A question for divers?
I'm going to be doing my advanced PADI end of this month, and i figure now is the time to start building up my own kit. With the exception of mask and fins (which i already have), and bearing in mind i will have to build it up slowly, what should i be looking to buy first?
Answers:
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You didn't say where you're going to be doing your Advanced Open Water course, but I agree that your own suit/boots should be next on your list. Being cold on a dive is the WORST! It leads to higher air consumption (because you tend to breathe faster), and reduces your your ability to deal with problems underwater (because it's harder to concentrate).Being cold is especially unpleasant if you know you have to go back in again later that day--that's why you'll often see Instructors wearing drysuits when their divers are comfortable in semi-dries or even wetsuits! (AOW courses are often conducted over a weekend, so you'll have to do 5 dives in 2 days, and your Instructor might have to do more than that, if other students want to do different dives to you).
Choice of suit should be based on expected temperature at depth, bearing in mind that at 30 m (100 ft), which is the maximum depth allowed for your Deep Adventure Dive, a wetsuit will be 1/4 of the thickness it was at the surface, i.e. a suit which is only just keeping you comfortable at 10 m (33 ft)probably won't be enough at 30 m, even though deeper dives tend to be shorter.
I use the following guide for myself (but I'm tall and skinny and tend to chill quickly):
35°C -- skinsuit (protects against sunburn)
30-35°C (86-95F) -- shortie wetsuit (3-5 mm)
25-30°C (77-86F) -- long suit (5 mm)
20-25°C (68-77F) -- 2-piece wetsuit (5 mm) + hooded undervest (3-5 mm)
15-20°C (64-68F) -- semi-drysuit (5-7mm) + thick (5 mm)hood
<15°C -- drysuit + hood
This also depends on surface temperatures and wind. If the water's cool (20°C) and it's windy, I'd probably prefer the drysuit to the semi-dry, as windchill can make a huge difference to post-dive comfort levels (worth thinking about if you'll be diving from an open boat).
Bear in mind also that the more insulation you wear, the more lead you'll need to get neutral buoyancy. So, if you're going to wear your new suit for the first time on your AOW course, it might be a good idea to do the Peak Performance Buoyancy Dive as the first dive -- ask your Instructor.
A last word regarding suit fitting...
Wetsuits (and to a lesser extent semi-dries) MUST be figure-hugging, otherwise you get cold water sloshing in all the time (but not uncomfortably tight, or it's a hassle to don and doff). Off-the-peg suits don't always fit perfectly (because not everyone has off-the-peg proportions!), but rather than getting a suit built from scratch, it might be cheaper to get an o-t-p suit that _almost_ fits, and take it to a neoprene tailor for adjustment (takes a couple of days, because the seams have to be reglued).
Drysuits need to be baggy enough that you can wear your thermal undersuit under them, but not so baggy that the air (injected during descent to avoid suit squeeze) flows quickly and freely from one end to the other. (A baggy drysuit is also a lot more draggy, so you have to work harder to swim it through the water).
I wish you all the best for your course, and your future diving adventures!
don't know.
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Buy a Scuba mask first, duh!no fricken clue
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Wet suit? underwater camera. a knife in case you get caught on something. a comfortable regulator.Black swimmers can't swim as well as white swimmers? Fact or fiction?
BC, Regulator, Dive ComputerLove having my own BC especially when an emergency happens, you know where stuff is.
Regulator becuase you know (or should know) it condition and become familliar with it.
Dive computer so you don't have to take some Dive Masters word that all the dives are planned correctly. You know you can or cannot do the next scheduled dive.
