Board is costing me!

[dtchem1]

Well, reading this message board is getting expensive. After reading too many posts about rental equipment, we bought wetsuits for our upcoming cruise. We bought our own regulators first, because ... ewwwwww, but never really thought about the wetsuits being gross until reading these boards. Please don't tell me anything disgusting about BCDs until next year; I'm running out of money.

[montana200024]

Well, reading this message board is getting expensive. After reading too many posts about rental equipment, we bought wetsuits for our upcoming cruise. We bought our own regulators first, because ... ewwwwww, but never really thought about the wetsuits being gross until reading these boards. Please don't tell me anything disgusting about BCDs until next year; I'm running out of money.

 

 

Dane and Ginni...just think how much more this cruise will mean to you, and how safe you will feel...hope you have fun diving..:D

[cruzegirl]

Well, reading this message board is getting expensive. After reading too many posts about rental equipment, we bought wetsuits for our upcoming cruise. We bought our own regulators first, because ... ewwwwww, but never really thought about the wetsuits being gross until reading these boards. Please don't tell me anything disgusting about BCDs until next year; I'm running out of money.

 

You will be much happier and feel much more secure with your own gear. Good job on the regulator & wetsuit. I assume you have your own snorkel/mask? And while a BC is always a good investment for familiarity, it can wait in regards to hygiene and such. lol....

[Pilot70D]

DTCHEM1, I do understand about the expense of equipment. However there is a more important issue than cost and that issue is safety. I believe in buying all of your equipment (except tanks and weights) and of course having that same equipment well maintained.

 

I have included a copy of a post I wrote last year on this subject. Bear in mind this is my opinion so take it for what it's worth.

 

********************************************************

 

The War Department (a.k.a. Mrs. B) and I have dived all over the Caribbean as well as several locations in Florida. We always brought our own gear (except tanks and weights). This did enable us to see a wide variety of the rental equipment provided by the various dive operations. Most of the rental equipment we've seen is reasonbly good, upper middle of the road equipment. There have been one or two exceptions though.

 

Regardless of the newness (or not) of the rental equipment I think that you're much better off and probably safer with your own dive gear. I know instinctively where all the 'controls' (dump valves, harness adjustments, ditchable weights, etc.) are on my BCD. With a rental BCD it's going to be a learning experience to some degree. Furthermore I keep a lot of gear in or clipped to my BCD (dive knife, flashlight, safety sausage, emergency whistle) or in the front pockets. I know where each piece of this equipment is and that it's always with me.

 

Next is the service issue - how recently and how often has that rental regulator been serviced? With your own equipment you know those answers. We were diving in Aruba a little over a month ago and with a good dive operator. However one set of rental equipment had a secondary regulator which free flowed so badly that the diver had only ten to fifteen minutes of dive time. We were too far from the dock timewise to go back and get another set of regulators. They did give him a refund but that morning's dives were wiped out. When arriving by cruise ship often the only dives you get are those two tank morning dives.

 

Last but not least is the fit issue. Your own equipment fits you and probably fits better than rental equipment will. My mask fits my face and doesn't leak. My fins fit my feet with dive booties on. My wetsuit and BCD fit my body. Will rental equipment fit as well? Possibly but probably not.

 

So for all these reasons bring your own gear. Yes, it's somewhat of a pain in the fanny to lug that dive gear to wherever you rendezvous with the dive operator but this inconvenience is far outweighed by the benefits.

 

Hope this advice is helpful. Now go enjoy those dives while cruising.

[bruce-r]

Well, reading this message board is getting expensive. After reading too many posts about rental equipment, we bought wetsuits for our upcoming cruise. We bought our own regulators first, because ... ewwwwww, but never really thought about the wetsuits being gross until reading these boards. Please don't tell me anything disgusting about BCDs until next year; I'm running out of money.

 

If you didn't already get a dive computer with your reg, I think you should get that before you get a BC.

 

As for expensive, don't even look at drysuits or housed cameras. :eek:

[scubaran]

Get your wallet out... :)

 

I was in Grand Turk in Nov. and had everything except for my BC. Well, as I'm under the water I saw a good amount of bubbles flowing from the inflater hose connector. I pointed this out to the dive master/owner who came over, smacked it a few times and shrugged his shoulder then swam on. It was also slowly filling the bladder (better than going the other way) so I had to periodically dump the extra air. This also affected my bottom time (took about 15 minutes off it). So this normally doesn't happen but I've seen some pretty bad BC's in the rental rack. Of course if you're at the dive shop, politely request a different one. I was on a six pack boat and it was the only BC in the rack in my size.

