Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

Markn · 04-29-2002, 04:05 PM,

Hi guys, I have just completed my confined water dive, and apart from a few aching muscles am feeling great about it. My OW will be on June 1st and then the advance course on the 15th. Booked in and ready to go. Anyone have any advice to give, locations to start with etc, all comments are welcome. Thanks. Mark

Derrick · 04-29-2002, 05:50 PM,

Hi Mark, Good luck and have fun on the 1st & 2nd with your OW! Be thankful you didn't do your OW last Sat & Sun. Three of us were diving at Square lake, two in drysuits and one in a semi-dry. It was pretty miserable getting out of our equipment with rain turning to snow with heavy winds. At the other end of the beach, there was a group of students doing their OW. I am sure all were wearing wetsuits. You should join the people of this group who are diving at Crosby the following weekend after your OW. It will be great to get in a few extra dives and meet fellow divers before your AOW. Derrick

Markn · 05-01-2002, 09:39 AM,

Would love to join them, but unfortunatley work calls that weekend :-( I am sure there will be plenty of times for me to get in some practice (I Hope). Can anyone recommend whether I should go and buy new equipment or does anyone know where I can get slightly used? Mark

lrmoll · 05-01-2002, 10:16 AM,

Quote:Would love to join them, but unfortunatley work calls that weekend :-( I am sure there will be plenty of times for me to get in some practice (I Hope). Can anyone recommend whether I should go and buy new equipment or does anyone know where I can get slightly used? Mark

I have bought from the paper and was happy with the result. E-bay has quite a bit of scuba stuff although I have not bought from there. Year end rental stuff from your LDS is often good and you are familiar with it from your classes. I have a great LDS and asked them about used equipment I was considering, they where very helpful. Your problem will be that as a beginner you may not know how to tell what is good or bad. Of course you can leave messages here and other Message boards. If you buy from the paper or e-bay make sure your LDS can service it for you.

***jasondbaker*** · 05-01-2002, 10:34 AM,

What equipment do you need to buy? I just sold a set of regs on ebay. My old wetsuit (mint condition) is on ebay right now.

Markn · 05-01-2002, 10:51 AM,

lrmoll I agree with you as I have no idea what to buy, although no doubt I will learn quickly. I have checked the paper for the past few days and not a hint of SCUBA gear at all. Next stop..Ebay

hgs_notes · 05-01-2002, 05:47 PM,

For a new diver, this is what I would recommend: Buy snorkel gear first. Buy the mask at a shop where you can try on several different styles to get the right fit. This is probably the most important piece of gear you where after the air supply. Fins should be whatever your comfortable with, I'd try to rent or borrow more than one style before buying. After snorkel gear, get a wet suit. This is also one you need to try on before you buy. I where a one piece 1/4" semi dry. If it gets colder I put on a hooded vest under it. I got because it fit good and seemed easier to get in and out of compared to the usual farmer john style. To each his own. Next would be the BC and regulator. Just get a good brand that you are sure can be serviced anywhere at a reasonable cost. If you shop around you may notice that the 1st stages of several different combos of the same brand are identical. The difference is the 2nd stage. Get a regulator with an enviromental kit and thats good for cold, dirty water. By the time you get comfortable with those items and whats available, you can decide what style of BC, computer, etc you want. BTW, I bought an air integrated, hoseless dive computer on ebay for a song. I had a little scare though when the transmitter didn't link up with the computer. After a battery change and several e-mails to the seller, it turned out fine. But if the transducer had been bad, it was a $350 replacement cost that would have ruined my bargain. HG

Markn · 05-02-2002, 04:24 AM,

Thanks for the tips HG. Ebay has always worried me as you can not really see what you're buying, and how reputable is the person you are buying from. I am going to try a few dive shops this weekend and try on a few "outfits" and see where this takes me. I am pointing to ScubaPro as it seems to be popular but we shall have to wait and see. If anyone is planning a dive around the 2nd weekend in June, and you don't mind a newbie along for the experiance, let me know I would love to join you. Mark

lrmoll · 05-05-2002, 09:54 AM,

When you have looked at ebay do you look at the sellers history. If he has sold before there will be reviews from the purchasers about how well things went.