scubagearhq.com » What scuba equipment should I buy? http://www.scubagearhq.com Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:08:49 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 What scuba equipment should I buy? http://www.scubagearhq.com/scuba-regulator/what-scuba-equipment-should-i-buy/ http://www.scubagearhq.com/scuba-regulator/what-scuba-equipment-should-i-buy/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:57:35 +0000 admin http://scubagearhq.com/scuba-regulator/what-scuba-equipment-should-i-buy I’m a beginner diver. I’m interested in purchasing a regulator with octopus and gauges and a BC. I dont know what brands would be the best. I live in Erie pa so I will be making cold water dives.

First and foremost you need to know that no company can afford to make bad scuba equipment. I suggest you stay with brands that are recognized worldwide because you may decide to move somewhere else someday and you would like to know that there is someplace nearby that can service your gear. I work at a scuba store Visibility Unlimited which sells and services scuba equipment along with teaching scuba to people. We sell both in store and online at http://www.visibilityunlimited.com. If you are thinking about purchasing online from a store it is a wise idea to see that they are listed as a dealer for the particular brands they offer. This is easy to check by simply going to the manufacturer websites and checking their dealer sections. I personally prefer Oceanic because they are represented throughout the world. http://www.oceanicww.com and I have found them to be very customer friendly.
Since you will be diving in colder water the regulator should probably be a diaphragm first stage with an environmental seal such as the Delta 4 fdx10 http://www.visibilityunlimited.com/page/scuba/CTGY/Scuba-Regulators-Octopus
or the Neo Regulator

http://www.oceanicww.com/p_regulators_neo.html

or the GT3 CDX5

http://www.visibilityunlimited.com/page/scuba/PROD/Oceanic-GT3-CDX5-DVT-Regulator

I would suggest going for a dive computer over gauges because they are more accurate and easy to use. Read some of the descriptions here.

http://www.visibilityunlimited.com/page/scuba/CTGY/Dive-Computers-Gauges

For the BCD, go with something that is suitable for cold and warm water diving such as the Excursion or OceanPro BCD

http://www.visibilityunlimited.com/page/scuba/CTGY/Scuba-BCD

This will give you flexibility should you decide to go to a warm water destination on a vacation.

The alternate air source I like is the slimline as it is compact and works when handed upside down or right side up.

http://www.visibilityunlimited.com/page/scuba/PROD/Oceanic-Slimline-Octopus

I have only given you a sampling of what I like, the ultimate decision is up to you. There is nothing wrong with asking questions or comparing different companies. Many stores and online retailers also offer packages that may help save some dollars. It can get confusing at times but most of the manufacturer sites and even our website try to keep the technical jargon to a minimum.

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