 

Randall

[tunseeker1]

I wouldn't worry about the BCDs I was diving in the Bahamas and someone had an inflator leak and all I did was unplug it from the BCD and they manually inflated during the dive.

 

Something else to remember. Same trip someone brought their own Reg and the inflator hose didn't fit the BCD coupling.

[scubaran]

I wouldn't worry about the BCDs I was diving in the Bahamas and someone had an inflator leak and all I did was unplug it from the BCD and they manually inflated during the dive.

 

Something else to remember. Same trip someone brought their own Reg and the inflator hose didn't fit the BCD coupling.

 

Hi,

 

Talking about the Bahamas, I rented a wet suit and BCD from Stewart's Cove. They had their name stamped all over both so all my underwater pictures of me had free advertising for them. :D Sorta like renting a car and having a big AVIS written on the hood.

 

Randall

[Denise&Paul STL]

Hi all,

 

After reading on these boards that our own equipment, particularly regulators, are extremely important, we checked with local dive shops. Each one insists the ones they showed us are the best for our needs. Prices ranged from $350 to $500 on up to $2000! We plan to scuba once a year in the caribbean and periodically in the summer in a local lake. Does anyone out there have any recommendations to help us? We want to be safe, but definitely economical.

 

Thanks!

[Dive Master]

Hi all,

 

After reading on these boards that our own equipment, particularly regulators, are extremely important, we checked with local dive shops. Each one insists the ones they showed us are the best for our needs. Prices ranged from $350 to $500 on up to $2000! We plan to scuba once a year in the caribbean and periodically in the summer in a local lake. Does anyone out there have any recommendations to help us? We want to be safe, but definitely economical.

 

Thanks!

 

Pretty much any regulator made by one of the major manufacteurs is a good and safe product.The better models tend to breath better at depth and many are enviromentally sealed for cold water diving. How deep do you plan to dive? How cold is the water in the local lake? I use an Aqua Lung Legend Supreme LX.All Legends are enviromentally sealed and mine has the heat exchangers on both second stages to prevent freeze up.I also have a Aqua Lung Titan that I started out with.I now use it on my pony bottle.The Titan is a great reg but you will know it when you get below 100 feet---shows a little resistance.The Legend breaths like a dream---same at 20 feet or 150 feet.I bought my Legend for around $500 at the local dive shop.The Titan was around $250 eight years ago.I consider your reg and BC to be two of your most important purchases--your life is depending on them---do not try to save alot of money on these two--buy good quality equipment and have it serviced annually and it will last years. Mares, Scuba Pro, Sherwood,Aieres,Aqua Lung, all make good products. My Oceanic computer is an absolute piece of junk but their regs may be fine-Hope this helps.

[Denise&Paul STL]

Thank you DiveMaster, that was very helpful.

 

Most of our diving will be 60 feet or less. The lake is in Northern Arkansas and we will not dive in anything colder than 75 lake temp. We're too old and too cold. We may on occasion go further than 60 in the Caribbean, but now we know their may be some resistance on regulators, we will be prepared.

 

We will look for a not too cheap regulator in one of the major brands. Much appreciated!

 

Denise and Paul

[bruce-r]

Hi all,

 

After reading on these boards that our own equipment, particularly regulators, are extremely important, we checked with local dive shops. Each one insists the ones they showed us are the best for our needs. Prices ranged from $350 to $500 on up to $2000! We plan to scuba once a year in the caribbean and periodically in the summer in a local lake. Does anyone out there have any recommendations to help us? We want to be safe, but definitely economical.

 

Thanks!

 

look at http://scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=Sherwood_Brut_Regulator

 

In my experience, lots of the caribbean dive operators use Sherwood regs, so if you had a problem with yours, they should have the parts and knowledge to service it. Plus they are tough enough to use as their rental gear.

[scubaran]

Thank you DiveMaster, that was very helpful.

 

Most of our diving will be 60 feet or less. The lake is in Northern Arkansas and we will not dive in anything colder than 75 lake temp. We're too old and too cold. We may on occasion go further than 60 in the Caribbean, but now we know their may be some resistance on regulators, we will be prepared.

 

We will look for a not too cheap regulator in one of the major brands. Much appreciated!

 

Denise and Paul

 

Divers are always updating their equipment so you might want to check with your local dive shops or dive clubs to see if good/used regs are available. You'll not only want to check out the vendor and model but also the service record on it. It should have been serviced at least once a year throughout it's life cycle. Also check with the dive shops about rental regs.

 

Randall

[Denise&Paul STL]

Thanks for all your help. I will look into used as well as the Brut. I really appreciate the advice.

