Nitrox Dive
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 Mares Puck Wrist Nitrox Dive Computer  US $299.97
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 NITROX DIVER CHEVRON SCUBA DIVING iron on DIVE PATCH US $3.99
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 PRO 02 ANALYZER – NITROX SCUBA DIVE – BRAND NEW SENSOR US $169.95
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 Scuba Paintball Compressor fill manifold dive nitrox US $56.00
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 OCEANIC VEO 20 AIR NITROX WRIST DIVE COMPUTER US $379.95
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 Scuba Dive Shirt Aquatic Addiction Breathe Nitrox US $17.95
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Scuba gear? What to buy?
Ok, so I'm a certified diver with 22 logged dives under my belt. I'm certified up to 36% Nitrox. I've done all my dives on rental gear and frankly I think it's time I start investing in my own gear. My last dive was in Cozumel, which was amazing, except my secondary regulator kept free flowing would always free flow unless I held the mouthpiece downward..
So with all the problems of using rental gear, I think it's time I start buying my own. But what to get? Any experienced divers in here have a particular preference to regulators, BCD's and computers? I'm contemplating getting the Oceanic VEO 3.0 computer as I can't really afford the VT3/4. If I'm going to spend good money on this stuff, I want QUALITY gear, but I don't need the best of the best.
So many models, so many prices. I ask the people at the dive shop and they all try to sell me the highest ticket item. (of course) Anyone here have any recommendations????
I think you will ultimately want to buy your equipment from the dive shop instead of going "behind their back" and ordering from the internet because that is where you are going to take your gear to be serviced. They will likely know if you were to bring gear in that you didn't buy from them and they may service it for you but they may not honor the manufacturer's service warranties (which, at least for Aqua Lung, means free parts for life). You will almost certainly get friendlier service if you buy from them instead of buying elsewhere.
But that doesn't mean you have to buy what they are "pushing" on you. What brands are carried at your local dive shop? It isn't easy to make any kind of recommendations without knowing what your options are, what your budget is, what kind of diving you are doing now, what kind of diving you might want to do in the future, etc etc. For example, why are you considering the Veo 3.0? One of the features of that computer is that it supports gas switching during the dive - is that something you need or think you'll need?...because gas switching is overkill for the typical recreational diver UNLESS they plan to get into tech diving with that computer.
So I think you need to provide some more information before anyone can provide any truly useful advice. Otherwise all you will get is people's opinions on what gear is "best"...which is often just the gear they own.
Case in point....see the next post. Is Mares a brand that your dive shop will service? If not, why even consider it unless you want to go through a hassle every year when annual maintenance comes due? Would the conservative Mares RGBM dive computer algorithm be a good match for your diving style? Can't say, we know very little about you apart from the fact that you are still pretty new to dving. So....it's just an opinion without any consideration about what might be best for you.
PADI Nitrox dive training course
Specialty SCUBA Diving Courses
If you are a certified scuba diver and have been on several dives, it might be time to consider signing up for a specialty course. Specialty SCUBA courses offer new and exciting ways to dive and experience things you wouldn't be able to with normal dive equipment or traditional dive sites. If you are feeling adventurous, you may want to consider signing up with a local dive outfit to get registered in one of the following courses:
Enriched Air
Enriched air diving is typically the first specialty course that scuba divers sign up for. With enriched air, you dive with nitrox in your tanks which gives you extended no decompression dive time. This means you can stay underwater longer and get back underwater quicker. This is great for long dive trips and people who can't get enough of scuba diving. What you learn in a course like this are techniques for getting more dive time, equipment considerations and managing oxygen exposure. And if you take an underwater camera down with you on the longer dives, just imagine all of the scuba diving images you can capture!
Wreck Diver
If you are looking for a real adventure, wreck diving is ideal for you. Wrecks are fascinating to view on dives because it shows you a glimpse into the past. They also become completely new habitats that teem with underwater life. Some ships are sunk on purpose to provide an artificial reef, while others sunk due to a disaster or mishap. When you take a wreck diving course, you learn how to avoid common hazards, research the history of your favorite wrecks, plan the wreck dives and learn techniques for entering wrecks and dealing with your equipment.
Deep Diving
Deep diving can offer a really cool new experience to your open water dives. You'll get to see new aquatic life that lives further down in the ocean as well as experience a darker, more mysterious environment. Deep dives are typically anywhere from 60 to 130 feet. In the deep diving course you will learn techniques for deep diving, gain experience in the planning and organizing of the course and complete four supervised deep dives.
Night Diving
Night diving is a great way to get a new perspective on places you have been during daylight hours. Suddenly that familiar reef will seem like a whole new world illuminated by the glow of your dive light. You'll also get to see a wide range of sea critters who only come out at night. In a night diving course, you will learn about planning, potential problems, how to control buoyancy at night, how to navigate in the dark and entry and exit strategies.
Dry Suit
Dry suit diving lets you stay warm and dry even in very cool diving conditions. A dry suit completely seals you off from the water, so you can explore challenging dive locations and extend your diving season. The advantage to this is you will get to experience better visibility in colder months, especially in lakes, quarries, caves and sinkholes. With a dry suit course you learn how to control your buoyancy, how to maintain and store your dry suit and familiarization with the new equipment.
About the Author
Justin Snyder has been a SCUBA diving afficianado since becoming certified in 1991. His interests include getting the very best underwater Hapwater, Natalia Asveenko, and SCUBA diving frogwoman pictures possible.
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