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Scuba Forum / General / June 2005discount gear?
Hi, I'm just beginning to learn about scuba diving, and don't want to put much money into it until I find out if I'll want to do much of it. Right now I'm looking for the best price I can find on a BCD. I also need a weight belt...I've got a wet suit and have been practicing snorkling... Can anyone suggest where to get a good price on a BCD? Used is fine with me. Thanks for any help! David nopEda@bellsouth.net > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > David > nopEda@bellsouth.net Used is fine. Borrowed or rented is even better until you have enough experience to know what kind of gear you really want. m >> Hi, >> [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Used is fine. Borrowed or rented is even better until you have enough > experience to know what kind of gear you really want. Listen to Mike. He knows what he is talking about. And, you'll get the same advise from others here that will mirror what Mike said. You can always rent from your local dive shop (LDS) until you decide if this is what you really want to do. And, if you only dive a couple of times a year, rent. Don't lissen to those boneheads!!! Load up on a lot of really expensive gear now so that you can sell it all at a big loss after one or two uses. I'll send you my size and a list of the gear that you need after I check my garage to see what I'll need for the coming season. Seriously - You did get certified, or you are planning to, before buying and scuba equipment, right? The guys who responded - their advice is dead on. Try as many different brands and models as you can before buying - and do support your LDS. Prices vary a lot with BCDs depending on the kind you want to buy and the kind of diving they were designed for. It's a big purchase so you might want to get to know what specialties interest you the most before you spring for one. A technical diving BCD is a lot different than a reef or warm-water BC and usually a lot more expensive. I'd hate to see you buy one BC then have to get another one a season later. This is a good reason to suport your LDS. As you learn and grow as a diver, they will be able to steer you to the right gear decisions. But watch out for a shop that is too hot for you buy everything right away. I'd recommend that, if you can, you take your Open Water course and follow up immediately with Advanced and a specialty or two that might catch your eye. It will get you into diving that suits you best, quicker, and also make you a better diver, faster. If money is an issue - try you best to find a dive club or a more experienced diver to get some experience with. Either way, you'll enjoy the sport more and keep improving your skills. As for weight belts, I'd start with a cheap web belt until you figure out what kind of BC you will be using. Your weights may be integrated into your BC and you won't have spent too, too much on a web belt if that is your choice. Schultzie www.zendiver.blogspot.com >>> Hi, >>> [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >what you really want to do. And, if you only dive a couple of times a >year, rent. > Seriously - You did get certified, or you are planning to, before > buying and scuba equipment, right? Bad idea... Buy the gear, dive for a few years, and *then* get certified if you find that you really want to continue diving... > Try as many different brands and models as you can before > buying - and do support your LDS. Damn Mormans... I stand corrected. What was I thinking? Why buy the gear, at all? Any real man can hold his breath for the average 45 minute reef dive. Then you don't even need the tank, weight belt, bc and regulator. Or the training. Deeper dives are usually shorter dives, so they're inherently easier. Catch a few episodes of the old show 'Sea Hunt' and you don't need training at all. "C-Card? We don't need no steenking C-Card!" >> Seriously - You did get certified, or you are planning to, before >> buying and scuba equipment, right? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Damn Mormans... LeisurePro.com has the best prices that I have found online. Their sales staff can be a bit pushy so do your research first. Some people don't have a local diveshop as an option. Rental gear can be a real pain, I have rented so many leaky BCs it ain't funny. If you plan on diving in the US and Canada it is best to buy your own gear. Overseas rentals are quite inexpensive and you won't have to schlep all that gear. Hope this provides some helpful information, have fun diving. >LeisurePro.com has the best prices that I have found online. Their >sales staff can be a bit pushy so do your research first. Some people [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >rentals are quite inexpensive and you won't have to schlep all that >gear. Hope this provides some helpful information, have fun diving. Thanks to you people for your suggestions! I will go with the idea of waiting to get a BCD, but will probably get a weight belt since I've got a wet suit and have learned that I like snorkling pretty well. So even if diving turns out to be more than I want to fool with, the weight belt would be good for snorkling. I have a friend who will work with me and teach me to dive, and he will let me borrow a BC enough to find out how I feel about it. I'm worried about my ears since they have always hurt when I get down around 10-12 feet, what's it going to be like down deeper? >>LeisurePro.com has the best prices that I have found online. Their >>sales staff can be a bit pushy so do your research first. Some people [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >always hurt when I get down around 10-12 feet, what's it going to be >like down deeper? Hate to sound like I'm ragging on you, and some here will rag on me. Unless your friend is actually qualified to teach you, he could wind up killing you. Some people here learned on their own, but you can also read about others in the casualty statistics. Don't worry about your ears. Once your eardrums blow out you won't have any problems. Actually, you need to learn how to equalize. Something you should already be doing if you're going to 10-12 feet.  Signaturedillon Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. > I stand corrected. What was I thinking? Why buy the gear, at all? The old adage -- "Life is a game and he who ends it with the most toys is still dead"... > "C-Card? We don't need no steenking C-Card!" Now you're starting to understand... Darwin is the ultimate certification agency anyway... >> I stand corrected. What was I thinking? Why buy the gear, at all? > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >Now you're starting to understand... Darwin is the ultimate certification >agency anyway... I thought the whole idea was to collect as many patches as possible. Signaturedillon Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. > I thought the whole idea was to collect as many patches as possible. Only enough to cover up the patches in your wetsuit if you're too cheap to buy a new one... > >> I stand corrected. What was I thinking? Why buy the gear, at all? > > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > I thought the whole idea was to collect as many patches as possible. It is. But we have a thriving black market in patches. Salty will help you out with whatever you need ;-) > I thought the whole idea was to collect as many patches as possible. No. After ya get to about fourteen patches, the bladder is just too crumbly to take any more. And I'm only up to four on my new wing. > > I thought the whole idea was to collect as many patches as >possible. > >No. After ya get to about fourteen patches, the bladder is just >too crumbly to take any more. And I'm only up to four on my new >wing. Yeah, I know what you mean. My bladder can be flakey at times. Oh, wait, never mind. Signaturedillon Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. > Yeah, I know what you mean. My bladder can be flakey at times. > > Oh, wait, never mind. Shiner Bock is not German for "bladder sealant" no matter what your German friends might tell you. >> Yeah, I know what you mean. My bladder can be flakey at times. >> >> Oh, wait, never mind. > >Shiner Bock is not German for "bladder sealant" no matter what your German >friends might tell you. There's a reason the Brits call it "getting a piss on". Signaturedillon Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. |
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