[Wspinelli]

The high price of Scuba equipment. I had the distinct please of diving with a gentleman several times, Jack had dove all over the world. In addition to be a seasoned diver he was also a pilot who had his own plane. One day we were discussing new dive equipment, his was getting along in years. It was a Scubapro regulator, well this regulator was designed in the early 70's and I told him how all the modifications to the regulator were backwards compatible and for about $50 he could bring it to almost state of the art. Jack's reply was if he had an equipment problem while he was flying his plane or diving 30 feet below the surface it was too late to write a check for a little bit more to get the best piece of equipment he could afford. Diving equipment is safety equipment, get the best equipment you can afford.

 

Talk with your local dive shop, listen to thier recommendations for the equipment. Look at what the instructors are wearing, Diving Instructors are big kids and useally dive with the best toys they can get thier hands on. Get equipment where you want to get it serviced, not only for keeping your warranties intact, but the maintaince tech servicing your regulator is extremely familiar with the make and models of your equipment.

 

Jack could afford whatever he wanted to buy, so money was no object when it came to buying his toys. But his thought was to get the best he could, get familiar with it and use it whenever he could. The person who dives infrequently, is someone who needs the added safety of equipment they are familiar with.

 

Once again I'll get off my soap box. Have a great dive!

[Denise&Paul STL]

Excellent advice. Thank you.

[dtchem1]

My wife and I have been diving about 3 years and we buy each other dive equipment at Christmas instead of trying to come with an idea forsomething we probably don't need. We started with regs, then computers and this year wet suits and camera. I guess BCDs are next, but then we will have to save our money for the overweight luggage charge on the plane. We keep our regs and computers in our carry-on, which was reccomended for the computers (pressures) and by dive friends, becasue that's not something you want lost. Still our gear fills a duffle gag and comes close to the 50lb limit.

[scubadiver888]

Hi all,

 

After reading on these boards that our own equipment, particularly regulators, are extremely important, we checked with local dive shops. Each one insists the ones they showed us are the best for our needs. Prices ranged from $350 to $500 on up to $2000! We plan to scuba once a year in the caribbean and periodically in the summer in a local lake. Does anyone out there have any recommendations to help us? We want to be safe, but definitely economical.

 

Thanks!

Divemaster is pretty much on the money. I have pretty good bouyancy control now but spend time working on it every time I get new rental equipment. So I decided to purchase my equipment.

 

I talked to a few dive shops and got two basic responses. The first was professional sales staff trying to sell me the items with the highest mark ups. The second was seasoned divers who understand that it can be quite expensive but you don't want to mess around with life critical equipment.

 

Each shop had the 'package' they sold. I was told that distributors in Canada offer package discounts. This was true in my industry so I see no reason not to believe the people who told me this. Your mileage may vary if you are not near me.

 

All the packages ranged from $1000 to $1800 depending on how many 'extras' you wanted, e.g. ventura adjustment on regulator would add a little, integrated weighs for BCD would add a little, etc.

 

 

I did some research on the different packages and found that none stood out as better than any other for my purposes. My purposes are identical to yours. In the end, I decided on:

 

Sherwood Avid BCD

Genesis GS2000 Regulator

Standard Octo

Wisdom 2 Computer

Akona 3mm Full Wetsuit

 

 

This is the upper end package. There is definitely better equipment out there. From what I've read I can use this equipment from Caribbean to Ice Diving in Canada (I'd need a thicker wetsuit but Candace tells me I can throw a 5mm jacket over the 3mm, gets some gloves, a hood and dive well into the winter).

 

Bottom line, find out what the high end and low end for a the 'package' deal are at a few shops. Pick a shop that doesn't try to sell you the $5000 package (or even the $3000 package) and who you trust and feel comfortable with. Buy whatever the package is. I'm going with Sherwood/Genesis/Akona (all one company) because that is the package Candace sells and I like Candace (aka Dive Mother).

 

If you are going to buy things in piece, go for the things which will help you obtain better bouyancy. Your wetsuit will affect your bouyancy. If you rental different wetsuits it could affect how much weight you need to wear. You want to get a consistent feel for the amount of weight you wear. Next would be the BCD especially if it is weight integrated. The tanks you use will be pretty much the same no matter were you dive.

 

After that you could pick whatever you want. I like the idea of my own regulator; I don't have to worry about how clean the last person who used the reg was. Did they have herpes of something nasty?

