Dive gear tips

[Dalia]

Am new to diving specially when i speak about purshasing new diving gear, so am looking for some tips that can help me when am going to buy my new dive gear.

Thanks in advance.

[DiveDevil1966]

Buying diving gear is a great thing to do and can take some time. As you are new to diving I assume that you have completed one or another Entry Level Diving Course and now you are hooked and want to continue. Congratulations and welcome to a great sport and fantastic opportunities to see some of the last wonders of our planet.
Having completed the first step I assume that your instructor has done a great job and you already own the basic equipment such as Fins, Mask and Snorkel. The next pieces to buy are very exciting and I am sure that other divers might have different advice.
There is a couple of things I am very picky about. I dont like things in my mouth other people alreay had in theirs and I dont like the thought of wearing a suit other divers have been using as a t.... !!! I am sure you get the drift and know what I mean.
Thats brings me to the two items I would suggest to buy first when money is a bit tight and/or you dont want to get a full set straight away.
The regulators I am recommending (That's what I use myself as well) is either a SCUBAPRO or MARES Regulator. Both brands have a great reputation within the indistry and provide fantastic regulators. If you buy a set of regulators then I would suggest that you are looking for somthing which is of great quality and will be serving you good for a long time. Scubapro MK25 with an S600 main reg, and a R295/R395 as an Octopus with an UWATEC Twin Console, is a great combination.
MARES has a very nice small first stage called the MR42, combined with an ABYSS second stage, the MV Octopus and a Mission D Twin Console.
Both of this two sets are fantastic sets of regulators and will give you memorable dives all the way, regardless how demanding the environment.
The next item I suggest is your own suit. This is a bit more tricky as I have no idea in what kind of environment you are diving in. The best bet is that you go to a local dive shop, which will be advicing you well on what you need for the local environemt or where you want to go diving. However, both Mares and Scubapro make great suits for any environment.
Good luck and always safe diving. Contact me if you need any other advice or sugestions. I am happy to help.

DiveDevil

[Jeanna]

BUY LOCAL! These days, we buy more and more stuff on the internet. It's often easier and cheaper and much less of a hassle. Don't do that with scuba gear. For two reasons:

The first is that building a relationship with your dive shop means they support you and you support them. Dive shops rely on equipment sales to stay in business. So if you just pick their brains, try on all their gear, and then order from RockBottomScubaDiscount.com, don't be surprised if your shop goes out of business or if they dont like you so much.

The second is that you really and truly need to try out scuba gear before you buy it. You can research masks forever, and all the research won't tell you which one fits your face. Only trying it on will tell you that. Same for snorkels and fins. You need to try them on to see if they feel "right." And , especially if you're new to the sport, you definitely want to try on various BCs and have the sales people explain them to you. And a wetsuit? You absolutely need to try that on.

Have fun buying your first gear.