Scuba Divers - Gear?

Hey for all of you Scuba divers out here on the 3Reef, I have some questions. I'm looking into possibly buying my own set of gear so I can play around with some freshwater divers such as with a group called the TURDS (Tennessee Underwater River Divers) haha and such.

Did you buy your own gear or do you rent gear when you go out and dive? If you have your own gear, did you buy it through a dive shop or online?

Any links or other info would be greatly appreciated.

 

BUY IT...i would at least buy my own mask, snorkel, and set of regs. Trust me...i've seen people vomit in a regulator before, doesn't seem very sanitary... they last a really long time so it's a worthwhile investment (as long as it is properly maintained of course). My mom has had her regulator for about 15 years! And she just recently got a new BCD. If you can I would also recommend getting a BCD but it isn't as "personal" of an equipment item.

 

oh umm, as far as buying...if you have a Dive Direct shop, I would go there. Otherwise buy online. I would start with e-bay (but make sure the stuff you get is new and not refurbished or anything like that). First figure out a good brand and model, then hunt for it. Mask I would buy in shop of course. Mares, Dacor, and Cressi are good brands although I think Dacor isn't around anymore.

If Diver's Alert Network has a website, they might be able to recommend some good ones, they have ads in there magazine all the time

 

I have my own mask, fins, and snorkel that I had to buy for the certification. I'm ditching the snorkel, however, I hate it. Unless I'm snorkeling of course. But in Scuba it is just a pain in the rear, and I always have enough air left to breath through my reg at the surface to keep water out of my mouth. Of course, if I were to ever run out of air, having a snorkel for breathing at the surface would be the least of my worries.

 

I suppose it's all about how often you anticipate diving in the future. I have all my own gear, although I've not dived in over 3 years or so. I'm still happy I bought it. The pro's are, no more renting, no breathing off a regulator that's been in someone else's mouth. The con is the expense. It's nice having your own tank, but usually you wind up renting one anyway as most excoursions are the "two tank" variety. (Two dives, not two at once).

And I bought all my gear through a dive shop.

 

Eh I wouldn't fully enjoy having my own cylinder unless I had a fill station for it as well. Because then I'd be able to play around in the local swimming pools, the rock quarry at a local wildlife park near my house, and all kinds of other freshwater adventures.

Right now, I just need to get wet and get alot of dives in. Because my next goal is being a volunteer diver for the TN Aquarium, and I only have 9 of the 25 logged dives needed to do it. They provide all of the life support gear such as BCs and regs, because of insurance reasons and tank health. I provide the fins, wetsuit, and mask.

I wish I could convince them to take me already, since they have some vacancies. I went on some pretty advanced dives in the Bahamas, including wreck dives and night dives. We dove at a wreck where the top of it was at 70 feet and the bottom of the wreck was at 90 feet, it was a 160 foot long cargo ship with a strong current around it. I think that should get me some brownie points

 

There is no question, buy your own gear! Its nice to have your own tank [even without a filling station] but that would be the last piece you need to buy. Get a reg, computer, and a BC first, those are the most important. They are also the most expensive part. What i did was find gear I like and try it out at a dive shop, then go online and find it. my favorite site is
Buy scuba gear, scuba diving and snorkeling equipment, and everything underwater from LeisurePro.com
I hate using rented gear...the other problem is if you dive a lot spending $60 a day to rent gear will easily surpass the price of new gear.

 

divers direct or leisure pro
http://www.diversdirect.com/

 

I rent my gear, because hauling it to Fiji or elsewhere remote locations is a pain.

If I lived near SW, I would probably buy my own.

 

We have 2 scuba suits for sale. REAL cheap.. PM me if you're interested