New gear............comments please

[Joe Blow]

So I recently bought all my gear for diving. I got a Tilos 7/5 wetsuit, it's a one piece with an extra garment that goes over the top; Dacor Talon AT BC, has the AirTrim; Mares Voltrex stage 1/2 with a Aqua Lung ABS Octo and a TUSA console; Mares Puck dive computer; Atomic Aquatics Smoke on the Water split fins; Atomic Aquatics mask; Tilos superdry snorkle; Deep Sea boots; Tilos gloves; Deep Sea Titanium knife; LED flashlight w/ strobe; and I know I'm forgetting something so I'll add as we go on. I'm lookin for comments on my gear. So if anybody has used or currently uses any of this stuff please feel free to tell me your opinions on the item. Thanks.

[airsix]

Welcome to the club, Joe. This is a great place to meet other divers and plan dives. In your equipment list you do not specifically mention a compass. This will be critical for diving in our limited visibility conditions. I highly recommend a wrist mounted Scubapro (Uwatec) FS-1 or a wrist mounted Suunto SK-7. My personal preference is for the FS-1.

[Dusty2]

Welcome to the club.

You will quickly learn to never ask about gear you have already purchased! People around here are very passionate about there gear preferences. Sounds like reasonable starter gear though most of it wouldn't be on the A list it should serve you well.

[dlh]

Why not a drysuit? You'll be much happier in the long term if you plan to do any local diving. Most tropical locations are going to be best served by a 3mm wetsuit, which you might like to have available as well. The 7mm wet suit is the odd duck out. Not warm enough for the Northwest, too warm and bulky for the tropics. Invest a little more up front and buy something that is going to allow you to enjoy diving close to home and get a lot of value from your investment.

I'm sure whoever sold the wet suit will be happy to take it back and sell you a dry suit instead!

[LCF]

If a wetsuit is what you can afford for now, then a wetsuit is what you will dive. My husband, who has dived both, says a good wetsuit is pretty much equivalent to a drysuit . . . for the FIRST dive. It's the subsequent ones that get you. But your wetsuit should work for a lot of fun first dives.

What's really important about your first gear is that it FITS -- and by that, I mean the BC should cinch down around you to where it holds the tank STABLE on your back -- and that you like it. Most of us have replaced much if not everything that we bought at first, because we didn't know enough at the beginning to know what we would actually like to dive. But buying the gear in the first place got us in the water lot, building a passion for diving.

Have fun with your new stuff, and join up with some of the NWDC dives and get out there and enjoy it!

Oh, and BTW, with respect to your wetsuit being too warm for the tropics . . . some of us dive DRY in 80 degree water. You'll be able to use it anywhere.

[spatman]

Oh, and BTW, with respect to your wetsuit being too warm for the tropics . . . some of us dive DRY in 80 degree water. You'll be able to use it anywhere.

lol, not everyone runs as cold as you, lynne. when i was in baja, i was wearing a full 3mm suit in 82F water and i was a bit too hot. i had to flush the suit out every 10 minutes to keep cool. that 7/5mm wetsuit would be way too much for me in warm waters.

[Joe Blow]

Hey thanks for the comments. As far as the dry suit goes, I didn't buy one because the price of them. The ones that were affordable were neoprene. I didn't like walking around like an astronaut, so those are not comfortable to me. I figure I'll wait until I can afford a nice dry suit that I find comfortable. At this point I have around $1800.00 invested and I hope I did well for the money. :biggrin: And my compass is on my console. I went with a console that had a compass and pressure gauge because I have a dive computer that will tell me my depth. :biggrin:

[Mattleycrue76]

I have a superdry snorkel also. Mainly so because I never wear it.

[Joe Blow]

I have a superdry snorkel also. Mainly so because I never wear it.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!! Yea my plan is to leave mine in my gear bag. :biggrin:

[Dashrynn]

Maybe you can find a good used non neoprene drysuit on craigslist, I have a bare d6 pro and it keeps me warm but, it takes forever to dry and its heavy (20lbs) I have read about people taking there trilam and those type of material drysuits down to florida and locations like that to dive. I couldn't do that in my 6mm neoprene drysuit, I would burn up. I have changed a couple things and still changing some things since I first entered the water, but like lcf said...it got me in the water and I'm happy for that atleast.

[Nwbrewer]

I have a superdry snorkel also. Mainly so because I never wear it.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!! Yea my plan is to leave mine in my gear bag. :biggrin:

Then why buy one? Mine is as dry as Matt's.

[sheahanmcculla]

I have a superdry snorkel also. Mainly so because I never wear it.

The 1st thing all new OW divers should learn... get rid of the snorkel!

[dlh]

It's not too hard to find someone selling an affordable used dry suit. I'm surprised that the cheapest you encountered was neoprene, they tend to be more expensive than TriLam suits. As mentioned earlier, lots of folks upgrade their gear long before they wear it out. I'd be surprised if you could not find a good used suit and undergarment for under $1000. Keep it in mind for when you have set aside a few more scuba bucks and are ready to make the jump to a dry suit.

