Scuba divers! Can you help me with some basics?

Question

I've only been on a couple of dives and need a little help buying my first scuba kit.

I will be doing shallow dives at first (I think 60 feet or less is considered shallow, is it not?), before moving on to deeper dives. Will be primarily in cold fresh water lakes and in tropical oceans perhaps once or twice a year.

Money is not a big concern, would rather get a good kit now than have to re buy my equipment as I gain in experience and move on to deeper dives. Not sure whether or not a Nitrox kit is necessary or not, what would you recommend? What is required in upgrading a scuba kit to nitrox?

Also, when filling tanks for regular air mixtures, is it simply regular air (21%). Is a specialized compressor needed? Are they expensive? Can I simply buy a new compressor that will only be used for my breathing apparatus?

Thanks.

Any other tips you might think of will help. I am scheduled to take a PADI course soon, however they are far away and I am not able to stop in and talk.

Answer 1

With regard to the kit, read the reviews. I personally love the A.P. Valves BCDs (from the UK) although Aqualung make a very good alternative (worldwide). The A.P. stuff has a lifetime warranty if you maintain serviced regularly. It is also no more expensive than the others!

Regulators: Check local laws (I do not know where you are) but see if you can buy one set that will do both tasks. Nitrox is great once you have done the theory. If not, leave the Nitrox for now and buy Apeks or Aqua-lung regs.

When your tank is filled it is with regular air (21%). However, this air is heavily filtered and dried. You cannot do this with a regular air compressor. The SCUBA ones are expensive and specialised. Do not bother for now, get your tank filled by a decent dive shop.

As for the rest of the kit (fins, mask etc), see if you can hire or borrow to ensure you are comfortable with it before you buy.

Good luck and don't get ripped off!

Answer 2

Welcome to the wonderful (and expensive) world of SCUBA.

To try to answer your questions in the order you wrote them...

your kit shouldn't distinguish between shallow and deep dives.  All recreational SCUBA gear should be certified to at least 50m (150 feet) if it isn't don't consider it.

If you are diving in "cold" water, look out for regulators which are rated for use at below 10C - these work fine in warm waters, too.

Money may not be a "big concern" but try to budget the best you can before you buy - it is amazing how much money you can (and will) spend.

Regulators are (normally) nitrox ready (up to 40% O2) out of the box.  Brand new cylinders are as well.

All you have to do is to only put "clean" air in them and they will stay that way , but they will need cleaning and servicing every year to keep the necessary "oxygen service".

I bought a personal filter to give an extra stage of cleaning to the air from the compressor for when I couldn't guarantee the quality of the compressor while in dive trips.

Most divers don't buy their own compressor, relying on dive centres to do it for them - find one which you are happy with and use them.

Nitrox is a great option for improving safety for shallow diving and you should keep an open mind about it.

So with the kit compatible when you buy it there is no problem later.

BCD's are also nitrox compatible up to 40% O2

The best tip I can give you is to go to a dive centre where they are knowledgable and freindly; take your time and find the kit you are comfortable with.

Make sure the BCD fits - try it with the cylinder size you want to use, try it wearing a wet/dry suit; is it easy to clip together (especially with cold gloved hands).

Some regulators can give jaw ache if the mouth piece is wrong for you; some are easier to breathe off than others (and this can change depending on depth); some have "tuning dials" which allow you to change the breathing resistance - look - try - decide.

Sorry if there is no "buy this one" advice here - we are all different and I am sure my kit wouldn't be right for most people but it's great for me

Depending on how much you intend to dive you might want to consider hiring the kit for a while to get a better idea.

---edit---

I just read Scuba Bob's reply to the other question and he is right about the computer.  I would ALWAYS advise getting one which does nitrox as it makes virtually no difference to the price.

His bit about "catching fire" is a little extreme - there is a problem with O-ring compatibility (they perish quickly if they are not compatible) and don't get a titanium regulator if you want to use nitrox (but given the price, who would want to?)

Answer 3

you shouldn't be diving until you've done the course... if you die or have an accident you wont be inssured and the hyperbaric chambers wont take you in... plus if you go to a dive shop to buy kit they wont let you purchase kit until your on a course...

sorry to dissapoint...