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You are Going to Be Heading For the BOTTOM of Some Body of Water in the near Future---It Can Get Pretty Cold Down there where the SUN DON'T SHINE---TRUST ME---I've Been a PROFESSIONAL DIVER FOR OVER 70 Years---RETAINING your Body Heat Should be NEXT on your Shopping List---DEPENDING on Where you Dive---You Should Have a 1/8 th or 3/16 inch Short Sleeved Jacket That Goes Under your Crotch or a 5/16 th inch Long Sleeve that Fits the same---ALSO 1/8 th or 3/16 " Short Pants or 5/16 th" Long Legs---Hood,Gloves and Booties,Thickness Accordingly---THAT FIT INSIDE YOUR FLIPPERS WITHOUT CUTTING OFF YOUR CIRCULATION are Optional---According to the Water Temperature Where you Dive....DO A LOT OF SHOPPING---TRY SOME SUITS ON---MAKE SURE IT FITS NATURALLY---COMFORTABLY---A LOOSE WET SUIT Lets water IN---it takes CALORIE energy from you to heat that water up---Consequently a Short UNCOMFORTABLE DIVE---A Suit CAN BE TAKEN IN OR LET OUT,If Need be---Get NYLON on the INSIDE SURFACE AND the OUTSIDE SURFACE OF THE SUIT TOO---it will last a lot longer---CHECK WHEN THE SUIT WAS MADE---RUBBER WILL DETERIORATE OVER TIME---MAKE SURE THE MAJOR SEAMS ARE SEWN TOO---DON'T Let ANYONE tell you it doesn't Need to be---you DONT need a CAR SALESMAN when your Life Depends on it---As For the SELF CONTAINED UNDERWATER BREATHING APPERATUS (SCUBA) The Type,Configuration, Craftsmanship and Brand Depends on YOU---NOT THE SALESMAN---You DONT NEED what ever they are PUSHING this YEAR or WEEK---Tell them "Your STILL Looking" they may Bring out the GOOD Stuff then---DON'T BARGAIN with your LIFE---RESEARCH THE MARKET---LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED---This way YOU WILL be Satisfied with YOUR INVESTMENT---if they have a Pool---Try it out---Safe Diving WITH a BUDDY---Signed---JEM
1. Dive Computer
- you really shouldn't share
- it gives you more dive time than if you're going to use the tables
- it's one of your most important piece of diving equipment
2. Mask, Snorkel, Fin
- you can use these 3 items for snorkelling too
- best to get them as a set
3. Wetsuit/Shorties/Drysuit
- choose the one more appropriate to the temperature of the waters you'd be diving in the most i.e. 3mm, 5mm, 7mm
4. BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) + Regulator-Octopus-Gauges Set
- it's best to get these as a set
- even if you don't get these, you can rent them easily
5. Tank
- not entirely necessary
- get it if you really really want to
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Dawny, je_marri has excellent advise. Do the wetsuit first. Nylon on both sides makes a durable suit, that is easier to get into. IF you are going to venture into cold water, you will need a dry suit, with warm thermal underwear. I would advise that for the wetsuit, you consider a custom made suit made as you want it to be made. Just be very sure that all seams are sewn, and glued. After the suit, get a good regulator, one that you like. Buying refurbished rental/student equipment can save you money, just be sure that the shop refurbishes to like new, or better. The higher the rating of the shop by the organization that licenses them, USUALLY the better. Do shop around though.As far as a bottom time computer goes, I don't like them, and never will. To me, the term "bend-a-matic" will always be a proper description for these meters. Your dive is your business, make sure that you are right, do not depend on others, at least not completely. Always check against your bottom time, and the dive tables for how long that next dive can be. You do know that bottom time is figured from the time that you submerge to the time you surface, and is based on the greatest depth that you were at. Even if it was only 1 minute at 60 feet, to be safe, figure the total time as having been at 60 feet. It is your life, and sport, so be conservative and figure the longer time, at the greatest depth.
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buy a lakeask your local diving shop for what they reccomend for your situation :]
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Hi Dawny,You`ve had some good advice here, and I would certainly buy a good exposure suite suitable to the area you want to dive.
Secondly I would invest in a BCD, then look toward buying a set of Regulators. Again buy the best set you can and look after them as they are your life support system whilst your in the blue.The next for me would be a quality dive watch and a computer, after that you will need a weight system and a Tank but these items are readily available to hire from your local Dive shop, and if you are only planning to dive a few times a year it makes sense to buy when you can afford.
With the exception of a Knife everything else is an extra, Divers are like magpies, we like shiny things..
Enjoy your course, get some experience and enjoy your diving.
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