 

I won't even consider getting a camera until I'd mastered my bouyancy. I've seen too many people float to the surface because they were too busy fiddling with their camera or they over weight themselves and stand on the coral. :eek:

[Denise&Paul STL]

Thanks for the additional advice. I had much trouble with the rental BCD at certification, so we bought a Diva - expensive, but very comfortable. We also bought an Aeris regulator and Octo, and computer. This was what our middle-of-the-road dive shop (and the one we plan to use most often) recommended. We will see how this works on vacation next week and make further decisions based on what we read and what these pieces do for us.

 

You all have been a great help, and I appreciate all your advice.

 

By the way, we opted against buying wetsuits, because we will only be diving caribbean on vacation, and fresh water in the summer. At this point, our Caribbean dives will not be long or several per day; however, if that changes, we will definiately look some wetsuits and will come back to you all for help.

Denise

[bruce-r]

By the way, we opted against buying wetsuits, because we will only be diving caribbean on vacation, and fresh water in the summer. At this point, our Caribbean dives will not be long or several per day; however, if that changes, we will definiately look some wetsuits and will come back to you all for help.

Denise

IMO, you should rethink the rational about not buying wetsuits. They provide more than just thermal protection. They are the best sunscreen you can wear and they provide physical protection as well. They can also be inexpensive as you probably won't need more than 2/3mm shorty which can be found at Costco for under $50. scubatoys has a 2mm shorty for $39 .

[scubadiver888]

IMO, you should rethink the rational about not buying wetsuits. They provide more than just thermal protection. They are the best sunscreen you can wear and they provide physical protection as well. They can also be inexpensive as you probably won't need more than 2/3mm shorty which can be found at Costco for under $50. scubatoys has a 2mm shorty for $39 .

 

Bruce,

 

I've bought the under $50 wetsuit from Costco. It last me 6 dives, one cruise, and started coming apart at the seams. I might have been able to get a few more dives out of it. I have to admit, if I rented a wetsuit it probably would have cost me more. Still, this time around I'm going to spend a little more and hopefully get a wetsuit which will last me for a few years.

 

I also think that in addition to the wetsuit being more than thermal protection, thermal protection is underrated. If the water temp is 85, your body is approximately 97. Without a wetsuit you will be losing heat. It might not be enough to really matter but it does make a difference. I used to dive without a wetsuit and just decided to use one on my last cruise. I felt notably refreshed after 6 dives in 3 days.

 

My next cruise I'll be doing 14 dives and think it will definitely make a difference.

 

I've looked at Bare, Henderson, Waterproof, Akona, Pinnacle, Body Glove and Deep Sea. There are more but these are the brands carried by local dive shops.

 

The Bare wetsuits were very inexpensive but it felt like you get what you pay for.

 

The Henderson wetsuits seem overpriced. I checked out a number message boards and hear a number of bad experiences. My favourite local dive shop also does not like Henderson.

 

The Waterproof wetsuits look REALLY nice and I read a lot of good things around them but they are very expensive. I think you get what you are paying for but if you just want something for occasional Caribbean diving, it would be overkill.

 

The Akona wetsuits are mid-range price. They seem to be basic workhorse wetsuits. They aren't anything fancy but they are solidly built and last a long time. A few places in my area use these for rental.

 

The Pinnacle wetsuits seem to advertise things that sound sensible when you read it but if you really understand wetsuits and diving it does not seem too good. For example, lining a wetsuit with Merino wool. The literature indicates that the wool is soft against your skin (Merino is soft), makes getting the wetsuit on and off easier (on, yes; off, maybe) and the wool will soak up a thin layer of water making a very good thermal insulation. They note how heating the top of a body of water does not conduct heat to an ice cube at the bottom. Heat through solid water is not the same as heat through soaking wet wool. Additionally, how long is it going to take to dry out? Won't it promote mold or fungus? If I sweat in the wetsuit, won't the wool get a little smelly? How do you clean a neoprene/wool suit?

 

The Body Glove is what Costco sells. I don't know if there are better models but the one I got from Costco has turned me off Body Glove.

 

The Deep Sea is another wetsuit I see a lot in rental lockers. It is nothing special but it works.

 

I couldn't find the Deep Sea wetsuit for sale in my area so I decided to go with the Akona.

[bruce-r]

Bruce, I've bought the under $50 wetsuit from Costco. It last me 6 dives, one cruise, and started coming apart at the seams.

If you bought it at costco, you could take it back. Costco has an exceptionally generous return policy. It is one of the reasons to buy from them.

 

 

I've looked at Bare, Henderson, Waterproof, Akona, Pinnacle, Body Glove and Deep Sea. There are more but these are the brands carried by local dive shops.

 

The Bare wetsuits were very inexpensive but it felt like you get what you pay for.

I have a Bare 5mm wet suit. I really like it. I think it is well made. Bare has a very big size selection so you can find one that fits well. As you know, fit is super important in selecting a wet suit.

