Got some money to spend ...

[mitachu]

After doing some overtime last weekend I've got about £350 to spend on something and I'd like to buy some diving gear. I've got the basics (weight belt, mask, fins, snorkel, shortie for warm water) so am looking at getting a BCD. I'm only starting out and will hopefully be in a position to dive UK waters but also need a BCD to take on holiday when the time comes. A little bit of looking around has brought up the Cressi Aquapro 5R which I can get brand new for £155. Is this any good? The reviews from shops seem promising...
Are there any other alternatives I could look at?

[TerryH]

After doing some overtime last weekend I've got about £350 to spend on something and I'd like to buy some diving gear. I've got the basics (weight belt, mask, fins, snorkel, shortie for warm water) so am looking at getting a BCD. I'm only starting out and will hopefully be in a position to dive UK waters but also need a BCD to take on holiday when the time comes. A little bit of looking around has brought up the Cressi Aquapro 5R which I can get brand new for £155. Is this any good? The reviews from shops seem promising...
Are there any other alternatives I could look at?

If it fits, then at the end of the day its a bag, so that will do fine for now
and on your hols. It's a good price too.

That still leaves you £200 odd and I'd look at getting a Gekko or failing
that a basic d-timer on a wrist mount.

Gekkos are brilliant value and can be bought for about £140 on the net.

Cheaper at about £60, you cant go wrong with the d-timer.
Ok it's not a computer, but combined with a slate, you can use tables to
work out max time for the depth.
So using a d-timer really disciplines your diving.

HTH
Tel.

[mitachu]

I'm kinda hoping to get the chance to buy a Quantum APEKS computer off someone at a bargain price so the computer should hopefully be covered :D

I guess the next thing would be a cylinder and some regs but I plan to hire these from my local dive shop as and when I go diving. Not much point in buying my own cylinder AFAICS, not unless I'm going to be doing lots of diving. It might be somewhat more worthwhile buying my own set of regs...?

[Gav S]

It's good to choose and have your own regs - you know how they are looked after/treated and you know how they work (where/how they get clipped, what fittings are used, what length the hoses are, whether the mouthpiece is comfy etc. etc.).

On the other hand, regs left in cupboards for lengthy periods tend to develop minor issues – they work best when used regularly – and I’m not sure its a good idea to buy regs if you're planning, or likely to do, just one or two weeks holiday diving a year.

So…it depends. For regular UK diving I would certainly get my own regs, but for occasional holiday diving it’s probably not worth it.

[TerryH]

I'm kinda hoping to get the chance to buy a Quantum APEKS computer off someone at a bargain price so the computer should hopefully be covered :D

I guess the next thing would be a cylinder and some regs but I plan to hire these from my local dive shop as and when I go diving. Not much point in buying my own cylinder AFAICS, not unless I'm going to be doing lots of diving. It might be somewhat more worthwhile buying my own set of regs...?

If its for your hols or UK summer then a cheap club type set will be fine.
Get them serviced at least every two years and that will set you back £50.

You can buy cheap units on fleabay for £100, so add £50 to that for some
cheap diving.

If its cold water though you'll need enviromentally sealed, so start looking
at regs like Apeks. Same £50 odd to service, but will cost more up front.

BTW not all regs need to be serviced annually. Apeks are 2 years on 1st
stages. 1 year on second. If you are just using them on your hols, save
your dosh, 2 years will be fine.

T.