New Diver What Kit To Buy

[carwyn.humphreys]

Hi all, I have just started my ocean diver course and I am trying to work out what kit to buy? I have been looking on the simply scuba website and there are various package deals but I can not work out the difference between the different models of Regs? I have decided I am going to get the T force one (scubapro) bcd, but have no idea of the differnce in regs? Anyone got any suggestions?

[Gav S]

Not sure of your circumstances but, assuming your club will supply regs during your OD course, and assuming this will run over a period of a few weeks, I would take the chance to try the different regs and generally get some idea of what you like/dislike (even just in terms of comfort, or whether you want a console or whatever else occurs to you). Also gives time to get a bit more opinion - what do others have and what do they think. Finally, if you delay buying just for the moment, you can go to few shops and see/handle the gear before buying.

If I was buying for the first time and brand new I would go to a well stocked shop and discuss the options (though of course with an idea of price in mind).

Saying that, I bought both my sets so far second hand and simply bought Apeks because of all the standard good reviews/opinion they attract - easy to have serviced, cold water suitable, good reputation, no frills. Only really replaced TX40s with ATX40s as I wanted a smaller 2nd stage size. TX40 now on Pony, woo-hoo.

edit: Okay,okay, wanted a smaller 2nd stage size and a slightly longer Octopus hose and different gauges and a DIN fitting...

[AndyA]

Hi, Ive just finished Ocean diver and was in your situation a few months back. If you are going to be diving in the UK you obviously need something suitable for cold water. From what Ive found Apex seem the standard BSAC club reg, they are apparently very reliable and easy to maintain. Therefore when buying for themselves many chose to stay with the Apex brand. Also purchase depends on what your local shops sell and maintain. A number of people at my club use Aqualung and our LDS sell and maintain them so I bought a set of Titon LX Supreme and have been very happy with them. It really comes down to what you want to spend.

[NickBCotswold]

hi carwyn

I'm a new OD too, and also bought the scubapro t-force bc, as part of a packege deal at the london dive show back in feb/march time (crikey, that long ago?!)

if you can wait to go to the next show which is 13/14 Oct in birmingham, sure you can pick up a deal.....

the package I had put together was the scubapro bc (which i love!), mares proton metal reg/octopus, 12lt fabre cyl (nitrox tested), suunto triple modular console - then bought various bits pieces, clips etc.....

all in all saved approx £150 buying as a package - had benefit of attending with my DO and listened to his advise......

[PeteM]

Hi all, I have just started my ocean diver course and I am trying to work out what kit to buy? I have been looking on the simply scuba website and there are various package deals but I can not work out the difference between the different models of Regs? I have decided I am going to get the T force one (scubapro) bcd, but have no idea of the differnce in regs? Anyone got any suggestions?

Yep - don't buy anything apart from a mask for now. If you must, add fins and snorkel but nothing else yet.

About a third of people give up within a year, some do not even finish the OD course. If you leave it for a while you will

Be sure you are going to keep diving
Have tried a few different things and therefore have a better idea what you want and what you are going to do with it
Have a better idea of the type of diving you are going to be doing
Have a better knowledge base to help you choose
Have a better knowledge base to tell whether people are giving you good advice or not
Have enough experience to be able to have some chance of telling rubbish second hand kit from good


Lots of people rush into buying kit and then regret it, try to avoid becoming one of them

[R.Burgess]

Hi Carwyn.
Assuming your learning through a branch, most branches either have or through the generosity of their members can lend you just about everything you'll need apart from a suit.
There's no getting away from it, a full set of new dive kit is lot of money for most of us. As for 2nd hand, there's 2 kinds of 2nd hand gear. Disintergrating dive gear thats had it, from people like me and dive gear that was bought brand new and never used by people that gave up during training. Both kinds of 2nd hand dive gear is usually available at around half retail. There should be plenty of 2nd hand nearly new dive gear around because you can estimate 1 in 4 members in a dive club wont be members next year. Based on past experience 3 out 4 new club members quit diving and the club within the first year or two.