 

The Henderson wetsuits seem overpriced. I checked out a number message boards and hear a number of bad experiences. My favourite local dive shop also does not like Henderson.

I agree, Henderson is over priced, IMO. I also have a henderson 3 mm suit. It's OK. I got a deal on it, but it doesn't fit nearly as well as the Bare suit.

 

The Waterproof wetsuits look REALLY nice and I read a lot of good things around them but they are very expensive. I think you get what you are paying for but if you just want something for occasional Caribbean diving, it would be overkill.

You are right, you should get what you pay for when you spend a lot for something, unfortunately, I don't think this is the case with that suit. I have read negative reviews that just doesn't hold up.

 

The Akona wetsuits are mid-range price. They seem to be basic workhorse wetsuits. They aren't anything fancy but they are solidly built and last a long time. A few places in my area use these for rental.

As long as it fits well, you'll be happy.

 

Xcel wetsuits is another brand that I have read very positive reviews for. They are a premium suit, but unlike Henderson, I do think you get what you pay for from them.

[scubadiver888]

If you bought it at costco, you could take it back. Costco has an exceptionally generous return policy. It is one of the reasons to buy from them.

 

I ended up leaving it on the cruise ship when I went home. I was at my limit for luggage weight when I went down and my wife bought a bunch of stuff; I left a bunch of stuff so we could bring back the new stuff. :o

 

I have a Bare 5mm wet suit. I really like it. I think it is well made. Bare has a very big size selection so you can find one that fits well. As you know, fit is super important in selecting a wet suit.

 

Selection in my area must stink. The store that had Bare wet suits only have full suit 3/2mm and 7mm. I never actually went to the Bare website to see the full selection; also I didn't like salesman.

 

I agree, Henderson is over priced, IMO. I also have a henderson 3 mm suit. It's OK. I got a deal on it, but it doesn't fit nearly as well as the Bare suit.

 

I considered the InstaDry because the wet suit I last rented was still damp the next day. A little nasty putting on a damp wetsuit. :(

 

Candace told me she had an InstaDry. It was like wearing an innertube. I had a look at it at another store and it is just a rubber suit. There is no nylon coating. As someone with body hair, it could be a little painful putting on or taking off an InstaDry.

 

You are right, you should get what you pay for when you spend a lot for something, unfortunately, I don't think this is the case with that suit. I have read negative reviews that just doesn't hold up.

 

Really? I know they made changes to the wet suit recently. Hopefully for the better.

 

I've already order a 3mm Akona full Quantum Stretch wet suit. I rented a regular Akona 3mm full wet suit from Candace and it seemed pretty good to me. I did almost 2 hours of shallow diving in 80 degree water. It worked well. The suit also look pretty good for a rental. Candace's rental equipment seems to take some serious abuse; the BCD I rented was full of pebbles and silt. I think I was the first person to ever clean the thing before returning it.

 

As long as it fits well, you'll be happy.

 

This is the one thing I forgot to mention. You have to try them on and see if they fit. I had some rental suits that felt really nice and looked like they held up well but they had a neck open on me big enough to drive a truck through.

 

Xcel wetsuits is another brand that I have read very positive reviews for. They are a premium suit, but unlike Henderson, I do think you get what you pay for from them.

 

I didn't see any Xcel wet suits in my area. I go to the Caribbean so often now that I was thinking about shopping there as well. I'll look around in April for Xcel suits when I'm down there.

[Dive Master]

I have always read the three most important things in wetsuits is fit, fit, and how does it fit ! If it does not fit it won't do it's job. I am a big guy and I now dive with a Henderson Hyperstretch 7/5 mil. I use a 3 mil core warmer (chicken vest) with hood under the suit. Of course I use this suit in Lake Jocassee not the Caribbean. I can handle temps in the low 50's diving the Wall and Cemetery in the lake.At those depths you only got about 12 minutes bottom time.Henderson is not cheap but it is alot less than a drysuit and I can "whiz" away after drinking Gatoraid all day.

 

In the Caribbean I use a polartech skin made by Diveskins with a polartech vest and hood if I am chilly.I can handle temps in the low 70's with them.Someone mentoned UV protection too.As a survivor of malignant Melanoma I cant stress how important this is.It is very hard to believe that a little bump can KILL you--guess I was very lucky that we caught it just in time.

[tunseeker1]

Here is a good suit for warm water

 

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/CategoryID_982/Context_980/Sort_Stock/DescSort_0/Filter_1%3d2392/BLR3JM.html?Hit=1

 

They also have good deals on other equipment.