Hey thanks for the comments. As far as the dry suit goes, I didn't buy one because the price of them. The ones that were affordable were neoprene. I didn't like walking around like an astronaut, so those are not comfortable to me. I figure I'll wait until I can afford a nice dry suit that I find comfortable.

[Nwbrewer]

I have a superdry snorkel also. Mainly so because I never wear it.

The 1st thing all new OW divers should learn... get rid of the snorkel!

Hmmm, I seem to remember someone showing up to a dive at Mukilteo with a snorkel, and air2, and most of the clips in the trident catalog doing the entire dive vertical (head down). Who was that? I can't quite recall....

[sheahanmcculla]

I have a superdry snorkel also. Mainly so because I never wear it.

The 1st thing all new OW divers should learn... get rid of the snorkel!

Hmmm, I seem to remember someone showing up to a dive at Mukilteo with a snorkel, and air2, and most of the clips in the trident catalog doing the entire dive vertical (head down). Who was that? I can't quite recall....

Hey that was a long time ago...just trying to save the guy some video grief

I remember your video

[spatman]

I have a superdry snorkel also. Mainly so because I never wear it.

The 1st thing all new OW divers should learn... get rid of the snorkel!

i just bought a new snorkel, actually. snorkeling/freediving is fun.

[Dashrynn]

Hmmm, I seem to remember someone showing up to a dive at Mukilteo with a snorkel, and air2, and most of the clips in the trident catalog doing the entire dive vertical (head down). Who was that? I can't quite recall....

hey i love being upside down...its so awesome every once in awhile ill practice being upside down for a few seconds just to get the thrill back, that and to freak my buddy out.

Never had an air2..almost bought one and then i came on nwdc...learned alot of dos and donts. Also started thinking for myself and not what someone that ow certed told me.

[Joe Blow]

Well the snorkle came in a package deal with my boots fins and mask. It's also required to use in the pool session for the OW cert. So it's not like you can go without it for that part of the training. I will keep looking for a dry suit. I want one eventually. The wet suit I got was $240 and at this point in time that's what is affordable. I plan on buying s dry suit prolly around tax time next year. :biggrin:

[Dashrynn]

Well the snorkle came in a package deal with my boots fins and mask. It's also required to use in the pool session for the OW cert. So it's not like you can go without it for that part of the training.

snorkels are fine, but i wouldn't buy a super high tec one. I hate snorkels while diving, they get in the way and are a potential hazard for me cuz i end up grabbing the dern thing instead of my inflator, when that happens its like flipping through a book trying to find your favorite page. Snorkels can be fun though, when the viz is beautiful here. I lost mine a long time ago when mistaking it for being broke, it actually froze open on the one way valve (had some valve thing at the bottom) now that i think of it. The temp outside was 22 degrees at redondo and i was diving with ross, bassman, and mister hutch. guess i should have bought the heat sinked snorkel.

[mz53480]

... I went with a console that had a compass and pressure gauge because I have a dive computer that will tell me my depth.

Would anyone else recommend also having a backup depth guage (analog or otherwise) in addition to the dive computer?
I recently had my computer battery bonk out during a dive and thus resorted to my analog depth gauge. Glad I had it.

Happy diving Joe!

MZ

[spatman]

Would anyone else recommend also having a backup depth guage (analog or otherwise) in addition to the dive computer?

when my suunto crapped out during a dive, i just relied on my buddy's gauge to get us back safely.

[Burntchef]

Well the snorkle came in a package deal with my boots fins and mask. It's also required to use in the pool session for the OW cert. So it's not like you can go without it for that part of the training. I will keep looking for a dry suit. I want one eventually. The wet suit I got was $240 and at this point in time that's what is affordable. I plan on buying s dry suit prolly around tax time next year. :biggrin:

what size are you ? i have a dry suit i may be letting go.

[Joe Blow]

Well the snorkle came in a package deal with my boots fins and mask. It's also required to use in the pool session for the OW cert. So it's not like you can go without it for that part of the training. I will keep looking for a dry suit. I want one eventually. The wet suit I got was $240 and at this point in time that's what is affordable. I plan on buying s dry suit prolly around tax time next year. :biggrin:

what size are you ? i have a dry suit i may be letting go.

My wet suit is an XL. Do dry suit sizes run the same?

[billandwende]

... I went with a console that had a compass and pressure gauge because I have a dive computer that will tell me my depth.

Would anyone else recommend also having a backup depth guage (analog or otherwise) in addition to the dive computer?
I recently had my computer battery bonk out during a dive and thus resorted to my analog depth gauge. Glad I had it.

Happy diving Joe!

MZ

I dive with a airless and a console. But then again I do lots of odd things so I'm probably the odd guy out here. It's just piece of mind for me.

[spatman]

what size are you ? i have a dry suit i may be letting go.

My wet suit is an XL. Do dry suit sizes run the same?

they vary by brand. what's your height and weight?