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What scuba equipment to own
One of the biggest questions people have when beginning Scuba diving is what pieces of equipment they should buy. The following article is my poinion only, and will likely differ from many other divers. I have been diving for 15 years, and I believe I have some knowledge of the sport which I am happy to share.
I believe the single most immportant piece of equipment, and the first piece a person should buy, is the regulator. It probably is not necessary for the first time you ever dive, but if you enjoy diving, and plan to do it more than once, you need to own a regulator. The two major reasons for this are a) you don't have to stake your life on a rental regulator which will probably work, but who knows, and b) you will get used to and comfortable with your own regulator as opposed to adjusting to a different one every time. The regulator is the ONLY piece of equipment that will kil you if it fails. Owning a regulator ensures that you know exactly what condition it's in, and you can be comfortable that it is maintained correctly. You will also become accostomed to the way it performs, feels and operates, which makes diving much more enjoyable and relaxing.
After you own a regulator, you may want to buy a BC (bouyancy vest). Most dive shops have pretty good BCs for rent, but they will always be different with each shop. Owning your own allows you to customize it to suit your needs, and you will have the same BC for every dive you do, which makes diving and setup much easier. It is certainly not required to own a BC, and it took me 15 years of diving before I got my own.
A mask is a simple and cheap piece of equipment to own, and is probably a god idea to get one, simply because you will be used to the fit, and while a bad mask will not cause any risk, a bad mask can certainly dampen a die experience. Fins are another non-essential piece, but owning your own set ensure a good fit, and consistant performance.
The final piece of equipment that is very helpful to own, and normally not supplied with rental equipment is a dive computer. I ould only reccomend buying one if you like the sport and plan on diving quite a bit. A computer provides lots of useful information that can be found manually, but is alot easier with a computer. Many affordable computers provide your deepest depth, your total time down, nitrogen loading, ascent rate, and safety stop recommendations. What that al means is that a computer will calculate the information you usually have to reference a chart for, and will give you a graphic representation of how much longer you can dive at a certain depth.
The final piece of equipment is the wetsuit. This is usually the first thing people buy, but I don't even think it's necessary. All dive shops will provide an adequate suit, and in many place it is not even needed. The only reason to buy one would be if you are a non-typical shape, and needed a custom suit. I am 6'5" and 220 lbs, which is normally very hard to fit things for, but I have never had a problam with a wetsuit, and therefor will probably never buy one myself.
I hope this information has helped in some way. If you are just beginning diving, welcome to the big blue, and I hope you love it as much as I do. |
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May, 2012
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