SCUBA stuff
 

Question #2 for the day...

I took a plunge today and signed up for my SCUBA open-water dive classes with some of the money I saved on my cancelled 2-day. I figured its a pretty good silver lining.

I know that there are probably better forums to ask this question but I like the crowd here and am certain someone will point me in the right directions. I need to buy the required setup (Snorkel, Fins, Mask, Boots, and Gloves) but don't want to buy crap that I will want to immediately upgrade after my first 2 dives. Do you guys have any suggestions on the brands/specific equipment that you would recommend? I know I can ask the dive shop, but like most places, I'm sure they will recommend whatever it is they carry. It seems to not be a bad idea to go in with a little bit of an unbiased background as to some of this gear prior to walking into a shop.

My plan is to dive casually, nothing to extreme. Maybe a few trips a year. It would be great to eventually get into some spearfishing, but who knows. Class first.

If you are in San Diego, you should drop by Ocean Enterprises on Balboa Ave., near the 805. Sign up for their mailing list so you get the fliers for their tent sales. You can get some killer deals on wetsuits, fins, masks, snorkels, knives, lights, regulators, you name it. And they usually have 2-for-1 coupons for dive classes (too late for you!). They carry quality stuff and have a knowledgable staff. I've been to most of the dive shops in SD and haven't had a bad experience with any of them. But what sets OE apart from the others are the tent sales.

Buddy, are you in luck
 

Forums: www.divematrix.com

We are to dive forums what BWE is to Kayak fishing forums. Flame free (a little snark, but no flames) SoCal based (the other large forums are all Florida all the time) and like me (250+ a year) our members actually dive and don't just sit around and talk about diving.

Where are you located? If you're in SD, you're in luck, as the dive community in SD is top notch. I know most of the shops, tons of divers and instructors and I can surely hook you up so you don't waste your time or your cash.

Send me an eMail anytime and we'll go through some stuff.

-Ken (mo2vation)

www.divematrix.com
ken@divematrix.com



PS: www.kennethkopp.com is my photo site if you want to see all of the local stuff that's down there. 99% of the shots are cold water and 95% of those are from Santa Barbara to San Diego.


-K

Not sure of the current brand names, but a few things you might want to think about are:

The mask should give you good peripheral vision and be a good shape for your face. Gotta try several to see which ones will stay seated on your face.

Booties should have some sort of durable sole cause you will end up walking on much more than sand with them.

Any snorkel that fits in your mouth is probably good enough.

I would not even hazard a guess at fins cause they have changed dramatically since my dive days.

Something lightweight like fish cleaning gloves is all you need around So Cal. They don't ruin your feel, but the keep your hands from getting scraped up.

Just my several decades old .02.

This is awesome info guys. Exactly what I was looking for, thanks! Ken, I'm going to drop you an email after I do a little data mining on my own. Thanks again and keep it coming!

I don't dive much at all but I prefer a mask with a black skirt (had a clear one and didn't like all the light it let it) and that has low volume so it can also double for free diving (don't do much of that either). As mentioned above, most important is fit, so make sure it will stick to your face with minimal effort. As for the rest of the gear, I can't be of much help but I can say that when I took my class at sport chalet a couple years ago, they offered up a decent discount for those enrolled in a class.... something to look into.

I wouldn't skimp on the gloves. It sucks when your fingers get numb. I'm very happy with my kevlar palmed ones, you'll want to grab some lobsters come October. I don't remember them costing all that much.

BTW..BWE has a sister dive site or at least it's a distant cousin...
http://www.divetrippers.com/index.php

Apollo Bio Fins (for SCUBA only) love them! What was said about a mask, make sure if fits nicely to your face. I wouldn't scrimp on a mask, a leaky mask, will cause you to constantly be using your air to clear it. Any snorkel will do for the class.

Here is another local forum. http://www.scubapost.net/forums/

That said, I don't SCUBA unless it is Oct to March, :lobster: or if my wife drags me to some tropical place for photography. :p

OEX Oceanside and OEX La Jolla are full Scuba Shops offering gear and certification

If you can find comfy booties with FELT bottoms that's the way to go. Had felt bottoms for a long time then had to get new booties and got a pair I thought would have good grip but not felt and ended up regretting it. If you plan on walking anywhere there is rock and water, go with the felt bottoms.
Make sure your booties fit well also and try them with the fins you will be using. Sometimes they feel different with fins on. You want them all to fit well and not be tight on your toes, even a little discomfort is amplified by wet feet and hours in the water.

As for a mask, what others have already said. Kevlar gloves are good especially if you ever plan on lobster diving. Any old weight belt with weight will do as long as you can quickly release it. If you want to spend a little extra, they make rubber weight belts that will not slide around on you while you are diving. Worth it. I have been using a pair of Mares fins and can't complain. I don't dive deep, 20 feet at the most usually.

Hold off on the weight belt, for your class, you will likely be renting a BC made in the 21st century :D with integrated weight system, and they will provide weights as well.

Hey Chris, are these the fins you are talking about?
http://www.leisurepro.com/prod/APLFB...sku=APLFBPYLLR

And does OEX stock these? If so, got a price? I'd rather buy from a shop than online for every obvious reason.

I live in Murrieta and thus am taking the classes local. I like to support the local shops as much as possible. But I consider OEX local and have had nothing but great experiences with them and would be more than happy to buy some gear from them!

I checked out the ocean enterprises store and that place looks insanely huge. Their class offerings are unreal. As stated previously, I'd like to buy from OEX and/or my local shop as much as possible. But if they don't have what I need, I know where to look!

I've read glass with silicon gaskets on the masks is the 2 biggies to look for and then it all comes down to fit and personal preference. I don't like the idea of a purge valve as it just seems like it would make equalizing a pain in the ass. It also seems like a great place for the mask to implode! The 2 areas I feel strongly about putting money into right now are my mask and fins. Does that seem about right? I'll get decent gloves and boots and may just bring a bendy straw from mc donalds for my snorkel (j/k), but I've snorkeled a bunch and having crap fins and goggles drove me nuts.

Thanks yet again, this info is great and its awesome to be able to come on here and get all kinds of help with somewhat random things!