pay a guest visit to some clubs near you, if you?re not made welcome then try another club! Tell them what you?re after, the chances are they will have a dive program that suits you and bags of experience to help you decide what is best to you.

Dive kit is very personal, what suits me probably wont suit you. Asking what people recommend for dive kit is like asking what?s the ?best? car ? it depends what you want it for, your budget, your experience? So that?s my advice ? find yourself a local dive club, let them get to know you, ask their advice as well as doing your own research and asking around on the net.

HTH

Keith L

[Chris Cherrington]

Three very good replies there - excellent advice. I would only add that with a drysuit you have another source of bouyancy, so if you are short of cash don't waste much on a stab. I have used a secondhand stab for years and only inflate it at the surface so I guess it will never wear out!!

Chris

[Bill Bird]

I am an advanced open water PADI diver who has only ever been diving in warmer waters !! I am now thinking of purchasing equipment for UK diving and would like some guidance. I have none of my own equipment as have hired it in the past.

Which gear would people recommend to buy new and which second-hand ? Does anyone know of any outlets who sell packages containing all equipment needed instead of buying bits from different places ?

Any help much appreciated.

I'm going to echo others and say that equipment is going to very much a personal preference, so you need to read reviews of kit and talk to other divers to see what they've got and why they opted for this. Talk to your local dive shop - because they are a useful place for information (although it helps if you buy at least some of your kit there) and they may have deals on on certain kit. If you are not in am immediate hurry, go to the Dive Show at the EXCEL Centre in Docklands. Lot's of divers, lot's of dealers and some good bargains.

However, I note that you've only been diving in warmer waters, so the one piece of advice that I would give you is that you should really try any new kit out in a pool first (I believe that PADI do drysuit course, as does BSAC, SAA, etc), and then a sheltered water site - Gildenburgh or Stoney Cove. The last thing you want to do is jump into UK waters with little familiarisation with your kit. These are additional reasons why it pays to belong to a UK Dive Club.

Bill

[Mr Friday]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I will take the advice of joining a local dive club, I feel I also need some sort of course to familiarise myself with a drysuit.

In the meantime I will do some research with prices and ask people when I join a club.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

[Andy Shum]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I will take the advice of joining a local dive club, I feel I also need some sort of course to familiarise myself with a drysuit.

In the meantime I will do some research with prices and ask people when I join a club.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

If its possible, borrow from club members, try out several different makes and compare them in the pool, eg. BCs / regs / fins, to see what you'd like/dislike about them. Very good before you splash out your hard earned cash.

With suits its going to be more difficult, as finding someone else with your size is hit and miss. Speak to drysuit divers and hopefully they will give you some good advice.

There is a familarisation course, as with everything else lots of practice in the pool, especially those drills to stop feet first uncontrolled ascents.

cheers
Andy

[siltmonkey]

Dive clubs are a great way to meet divers and go diving, in fact probably the easiest initially, until you have enough contacts not to need the club.

As for equipment by all means try as much as you can, but I would avoid asking most club members, indeed most divers, for advice. Most people are badly informed about diving equipment by well-meaning but equally ill-informed instructors/senior members etc.

Check out www.bitz.fsnet.co.uk. Also, the link to dominic humphries site (see Steve Walker's post earlier) is excellent. They shoud start you thinking for yourself about what kit you really need, rather than simply accepting the first answer from someone who's been diving for 30 years.

cheers

r



:=Thanks for the advice guys.
:=
:=I will take the advice of joining a local dive club, I feel I also need some sort of course to familiarise myself with a drysuit.
:=
:=In the meantime I will do some research with prices and ask people when I join a club.
:=
:=Thanks again. Much appreciated.

If its possible, borrow from club members, try out several different makes and compare them in the pool, eg. BCs / regs / fins, to see what you'd like/dislike about them. Very good before you splash out your hard earned cash.

With suits its going to be more difficult, as finding someone else with your size is hit and miss. Speak to drysuit divers and hopefully they will give you some good advice.

There is a familarisation course, as with everything else lots of practice in the pool, especially those drills to stop feet first uncontrolled ascents.

cheers
Andy

[Bill Bird]

Dive clubs are a great way to meet divers and go diving, in fact probably the easiest initially, until you have enough contacts not to need the club.

I'm sorry but the whole idea of being in a club is that you take AND give, and build up a group of friends all undertking the sport/pastime that you enjoy. The thought of cynically using and dumping a club once you've got what you want out of it isn't an attitude I'd like to see encouraged, or like to see advocated on the discussion pages of the BSAC site - which is after all a club! If you join a club, then I think you should stick with it unless there is a fundamental and irreconcilable difference in attitudes, and even then I think you need to accept that people won't always agree with all of your opinions and perservere with membership - especially if you've still got a circle of friends there.

[david tombs]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I will take the advice of joining a local dive club, I feel I also need some sort of course to familiarise myself with a drysuit.

In the meantime I will do some research with prices and ask people when I join a club.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

I honestly would not advise anyone joining a BSAC club,unless you want lots of fun,excellent help and a well thoughtout diving developement plan.