Due to the high fall-out of new members the best advice I could give is complete your Ocean diver course first before laying out money on kit. When you have completed your ocean diver consider carefully, do you have the time to participate regulary in the branches activities. There are no fixed rules but to develop and maintain any diving skills we teach, you need to dive regularly. 25 dives a year was once considered a minimum amount of diving to maintain sport diver standard. I'd say if you can't do this, hire dive gear and only dive with a dive guide. Although many members dive less and I'd expect they'd disagree.

I'd choose a Scubapro din fitting mk2 reg, with the cheapest 2nd stage and octopus, don't bother with consoles, keep it simple just a pressure gauge. Look for a 2nd hand buddy jacket in good nick, don't be tempted by the auto air its crap and dump the suicide bottle. A well fitting mask, Lidell have sold some good masks for very little and a cheap pair of fins. Many of us started with heavy rubber jet fin clones, they were virtually indestructable, I salvaged a couple of pairs out of a skip once. They are heavy and help keep your feet down, which is probably better than light plastic fins and ankle weights. Get a dive timer, a compass, a couple of 12 litre cylinders and a weight belt, some people have made good belts out of truck inner tube. A kitchen devil in a piece of plastic tubing with a dog clip is all the dive knife you'll need. Even though you have Ocean diver certificate, at this stage your still learning to dive. New divers take quite a while to learn to relax, get their ballast right, learn buoyancy control, sort out their trim, get a good fin stroke and develop their water fitness and most people are air hoovers at first. The best way I know to develop good basic diving skills and get beyond being another furiously finning, silt kicking, hand swimming, yo-yoing ocean diver, is regular long dives in shallow water, less than 12m, 3-6m is fine. You dont need computers, pony's, twin sets, reels and smb's, slates and all the other Christmas tree trimmings and no torch required. If you live down south I'd say get a wet suit and start diving in the spring. If you rack up some 80 dives, by Oct you'll be an up and coming sport diver ready to consider some better kit. If your one of the many that doesn't take to diving, you'd lose next to nothing selling off gear like this, particularly if you bought reasonably new 2nd hand stuff.

[whitenoise]

As someone who is (hopefully) going to start the OD training soon, there is some excellent advice from everyone there! Let me get a pen and jot down all these useful pointers! :)

Not sure I qualify for giving advice since I've not actually started yet (although did qualify on a PADI OW a few years ago), I definately agree about waiting to buy your own kit. I'm hoping to pick up a mask, fins+boots and a snorkel at the dive show but thats all for the moment. These are more personal items which I think you need to own, rather than rent. I do find myself looking at shiny Atomic regs though ;)

[carwyn.humphreys]

Thanks for the advice guys at the mo I have my own mask, snorkel, mares fins and boots I think I will take your advice I will be attending the dive show on the 14th as well so I think I'll play it by here and see what deals are going there? Has anyone been before and had any good deals?

Cheers Carwyn!

[PeteM]

Thanks for the advice guys at the mo I have my own mask, snorkel, mares fins and boots I think I will take your advice I will be attending the dive show on the 14th as well so I think I'll play it by here and see what deals are going there? Has anyone been before and had any good deals?

Cheers Carwyn!

There are bargains to be had but don't get over excited and buy things just because they are there and cheap.

I've seen far too many students buy inappropriate kit that they off load at a huge loss in months

[R.Burgess]

Use your local dive shop.
You need them for air fills.
You need someone to service the diving equipment you have and will fix it or replace it if things go wrong.
If you want to bargain, ask them to price match.
Accept you will have to pay a little more for convenience.

I get good service from my local dive shop, its a state of mutual dependance. When or if local divers agree a local supplier is not giving good service, it shuts down.

[Gav S]

I get good service from my local dive shop, its a state of mutual dependance. When or if local divers agree a local supplier is not giving good service, it shuts down.

Hi, used to live in Kilmarnock (well before I started diving though) and still about from time to time on visits - where abouts is the local dive shop up there? Last time I came up I went over to Troon Marina - thought there was a shop there (and there is still a name on the gates) but the Chandler said it had been shut for years... Anything around Ayr/Kilmarnock now or would it be Largs? Just out of interest.

Cheers.