What items of SCUBA equipment should I (a novice) buy first?

Question

I use club equipment but want to start building up my own stash. What, and in what order, should I get?

I wear glasses so don't worry about goggles, Mum said she'd get me a prescription pair for my birthday.

Thanks!

Answer 1

We bought stuff in the following order:

Mask/fins/snorkel - required for class

Wet suits - just don't like wearing ones others have used

Regulators w/guages

BCs and weights

Computers

We bought the computers last because we wanted to get familiar with diving guages and learn to mentally keep track of time and air use, and also to learn the proper rigor of dive planning.

With wrist mounted computers getting better and better, if I was starting over I'd actually consider starting out with standard guages, and then just add the computer later.  Redundancy.  Air-integrated computers are nice, but I've talked to a lot of people and most consider it a flourish.  We're both using Suunto computers - easy to use.

Can't say enough good about spending the right amount of money on a good regulator.  We've got AquaLung regs; the secondaries are actually built by Apeks.  Easy breathing at a reasonable price.  If you're prone to TMJ problems, consider one of those mouthpieces that you heat-form to the shape of your teeth.

The prescription mask is a great idea.  The point is to be able to see all of it, right?  :)  I've got mask with corrective lenses and love it.  Stick with a name brand that's readily available in case you need to change lenses as your eyes get older.

Something you didn't mention was a tote or duffle to carry your gear in!  Really important.  We actually found ours at a big discount store and paid $35US each for them, so clearly a gear bag can be had for not a lot of money.  Ours are soft-side travel bags with wheels, BIG zippers and several long compartments plus big, zippered end pockets.  Don't under-size your gear bag - stuff takes up a lot more room than you think.

Enjoy!

Answer 2

My kit is for sale.

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Answer 3

If you are taking an open water diver certification class they will supply you with their list of required gear.  This will usually be fins, neoprene booties, mask & snorkle.  By the way, I wear glasses and having a prescription mask made is really worth it.

After you've finished your certification class and if you find you really like diving, then it's time to start thinking of other gear.  I would definitely start with a wet-suit or dry-suit.  Especially if you can get one custom made, it will improve your comfort and enjoyment of the sport quite a lot.

A bouyancy/stabilization jacket would be high on my list.  Again, finding one that fits you properly adds to comfort and enjoyment.

Regulator and dive-computer would come next.  You can usually get good rentals world-wide.  If you are doing mostly resort diving you can put off this purchase until you are really committed to the sport.  However, if you are doing local diving the more of your own equipment you can supply the better.  Easy means doing it more often.  

Good luck, and enjoy!

Answer 4

i would at some point try to get regulators and spider with pressure guage, and some kind of dive computer/watch. I would deffo get a good wetsuit first and some half decent fins. Get good gogs (as you intend to) and also get an underwater digital camera (they are cheap now). If you can get the breathing hardware a bit at a time, then do so, but that is easy to hire and is universal. A BCD is a touch costly,and the tank would be last .

Answer 5

The first thing I would get is a good, solid regulator. This is life support equipment and the last thing I wanna do is rent it, you have no idea what that regulator has been through or when it was last serviced.

Second I would get a dive computer. They make life alot easier, but make sure you know how to dive tables.

The rest you can buy as you see fit... but the above 2 are the first things I'd buy.

The last thing you should worry about is an underwater camera. Buy one of those when you have pinpoint buoyancy control. Or better yet, rent one and see how much it changes your dive.