Hello - advice please

[gunner]

hello all,

i am new to this forum and diving. we (mrs gunner and myself) enrolled on the padi course but, due to work and holidays, cant do it until early september.

currently our thinking is that we wont be doing alot of diving in the uk due to the cold waters (a bit woossy i know!) but we are already looking at what equipment we should buy.

so advice please on what gear we will need and what order to buy it in as we cant afford to buy the lot in one go!

would you advise buying second hand gear? should we wait until we have done the course?

all advice would be very welcome

thanks

[chas49]

Originally Posted by gunner

hello all,

i am new to this forum and diving. we (mrs gunner and myself) enrolled on the padi course but, due to work and holidays, cant do it until early september.

currently our thinking is that we wont be doing alot of diving in the uk due to the cold waters (a bit woossy i know!) but we are already looking at what equipment we should buy.

so advice please on what gear we will need and what order to buy it in as we cant afford to buy the lot in one go!

would you advise buying second hand gear? should we wait until we have done the course?

all advice would be very welcome

thanks

I would suggest waiting until you've done the OW course before you spend too much. You might want to buy your own mask and fins I guess - but even for this you might be as well to wait and see what you think of the stuff the school lends you.

Don't rush in and buy everything in one go - you'll almost certainly want to change something if you do.

Do consider UK diving - it's not that cold (in the summer) - and with the right kit you can dive all year round (which makes the equipment cost per dive seem a bit more reasonable.)

Oh - and welcome to YD - you may find you spend a lot of time on here

[EdHornby]

Hello Gunner (and Mrs Gunner) !!!

best thing is to do the course first, there will always be time to hammer the credit cards afterwards and you'll be able to try out their gear first. Second-hand gear can be perfectly fine - if you check out the ads here there are often good deals to be had, and no shortage of advice. you don't need to buy all in one go either

... but don't give up on UK diving yet, you might just like it, we do :-)

most importantly, have fun

[EdHornby]

bloomin heck chaz - we must have been typing in tandem :-)

[BigG]

If you think you will only be diving abroad, I'd suggest getting a your own mask, fins and snorkle (so you can use them at the beach - for free) and hiring the rest when on holiday.

Renting isn't cheap at the time, but then buying a load of kit that doesn't get used and needs servicing isn't cheap either. It depends on how many dive holidays you will go on and how many dives you actuall do whilst there.

Food for thought

Gaz

[chas49]

Originally Posted by EdHornby

bloomin heck chaz - we must have been typing in tandem :-)

I was just going to say that

[gunner]

thanks guys,

i think i may dive in the uk but currently mrs gunner is not considering it. we go on 3 or 4 holidays a year but i also mountain bike so 1 or 2 of my hols are mtb holidays. Cyprus looks a good locat - any thoughts? especially as there is mtb in the troodos mountains

[recurve]

Please consider diving in the UK throughout the year, it's not that bad once you get used to the lack of feeling in your hands

I can almost guarantee that if you buy much of your kit at this stage, you will want to change it again within the first 12 months of diving, it's in the genes of ALL divers, we crave new shiny stuff.

Spend time in a dive shop you trust, finding a mask that fits you perfectly, the right choice will last you for years and a badly fitting mask is enough to put you off diving completely.

The rest of the stuff, rent, beg, borrow (I'll draw the line at steal) until you've had a taster of several options. You'll find YDers a friendly bunch, who will often let you try their personal gear so you can get a flavour of what it's like.

Requests for advice about specific equipment will almost always result in contradictions, as there is quite a bit of personal taste, but please do ask, as you will put together enough information to help you make an informed choice.


Oh, I didn't follow my own advice, and have changed nearly my entire kit configuration within 18 months, with the exception of gloves, boots and dive computer.

[gunner]

everyones seems to mention (make it your first buy etc) dive computers - what do they do, or more importantly what do they need to do?

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by gunner

everyones seems to mention (make it your first buy etc) dive computers - what do they do, or more importantly what do they need to do?

not often I recommend reading this place